1. What statement best describes your interest in space? Please mark (or highlite with red font) all that apply to you
a. Supplier of space launch services or hardware/software
b. Supplier of ground processing or support services or hardware
c. Supplier of space based assets or services
d. Buyer/user of space services (e.g., biotech, material science, earth science)
e. Financier (Angel, VC, investment banking, etc.)
f. Media/entertainment representative
g. Other
2. Do you know about the NASA COTS program? (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services)
a. No or not much (if no skip to #7)
b. Have heard about it
c. Some knowledge
d. Very familiar
3. Did you or your organization apply for a NASA COTS award?
a. Yes
b. No
4. Do you think NASA should offer other COTS type programs?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know
5. Do you have any ideas for future NASA COTS type programs? If yes please briefly describe.
Sounding rocket component and vehicle development, which can be grown into launch vehicle and subsystem development. Having entrepreneurs design, build and fly targets (red team) for MDA.
6. Do you think the NASA COTS program could be improved? If so how?
Nasa should hire real business people to review proposals, not government employees without fear of reprisal for bad decisions.
7. What do you see as the biggest barrier/obstacle to commercial space?
a. The fact that inexpensive orbital rockets are a threat to national security, (they imply inexpensive ballistic missiles) so they are discouraged or their developers are redirected, stalled or mismanaged to death. Or developers with no chance of success are given enough money to fail spectacularly.
b. Therefore a credible missile defense system would be a prerequisite to a commercial space industry. I don’t see that happening soon.
8. What do you think is the most important thing that NASA could do to support and promote commercial space?
NASA can’t promote commercial space and develop their own competing launch vehicle. NASA must get out of the launch business and cancel Ares.
9 Any other comments or suggestions regarding commercial space?
NASA must stop changing direction with the political winds. NASA is a national treasure and it should act like one, not like a political football. If senator X tells NASA to buy parts from contractor Y they need to have the guts to tell him no, they will buy from whoever has the best parts for the money. The funding should only be based on publicly agreed upon policy goals and not geography. NASA contractors who lie to get funding should be blacklisted.
10. Name and contact information for follow-up (optional):
Name: Steve Harrington
Organization: Flometrics