The recent feature about moon landing memories was great! It makes you think, though: why hasn't anyone been back?

The problem is the government. As any Russian will tell you, state-controlled industries don’t work. That’s exactly what NASA is, and that’s why we’re stuck in the past. The "right stuff" has rotted into the “spineless, statist stuff”. You think I'm exagerating--do the research yourself.

The real problem, though, isn’t that NASA’s a dinosaur in a coma. It’s that NASA has actually actively suppressed progress into space for most of its history. In the 60's, 70's and early 80's competition with NASA was illegal. Now, with upstarts legal, NASA takes matters into it's own hands. NASA created the X-33 program to destroy the privately funded DC-X vehicle. The X-37 is designed to annihilate Lockheed's privately funded VentureStar. Often, to stop companies that are a threat, NASA "assimilates" them into NASA subcontractors, then kills their good projects. NASA, if we let it, will seek and destroy all private space ventures forever.

I'm sorry to be so negative, but honesty requires it. We’ve stagnated for 30 years--it must stop.

There is hope that a new dawn is breaking. There are now dozens of companies shooting to get us off “Rock 3”. Rotary Rocket has an amazing reusable SSTO design, and has built and tested an incomplete, but full scale, version (visit rotaryrocket.com). In two years it plans to have it done and to start shipping to space for unbelievable prices. Kistler, and many other companies, have similar goals. Sea Launch lived up to its name in March and launched a payload to orbit from a floating platform at sea, overcoming U.S. government opposition.

Then there's the $10 million "X-Prize" for first private company to carry tourists to space twice within two weeks. Like the prizes for aviation feats early this century, the X-prize is motivating lots of action to make space-tourism real.

Support is also growing to build space stations out of the huge external fuel tanks the Shuttle discards into low-earth orbit area each flight.

In short, there's a lot going on. An explosive breakthrough seems eminent, but only if the launch companies can withstand ruthless retaliation from NASA. I think they can.

This is truly an exhilerating time for space fans. There's all kinds of ways to get involved or informed, the internet being the easiest one. Try msia02.msi.se/~lindsey/spaceLinks.html, and www.free-market.net/directorybytopic/technology/.

Space belongs in our lives, not our history books. With a libertarian and laissez-faire attitude, we can do it. So join the fun, and it’s Mars or bust!

John Wiltbank