anon(4698833)
Banned
Are you serious? There was a bright spark of space exploration by the private sector, are you mad? The private sector had no interest in space exploration anytime in the immediate future because right now the cost is just a bad financial investment. It wasn't until 2000s that to was considered and it wasn't until NASA investment that it was tried.
NASA pushed the initiative period, it didn't pour gas on it, the initiative happened because of NASA. The government didn't just shut the shuttle space program down, it still exists. The people is simply didn't want to pay for current cost to launch shuttle. And we needed a new shuttle which won't be ready until 2015-2018. In 2006 NASA essentially created the private sector when they offered 500 million to any company that could show a viable ISS re supply service. Russia started selling its services by the way from their government program. You are rewriting history. Today there are more private companies companies because NASA is offering the money and needs the service until the new shuttle comes on board in 2015.
A commercial privatized space program is on its infancy period. It's far from a tinder box or close to being a flame. Like I said in capitalism if there is no money to be made people won't do it, and right now there is huge entry cost and little money to be made.
I'm not re-writing anything, you're being way over dramatic about your opinion on what the level of interest was...to me, it was significant, if you feel otherwise, that's fine, but it's still simply your opinion.
As far as investments go...Elon Musk invested $100 million of his own money into Space X...and while that is a drop in the bucket compared to $50 Billion, it's also a single investor. I'd say that's pretty substantial, given the complete lack of private investment as the NASA space program developed over the latter part of the 20th century.