Economic Development of Low Earth Orbit
Author: National Aeronatics and Space Administration
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2017-01-13
Total Pages: 142
ISBN-13: 9781542524353
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIN THE NEXT DECADE, NASA will seek to expand humanity's presence in space beyond the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth orbit to a new habitation platform around the Moon. By the late 2020s, astronauts will live and work far deeper in space than ever before. As part of our push outward into the solar system, NASA is working to help commercialize human spaceflight in low Earth orbit. After the government pioneers, develops, and demonstrates a space capability-from rockets to space-based communications to Earth observation satellites-the private sector realizes its market potential and continues innovating. As new companies establish a presence, the government often withdraws from the market or becomes one of many customers. In 2016, we are once again at a critical stage in the development of space. The most successful long-term human habitation in space, orbiting the Earth continuously since 1998, is the ISS. Currently at the apex of its capabilities and the pinnacle of state-of-the-art space systems, it was developed through the investments and labors of more than a dozen nations and is regularly resupplied by cargo delivery services. Its occupants include six astronauts and numerous other organisms from Earth's ecosystems, from bacteria to plants to mice. Research is conducted on the spacecraft from hundreds of organizations worldwide, ranging from academic institutions to large industrial companies and from high-tech start-ups to high school science classes. However, its operational lifetime may be exceeded by the late 2020s, compelling its retirement to make way for new spacecraft and new missions.
