Do space businesses pass the Good Technical Business Test?

[Skyskimmer]

Yes, currently we see these businesses surviving and growing in a hostile economic environment. I like you, believe if they can survive through this environment and not make any business or technical goofs then when the economy picks up so will they to a fast expansion. It is just like the smart phone manufacturers making profits and spending heavily for development of new phones and software. What will happen to the smart phone market when the economy improves? It will explode!

The current economy is projected to be out of its slump by 2012 or 2013. So by the time that CCDev and Bigelow’s Space Station and Space X’s Falcon 9 Heavy start their operations there will be increased demand for these products, because companies and governments will have more money to spend.

Yeah Ironically I think 2013 will be the sleeper year of instant change, in more than one arena. You will also have alot of baby boomers that can no longer put off retirement(5 post melt, means most people will hopefully be able to go back to life as normal. This means that the industry is gonna be going on a scouting fix between 2013-2018. As they best are either retiring, or taking other choose positions at DOD, RIM etc.

 

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

Yes, currently we see these businesses surviving and growing in a hostile economic environment. I like you, believe if they can survive through this environment and not make any business or technical goofs then when the economy picks up so will they to a fast expansion. It is just like the smart phone manufacturers making profits and spending heavily for development of new phones and software. What will happen to the smart phone market when the economy improves? It will explode!

The current economy is projected to be out of its slump by 2012 or 2013. So by the time that CCDev and Bigelow’s Space Station and Space X’s Falcon 9 Heavy start their operations there will be increased demand for these products, because companies and governments will have more money to spend.

Yeah Ironically I think 2013 will be the sleeper year of instant change, in more than one arena. You will also have alot of baby boomers that can no longer put off retirement(5 post melt, means most people will hopefully be able to go back to life as normal. This means that the industry is gonna be going on a scouting fix between 2013-2018. As they best are either retiring, or taking other choose positions at DOD, RIM etc.

An interesting point about the retirement of the baby boomers is that they started in the seventies and eighties during which time most of the institutionalization of process and procedures that has overtaken NASA and other aerospace companies. With a greater portion of the workforce retiring means the workforce will suddenly get younger. With this age shift also comes the “changing of the guard” of management and engineers. They will be more open to new ideas and having seen that the way their bosses did things didn’t work out so well and will be willing to try new things.

 

[Skyskimmer]

Yeah I also think they will be more in touch with the concept, working as the It industry in the 90's. Flexible, adventurous, and unafraid of change. This is where I think musk will dominate in recruitment. Also if they can see space as being colinization as being a lifeboat for the human race, there will be a great deal of support from people that typically think space is a waste of cash that could be better spent elsewhere.

 

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

I noticed something that was happening and has probably been happening all along is that small Nasa projects don’t receive anywhere near the oversight and control by NASA that the large projects do. Case in point is VASIMR which has small oversight but has made significant gains for little NASA monetary outlay. Another example is the COTS program, because when it started it was a small program that the bigwigs thought would not really be successful so all of the normal NASA involvement in design reviews etc. was left out to keep the costs down so that the limited program funds would have a chance of producing something. By the time that it did produce something and was transitioned to a large budget program the program policy and procedures had already been set. That hands off mentality associated with small projects is what has made COTS one of the few NASA procurement success stories. Senior management and senior engineering in NASA are not usually associated with small projects leaving it to the more junior and much younger engineers and managers, those more willing to take chances and open to new ideas. They have to be because that is the basic subject nature of small technology projects.

 

[Skyskimmer]

That's a pretty good point, it seems you would agree than that nasa is dated for the most part? They seem oblivious to the idea that cost is the most important factor of anything there trying to develope/research?