Has the US Government Kept Private Ownership Out of Orbital Space?

Thursday, April 20, 2006
by Michael Goodspaceguy Nelson
Has our US Government kept some possible private ownership out of orbital space?

* The perception of some is "Yes," even though we do have some corporate owned orbiting satellites. (For example, we do have corporation owned communication satellites.) However, we could have much more private ownership in orbital space than we do have. Opportunities have been missed. There has been much waste. Many items in orbit have been destroyed by the government, when the government could have sold these orbiting objects to corporations or individuals.
* I would like to see more private ownership in orbital space. I want government to cease its destruction of orbiting items.
* Our government has wasted objects in orbital space by plunging them back to Earth to destruction!
I wanted these objects boosted to higher orbit and privatized by sale to the highest bidder.
* I wanted the historic U.S. Sky Lab Space Station boosted to a higher orbit and sold to the highest bidder. After spending so much tax payer money to put it into orbit around the Earth, it was wrong of the government to allow Sky Lab's orbit to decay until our Sky Lab Space Station fell back to Earth to destruction.
* I wanted the historic Russian Mir Space Station boosted to higher orbit and sold to the highest bidder.
* I wanted garbage and waste and supply vessels boosted to higher orbits and sold to the highest bidder.
* The per pound cost of putting something into orbit is high and therefore that which has been put into orbit has value and should be kept in orbit. Even garbage is valuable and will have a future use as we develop the technology of recyling in the orbiting space colonies.
* Sincerely, Michael Goodspaceguy Nelson