

NASA Expands Commercial Space Program - adam_klein
http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/september/nasa-expands-commercial-space-program-requests-proposals-for-second-round-of/

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Mangalor
This is great news. NASA looks to start building a real space industry, not
just to use a few prototype ships to ferry supplies to the ISS.

I wonder if NASA's role will shift to more of an administrative and
supervisory agency over private space companies, sort of like the DOD's
relationship with military contractors, or the SEC's role with banks.

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icandownvote
Hopefully more like FAA role

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marktangotango
>> the contracted services would include logistical and research cargo
delivery and return to and from the space station through fiscal year 2020

SpaceX is the only one of two current contractors capable of returning cargo.
Seems a bit skewed in favor of Falcon/SpaceX? Unless Sierra Nevada has the
cargo capacity on the Dream Chaser...

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vonmoltke
...or Orbital Sciences has a return pod in the works. I would think they would
be working on something, especially since SpaceX is already there.

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toblender
I wish someone would make the NASA site look less boring.

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DanBC
I really hope they don't.

That page loaded in a few seconds for me. Most pages take much longer but do
not have much more information or functionality.

This page is a press release. It serves a special purpose. Other parts of the
NASA website are less plain.

