William Atkins
Wednesday, 09 April 2008 19:32
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
In a related story, the president of The Boeing Company,
James F. Albaugh, told attendees (on April 8, 2008) at the
24th Annual National Space Symposium, held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, between April 7-10, 2008, that the United States may lose its leadership role in space if sufficient money is not spent over the next ten years in developing new space technologies.
Albaugh stated at the conference,
"We can't afford the so-called rebuilding years of our space capability. The next decade must be about reaffirming our leadership role in space." [Defense News: “
Boeing Chief: U.S. Should Lead in Space Tech”]
Albaugh compared the next ten years with the decade of the 1950s as to its criticality with respect to space development and technology.
The 1950s entailed the first steps, many of them faltering steps, of the United States to launch rockets into space as it watched the Soviet Union take an early lead in space exploration with its Sputnik 1 spacecraft.
Albaugh was especially concerned with the quickly expanding space capabilities of the Chinese.
In order to maintain its position [the United States’ position] as a leader in space the next critical step, according to Albaugh, is to develop new space propulsion technologies that are much less expense, while at the same time, are able to increase their efficiencies.
He states,
“We must identify the enabling technologies that with commitment and openness to big ideas will allow us to take the next big bold step forward. In my view, propulsion is the great enabler." [Houston Chronicle]
Albaugh concluded by saying,
“We can clearly see our international competitors fast approaching in the rear view mirror. This is not the time to take a backseat. If we do, the consequences will be non-recoverable and future generations will judge us harshly." [Houston Chronicle]
Why is the U.S. leadership role in space so important? Please read on.
