Is NASA Really Listening to the Private Sector?

XM and Audiovox Introduce XM Passport, the Miniature Tuner , XM Satellite Radio

“The XM Passport measures only 1.3 inches wide, 1.65 inches long, 0.44 inches thick, yet this miniature cartridge contains the entire XM radio tuner needed to deliver XM Satellite Radio to a wide array of XM Ready products. The XM Passport is approximately 40 times smaller than the original trunk mount XM radio tuners introduced just four years ago.”

Editor’s note: With all this talk of late about giant heavy lift boosters, upper stages, etc. – all design solutions dictated by government employees to industry, I certainly hope that some part of NASA remains ‘open source’ with regard to other ways to solve problems and receptive to the startling pace of innovations that emerge from the competitive private sector environment. Right now NASA seems to be doing all of the talking – and not much listening. Not a good sign. Imagine what this little satellite radio tuner would look like if NASA designed it.