Thomas Paine – What Would He Say Now?

NASA Solicitation: Biography of Dr. Thomas Paine
“This notice is being issued as a Request for Proposal(RFP) NNH09291335R for the NASA History Division. The NASA History Division has a requirement for the commercial service of writing a complete scholarly book-length biography of Dr. Thomas Paine, NASA’s third Administrator. This biography shall focus on Dr. Paine’s time at NASA (as Deputy Administrator, Acting Administrator, and finally Administrator) and the time afterward when he served as chairman of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986) and as a member of the Augustine Commission on the Future of the U.S. Civil Space Program (1990). Period of Performance and Contract Type: The period of performance for this contract is thirty six (36) months from the date of award. NASA intends to award a firm fixed price contract.”
Official Bio
“During his leadership the first seven Apollo manned missions were flown, in which 20 astronauts orbited the earth, 14 traveled to the Moon and four walked upon its surface.”
Pioneering the Space Frontier, “Paine Commission”, 1986
“For cargo transport, we propose that a new vehicle be put into operation by the year 2000 with a goal of achieving operation costs of $200 per pound delivered into orbit. … For destinations beyond Earth orbit, a new transfer vehicle will be required. In the coming era of fully reusable Earth-to-orbit vehicles, the needs of Government and industry for the reliable emplacement of expensive satellites beyond low Earth orbit will require new space-based “workhorse” vehicles designed for flexibility through modular systems. Basic components should be capable of being ganged, or provided with extra tankage, for higher energy missions.”