Twitter Highlights of Today's Stealth ISS Conference
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It was not meant to be secret but it was set up in a rush at the last minute. The location and agenda came out really late. Everyone who responded to their earlier RFI was invited so that is how we got on the list.
NASA told me that the organizers specifically asked that there be no PR or media outreach for this event. They also asked that it not be recorded.
Didn’t know about PR but they wanted people who could potentially propose viable work (in their definition of course) under an NRA or BAA. The people with NSPIRES accounts are there (and some other people apparently).
No two NASA people had the same understanding as to what this event was about.
I only ever talked to Robyn and she had a consistent message, could be that lots of people heard different stories.
Every NASA person I talked to yesterday at the event had a different understanding.
Tomorrow almost everyone is going to reconvene at the Potential Commercial Space Markets breakout.
That is a small workshop, there are about 100 total real attendees.
That’s stupid, although I’ve wondered about the possibility of using a lottery* to raise money for a space program. You’d at least know how much money you have to spend from the outset and could plan accordingly. And there’s a history of that – the Virginia Company used a lottery to raise money for Jamestown.
* Or you could try some type of legal-gambling zone thing where a portion of the proceeds goes to the space program. The US also has a rich history of working around having to finance stuff out of the general appropriations budget in Congress.
I wonder what kind of games of chance they’ll come up with that involve microgravity? Absent that, what’s the particular gambling draw?
I’ve always liked the idea of a bond issue with a special kicker whereby once a year one random bondholder wins a trip to orbit. The trip could be taken, or sold to increase that bondholder’s yield. It would never be approved by the regulators, though (too close to gambling), at least not in the U.S….
Why stop at gambling? Can you imagine what you could charge for an “oldest profession” opportunity? Nasa could bring in a big chunk of change. However, qualifications for astronauts would have to change!
During the Shuttle program a movie producer offered to pay for the opportunity to do a film in orbit. NASA turned down the offer after learning that the primary motivation for the film was to include zero-G sex. In retrospect, why not?
Finally we have a purpose for SLS. It’s all about getting back to basics.
IIRC, the movie you’re talking about is “The Uranus Experiment” from German adult-entertainment filmmaker Private. They got tours of JSC (the logo is everywhere in the movie), but NASA balked at renting them the vomit comet for filming the microgravity money shot for which the movie is known. “You’re going to do what on our airplane?” My understanding is that they then went to the Russians who asked “You pay us how much?”, but ultimately went with a private plane, much like when “Girls Gone Wild” did microgravity.
Of note is that the movie was mentioned in “Packing for Mars” by Mary Roach, where she denies the microgravity money shot is real, but she also admits she hasn’t seen the whole thing. (it was released in 3 volumes) I have a copy of the movie in the Lunar Library, have seen the whole thing (OMG! my eyes! my eyes are bleeding! SRSLY, it’s XXX+ hardcore), and she’s oh, so wrong.
I’m still curious about microgravity-specific games of chance.
You know where they put casinos and gambling, except for Las Vegas?
Economically depressed and desperate places looking for a miracle to save them that are ripe targets for exploitation. They never put them in Manhattan or San Francisco, etc. They put them in areas somewhat nearby or in the middle of nowhere that are full of disadvantaged people with Social Security checks and small paychecks ripe for the gleaning.
Just saying…
But jobs!
So, here is the proof that NASA wants to be rid of ISS but can’t because of international politics and alliances that they will need for BLEO missions. They want to be rid of the costs without being rid of the service (hence ‘commercialisation’ and ‘privatise’) but they don’t know how or even what that would entail.
* They have repeatedly shown they can’t sell research space;
* They have repeatedly baulked at the thought of paying tenants;
* They have chosen every option to move ISS support and operations further and further outside of their ‘mainstream’ operations via CRS and CCT.
It is proof that NASA is trying to write an NRA to pay for expanded science. There is lots of incredible science that is being done and can be done.
Agreed. Now if only NASA can get out of its own way such that this can happen.
I don’t think they’ve hardly made an effort to try and sell research space on ISS. NASAs processes are so slow, laborious and expensive that its a hard sell, the crew doesnt have that much time for supporting payloads, NASA doesnt seem to have ever tried to actively sell ISS capacity and CASIS doesn’t seem to have figured out that it is their job.
Lets see, the ISS at its max has supported about 13 people (with a Shuttle attached). Not too many gamblers, I’d say.
Orbital casinos would be a good idea, You need to keep people occupied. But ISS in its current configuration is not likely.