heinleinblog

Libertarians believe it is not the place of government to provide goods and services that can be provided by the private sector. Examples are stadiums and other facilities that are used for professional sports. Libertarians believe the Social Security system can be overhauled so that investments are made in the private sector, which would provide a higher return and stimulate the economy.

Another potential target for privatization is the NASA. Libertarians believe the duties performed by this quasi-military organization could better be performed by the private sector.

Judging from his writing, Heinlein would have preferred this as well.

In The Man Who Sold The Moon (1950), entrepreneur D.D. Harriman raises the capital for the risky venture of sending the first man to the Moon. A similar private venture is described in his movie and novella Destination: Moon.

Both were written before man landed on the Moon by way of the NASA Appolo missions, all funded by the government. Heinlein was a television commentaror for the NASA missions and was honored by the space agency.

But in the end, he still favored private space efforts.

In To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987), Maureen says this about Harriman: “The exploitation of space flourished unbelievably. Mr. Harriman’s decision to keep it out of government hands, let private enterprise go at it for profit, was vindicated.”

In the real world, so to speak, private enterprise was not allowed to “go for it” and no one has walked on the moon for 30 years.

NASA has virtually monopolized space travel in the U.S. Heinlein would be in a red hot fury over the sorry state of affairs at NASA, which acquiesced to delay after delay caused by our Russian “partners” in the permanently manned international space station.

Ironically, the former Soviets are decades ahead of us in creating economic reasons to venture into space: Advertising and tourism. Pizza Hut recently paid to have Russian cosmonauts on the international space station film an advertisement. An American millionaire recently stayed at the station in return for a huge fee paid the Russian space agency. Meanwhile, officials of the supposedly capitalistic United Stated of America clucked their tongues and bemoaned the commercialization of outer space.