Becoming Spacefarers: Rescuing America's Space Program

            What is a spacefaring society, and how do we get there from here? For much of the time since the end of the Apollo era, participants in the U.S. space community and members of the interested public have asked that question, and been frustrated by the inability to choose a coherent path for space exploration and development, make a commitment to its implementation over the long term, and fund it appropriately. That's because decision-makers typically aim for quick solutions to short-term needs, which conflicts with the requirements of space endeavors, which are high-risk, high-cost, long-term ventures where it's more important to get it right than to do it fast.
            Partisanship and parochialism play a large role in this process. The book traces how these factors have affected U.S. policy-making in the past few years on issues related to spacefaring goals, and challenges the conventional wisdom that says the space program is an area of bipartisan agreement.
            Arguments over the appropriate roles of the public and private sectors in space have prompted the mistaken and counterproductive view that an adversarial relationship between the two sectors is inevitable. The lessons we should have learned from U.S. history show that it doesn't have to be that way. A review of the history of U.S. transportation industries shows that a collaborative relationship is not only possible, but essential to the success of very large infrastructure development projects.
            Continuing our space efforts in the way we've been doing them in recent decades is not a viable option. We can't reach critical mass if infrastructure elements (space shuttle, space station, etc.) are introduced one at a time and don't survive long enough to constitute an integrated system. Broader participation by the private sector - as has been the trend in terrestrial infrastructure - is required to achieve parallel development of needed elements and long-term commitment to operations.
            So far, space applications have brought great benefits to society just by providing better ways to relay electromagnetic signals for communications, navigation, and remote observation. Space activities need to move more into the mainstream by expanding into new areas of products and services, bringing new benefits to Earth while at the same time preparing for the next stages of space exploration and development.

In Becoming Spacefarers: Rescuing America's Space Program, James A. Vedda, one of the most innovative space policy analysts working today, offers a no-nonsense account of the current doldrums of spaceflight in the United States and how the nation might deal with it. He makes clear that we are in a crisis, that business as usual will not enable us to overcome it, and that it is not sufficient to rest on past successes or to accept the present partisanship and parochialism. In addition to diagnosing the problems, Vedda also offers useful and in some cases provocative prescriptions for how Americans might untie the Gordian knot of current approaches to spaceflight. - Dr. Roger Launius, senior curator of space history at the National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Vedda offers us a well-written and well-argued case, drawing on his expert knowledge of the history of spaceflight and his vision for the future. If you want to understand what's wrong with U.S. space policy and how to fix it - read this book! - Dr. James Clay Moltz, professor at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of The Politics of Space Security and Asia's Space Race

Jim Vedda gives the reader a no-nonsense review of the on-going, albeit twisted trajectory of U.S. space program prowess. This is a well-reasoned and expertly researched book that is unique in its scope and issues tackled. For even the most hardened space cadet, my advice is to lift up your helmet visor and take a clear, close read about good, bad, and muddled decision-making in the past - but more importantly, what's needed to create a sustainable space agenda for the future. - Leonard David, SPACE.com's Insider Columnist