Neil deGrasse Tyson: Bringing Commercial Space Fantasies Back to Earth

http://bigthink.com

There is a lot of talk lately about what role the privatization of space might play in our future ambitions of space exploration, and Neil deGrasse Tyson tells Big Think "from where I sit there is a lot of delusional thinking there."

Directed / Produced by
Jonathan Fowler and Elizabeth Rodd

• Category

  Science & Technology

[UtterFlatulence]

Tyson/Nye 2016! Make it happen.

[ruforsaken1]

When Dr. Tyson speaks, you listen.

[Rohan Pannikadavil]

I didn't say that private industry was bad (far from it I'm watching with rapt anticipation). I'm just tired of that obsession with PE that says NASA needs to disappear and private industry will move us foreword (don't worry that's not what you said.) Give government some credit.

[Srdjan Colak]

If Space X completes their project,they will be the first to have commercial reusable spacecraft . And government contract they got is for some cargo jobs,completely not connected with grasshopper project. Maybe I am wrong,but you are taking somewhat narrow view...I find no reason private sector can't play a major role in aerospace industry..I bet it will! Same thing Musk is doing with Tesla,maybe he wont be number one electric car manufacturer but i think its a tipping point .

[Rohan Pannikadavil]

Nope they don't have a reusable spacecraft yet, they have a prototype called Grasshopper that's doing tests. And it's been surpassed by the DC-X of a few decades ago.

The point is private space hasn't done anything new yet and are going to. And they won't be able to without government help. What is SpaceX doing right now. Completing government contracts.

[CamiloSanchez1979]

Wow, best Dr. Tyson's insight as of yet

[Srdjan Colak]

Reusable rocket is answer... are you joking my friend? :D financial side is just a small part...

[Alexander Evensen]

Really? What are they doing that hasn't been done already? I don't mean making it financially more viable, but really new stuff, like going new places in space.

[Srdjan Colak]

I love Neil..but he is now pretty much wrong about private companies who take enormous risks ....Just look whats going on at Musk's SpaceX

[Jose Simental]

I would like to see his take on that new Mars One project.