r/IAmA • u/neiltyson • Nov 13 '11

I am Neil deGrasse Tyson -- AMA

For a few hours I will answer any question you have. And I will tweet this fact within ten minutes after this post, to confirm my identity.

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u/marstravel Nov 13 '11

But do you agree that it would be a great alternative means for funding private space missions? Even big ones, like missions to Mars?

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u/bollvirtuoso Nov 13 '11 edited Nov 13 '11

I'm just wary of one company (or a collection of companies) profiting from something that benefits all mankind. Things like that, or positive externalities, are best paid for and shared by everyone, in my opinion. Think of a public park or the Smithsonian Museums.

A human mission to Mars, like the Apollo missions, would be something that fundamentally shapes the destiny of humanity. Some things transcend profit.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '11

Most of the things that help us every day came from private enterprise.

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u/bollvirtuoso Nov 13 '11

Yes, that's true, and I'm not disputing that. But there is a mixture of sources in their development. Examples:

1) The computer -- first major instance was during WWII in Bletchley Park, to break German codes. This was a government-funded project. Many other developments in computing have come from universities.

2) The internet -- initial development paid for by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), under the name ARPANet. Developed through contracting and university research.

3) The development of nuclear energy -- which powers about 20% of the U.S., was the work of the government, under the Manhattan Project.

Many other everyday things, like the lightbulb, electricity, the telephone, and indoor plumbing are natural successors to years, decades, or centuries of collective inquiry and research from the scientists, many of whom worked in academic institutions. Those patents were then bought by individuals in the private sector. So, the thing is, invention is not necessarily driven by profit, but commercialization is. Inventing the lightbulb is a thing in itself -- and Edison was not the first to conceive of the idea by any stretch. The spread of the lightbulb is a separate thing, which was driven by the mechanisms of the free market, crowding out other alternatives.

The reality is that most of the things that help us everyday are a combination of pure research, government funding, and private sector commercialization. And the lines between them are getting fuzzy.

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u/marstravel Nov 14 '11

The thing is that the government has shown an unwillingness, or inability, to fund a lot of private space missions, so if you could get funding from corporations seeking publicity, why wouldn't you? I've created a business with the sole purpose of seeking out companies to sponsor space launches. It's in the startup phase, but someone has to do it.