Because they would have to make a profit, and we can't let that happen. Think about how many more people could be employed if nobody makes a profit. Scuse me while I go wash my mouth out now for saying a dirty word.
I agree that government should not be in the business of space travel except for national defense. However, NASA is not going away any time soon. I hate to see my taxes wasted on experiments in the space station that would barely qualify for a high school science project.
Therefore, if we are going to spend the money, lets do something worthy of the cost and the only thing I see that could capture the imagination of the current generation is a mission to Mars.
Private industry could do it better, but what is the financial incentive for doing so?
They are working on it, however it is going slower than most of us like, partly because the government and one or two large aerospace companies don't like competition, and so came up with a lot of regulations/restrictions. Hopefully that will change, or else, they'll be launching out of other countries.
And why did Thomas Jefferson buy Louisiana and commission Lewis & Clark?
Look fokes if I had my druthers there be no government because we need no government if men were perfect… but their not so we do….. government is (per Jefferson) a “necessary evil”
Government has it's uses..... an opening up frontiers and acquiring new territory is something government does ok…. As long as the open it up to the citizens & private industry
Bottom line Jefferson seem to think this was a good thing for government to do and I do to
And if private industry do it cheaper, faster and better... good do it
Space development is too big for anyone acting alone. It must be a group effort. If private industry, if there is such a thing anymore, were able to develop space or just go to Mars, it would have done so by now.
$15 billion a year for 30 years? Where is our moon base? Where is our Mars base? Heads should roll.