Decisions and Deliberations The decision we came to a close in our pro and con argument was that the government should let smaller companies or private companies take over space exploration in the U.S., With the retirement of the space shuttles last year, Nasa is looking to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences to take over flying US cargo to the space. The number of companies in 2011 are 485, including SpaceX. It will be one of the first private companies expecting to launch a rocket to the International Space Station May 7th, 2012. Once SpaceX feel they have perfected delivering cargos they will turn their focus to transporting U.S. astronauts.
In the article by Tia Mitchell, Florida’s New Space Coast Prepares to Launch, the SpaceX spokeswoman Kristin Brost Grantham said, “We are right now standing at kind of the beginning of a new era in space travel, one in which the commercial companies work with NASA to advance space flight.” Florida has always competed to get a huge piece of the global space industry, especially after former President George W. Bush announced the ending of space shuttle programs. Large numbers of jobs lost were between seven and nine thousand. With Bush’s decision, it allowed time for Florida’s Space Coast to prepare. The state was able to allocate tens and millions of dollars to invest in companies and improve infrastructure with businesses, like Space Florida or Florida Enterprise, that would expand and new ones would be attracted to Florida.
Space Florida pledged up to $50 million meeting numerous needs, such as as adding 550 jobs in Florida. “We can do very small to very large,” Space Florida president Frank DiBello said, “We can also do some direct investing in companies to help them achieve an objective.” Even though, cons bring up reasons space exploration shouldn’t be done, there are still great reasons it should be continued. Especially through the small private companies, it could really benefit the U.S. with NASA’s help in investing the small companies and continuing space exploration.