Comments on: A blueprint for a revised Canadian space policy

By: anonymouspace

anonymouspace — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:47:15 +0000

“Instead itâ€™s sad, short sighted down to Earth socialist protectionism.”

“Canada is farther down the road to socialist hell than we are, and they have not learned the power of free open markets”

Canada’s decision had little to do with socialism, protectionism, or free markets, and instead revolved around national security concerns. MDA is the sole owner of RADARSAT International (RSI), which operates the two RADARSAT-1 and -2 satellites in partnership with the Canadian government. These are synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites with resolution down to 3 meters, which makes them pretty high-value assets for Canadian national security. RADARSAT-2 even has “terrestrial defence surveillance and target identification” as part of its mission definition. The Canadian government didn’t want those assets operated by a foreign-owned company. It’s as simple as that.

FWIW…

By: Donald F. Robertson

Donald F. Robertson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:43:43 +0000

Perry: Sadly, space community members. with few few exceptions, could not sell ice water to a thirsty arab or a warm jacket to an eskimo.

While you and I are on opposite sides of the political divide, I agree with most of your statement. Our supposedly capitalist companies — e.g., Boeing with one of the best rockets in the business — would much rather suckle at the government teet than take a risk to market their vehicle. Even the Europeans do better — and Ariane-V dominates the market.

— Donald

By: Library: A Round-up of Reading « Res Communis

Library: A Round-up of Reading « Res Communis — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:09:01 +0000

[…] A blueprint for a revised Canadian space policy – Space Politics […]

By: Bob Barker

Bob Barker — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:55:23 +0000

the space community as a whole has not learned to sell space to the masses or elites in the spacefaring nations or elsewhere.

If you want to sell something, you need to have something to sell. The vast majority of space activists are selling something that does not exist, or selling the intangible – space, empty and void, like flim flam artists.

Even worse, they are ADVERTISING something for sale that doesn’t exist.

The few space activists that do actually have something to sell, are busy developing their products, and are advertising them very little, if at all.

By: Perry A. Noriega

Perry A. Noriega — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:20:29 +0000

Hoping I don’t get flamed or banned here, but I agree with clclops; Canada is farther down the road to socialist hell than we are, and they have not learned the power of free open markets, but then again, the space community as a whole has not learned to sell space to the masses or elites in the spacefaring nations or elsewhere. Sadly, space community members. with few few exceptions, could not sell ice water to a thirsty arab or a warm jacket to an eskimo. And unless this lack of advertising/marketing/promotion/sales skills changes, along with a product or service the public is willing to buy at a price they are able and willing to pay, space programs as we know them, as public goods sold to the public at large, will die.

By: Bork

Bork — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:41:17 +0000

socialist

You right wing nut cases will never ‘get it’. With soon to be 10 billion people on the planet, your crackpot ideas are as obsolete as the dinosaurs.

You have elevated incompetence and failure to a political ideaology.

By: cIclops

cIclops — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:29:25 +0000

So having blocked a sound commercial deal that at no cost to tax payers would have secured Canadian space jobs, now the government has to take more money from taxpayers to ensure those same jobs aren’t lost. On top of that there’s no hint of any vision – CSA has an opportunity here to announce a new program or fully join the Lunar program. Instead it’s sad, short sighted down to Earth socialist protectionism.