The aerospace industry has been living off the largesse of government contracts for generations. Defense contractors are some of the largest and most profitable industrial titans in the world. These giant companies have been in opposition to proposals by the Obama administration to cut back on defense contracts for space exploration. They do not want to see their money pipeline go somewhere else.

However, according to The New York Times, there are many organizations chomping for a piece of the newfound space pie.

When President Obama declared an end to the Constellation program in February 2010 many in the space community were upset that the government was “giving up” on space. The White House however stressed that it was not giving up on space, what it was giving up on for the time being was the Moon.

George W. Bush started Constellation in 2004 when America was turning against his administration after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had bogged down. The program created thousands of jobs, and the prospect of going back to the Moon provided a much needed popularity boost. Unfortunately, as was the case with everything the Bush administration put its shortsighted mind to, the program was quickly forgotten and allowed to languish.

President Obama has stated that his administration is far more interested in developing a commercial space industry, and using the considerable resources and expertise of NASA to focus on deep space exploration. Even if we do lose some of the contracted jobs that once belonged to Constellation, with proper care and attention we could create untold numbers of additional jobs in other areas.

If Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), the first successful commercial space enterprise, is able to become truly viable space tourism will be a major American growth industry. Perhaps more importantly, it is an industry where American firms are leaps and bounds ahead of their foreign competition. Space commerce is a brand new industry, and it is one where the United States still has a significant lead.

The European Space Agency has a solid background in satellites, but only Russia and China have put a man in space using their own rockets and technology. By contrast the United States has put dozens of men and women into space, and twelve have walked on the Moon.

Opponents to the Obama proposal point out the 12,600 jobs tied to Constellation. They point to the long-standing ties between NASA and certain major contractors. They highlight the inability of space start-ups to take any major steps forward on their own.

Proponents point out the meteoric rise of SpaceX in the industry, and the fact that private start-ups have never been given a real chance in a forum dominated by the Boeings and Lockheed Martins of the world.

The average onlooker may see space as an arena for amusement and research, rather than actual economic growth. This view is too narrow. On Earth there is only so much room and so many resources. In Outer Space the possibilities are literally limitless.

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