From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Sun Jul 14 2002 - 14:28:35 MDT
Robert Bradbury noted:
<<I've read stuff on the net however that suggests that one
will never get better/cheaper/faster out of the existing
military/commercial industrial complex. There is too
little competition and too much negative self-impact with
developing "cheaper". If one has profits of 20% on a $50M
vehicle and one is expected to have profits of 20% on a
$5M vehicle, then it makes sense to sell $50M vehicles.
It looks to me like the current cost savings, the Air
Force's, "Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle" program
has been extracted from the manufacturers tooth by
bloody tooth. But I don't know that business, so I
could be completely wrong. >>
The Military Industrial Complex for non-military projects would benefit from
global competition. Why, because the world is indeed bigger then the USA.
More competitors, different ways of looking at problem solving, perhaps. What
areas would be the targets of such a global project? One answer would be
energy production. Perhaps hydrogen production, storage, transport, use. Or
perhaps medical innovations that might enhance both life extension and
quality of life.
But we'd have to have an economic pay-off at the end of a set time period to
suceed. Also, we'd have to have a team of peers or judges that would be free
of most prejudice. Someone in the pay of Raytheon, might be suspect, for
example, on a live project. Screening of judges, who the 'screeners'
themselves would be screened, should be the watch-word.
I would use American judges and American money to pay the prize though. Its a
matter of whom does one trust. Simmilarly, the the EU or the Japanese could
sponsor such a contest, but I doubt they would. In the EU it would be
bogged-down by the Left, in Japan, they wouldn't permitt a non-Japanese
company to win.
American academics would be in the drivers' seat with a clear set of
demonstrable, measurable, standards on which to judge by. The prize should be
in the billions. This would stirr great interest, and hopefully great
results.
Its a suggestion
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