Should Humans Fly in Space?
Economics of Space Exploration
Bill Gibson
Fall 2010
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
NASA
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
NASA
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Eisenhower convinced need a non-military space agency
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Eisenhower convinced need a non-military space agency
NACA already working on US presence in Space
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Eisenhower convinced need a non-military space agency
NACA already working on US presence in Space
von Braun and other German scientist already working in
Texas for Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Eisenhower convinced need a non-military space agency
NACA already working on US presence in Space
von Braun and other German scientist already working in
Texas for Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Operation Paperclip
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Eisenhower convinced need a non-military space agency
NACA already working on US presence in Space
von Braun and other German scientist already working in
Texas for Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Operation Paperclip
Example
Was von Braun a committed Nazi
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Sputnik crisis
Starts: October 4, 1957: launch of the world’s first artificial
satellite Sputnik 1
Perceived threat to national security and technological
leadership
Eisenhower convinced need a non-military space agency
NACA already working on US presence in Space
von Braun and other German scientist already working in
Texas for Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Operation Paperclip
Example
Was von Braun a committed Nazi
Answer: Little evidence that he was...did visit Dora
Middelbrau and observed conditions in concentration camp
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Assembled and launched a number of V-2s from White Sands,
NM
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Assembled and launched a number of V-2s from White Sands,
NM
”Prisoners of Peace” couldn’t leave
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Assembled and launched a number of V-2s from White Sands,
NM
”Prisoners of Peace” couldn’t leave
Transferred to NASA center in Huntsville: stayed for 20 yrs
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Assembled and launched a number of V-2s from White Sands,
NM
”Prisoners of Peace” couldn’t leave
Transferred to NASA center in Huntsville: stayed for 20 yrs
Led the Army’s rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Assembled and launched a number of V-2s from White Sands,
NM
”Prisoners of Peace” couldn’t leave
Transferred to NASA center in Huntsville: stayed for 20 yrs
Led the Army’s rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal
Example
Where did we get the term ”it went south?”
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
von Braun
Were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas part
of Hermes project
Trained military, industrial and university personnel in use of
rockets and guided missiles
Assembled and launched a number of V-2s from White Sands,
NM
”Prisoners of Peace” couldn’t leave
Transferred to NASA center in Huntsville: stayed for 20 yrs
Led the Army’s rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal
Example
Where did we get the term ”it went south?”
Answer: Rocket testing in Fort Bliss that went “south”
across the Rio Grande
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont
Should Humans Fly in Space?
Bill Gibson
University of Vermont