LOS ANGELES To be a space pioneer, whether in government or in the private sector, requires tolerance for risk and failure, NASA administrator Daniel Goldin told his audience during a session at the Space Frontier Foundation conference Friday.
"If you dont have a strong stomach for technical or financial failure, this is a bad place to be," he said.
Goldin spent much of his speech outlining the space agencys plans to privatize and commercialize. But he couldn't avoid the topic of risk and failure given the loss of the
Goldin said he was going to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. later Friday to visit with the Mars Climate Orbiter flight team.
Though he said he wasnt pleased by the loss of the Mars orbiter, Goldin said the agency would learn a lot from the failure.
He told potential risk takers at the conference that there are opportunities for business with the space agency and other businesses.
Goldin would like to see more of the agencys operational duties carried on by contractors while NASA concentrates on exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.
"Weve all got a passion for space, but we need to work together," he said. "Itll only work if you have money, dollars in your pocket."
For example, Goldin said he hopes the agency eventually passes the International Space Station on to private operators. Toward that end, Goldin said the agency has received several proposals from private companies to finance the ISS habitation module scheduled to be launched in 2004.
The agency sponsored a conference in Houston last August to try and drum up private partners for the project. Goldin declined to name the companies or elaborate on the proposals, but said NASA was studying the offers.
Despite his encouragement, Goldin cautioned the group that private industry will have to strive to meet NASA's needs in order to win contracts.
"Deliver what we want and treat us as a customer rather than civil service trash," he said.
And he said that companies must meet these needs without compromising safety.
"Im responsible for every astronaut that steps into the shuttle," Goldin said. "Itll be a cold day in hell before we turn it over to someone that doesnt put human lives first."
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