Dear Mr. President,
I applaud your creation of the Augustine Commission to evaluate the future of NASA’s human spaceflight program.
It has come to my attention that Senator Shelby (AL) has raised concerns regarding the possible appointment of lobbyists on the commission.
It is clear to me that Mr. Shelby’s stance against commercial spaceflight lobbyists being placed on the panel is out of his own pro-NASA stance, and I urge you to look past these allegations in making your decision on NASA’s future in the weeks ahead.
Commercial spaceflight represents an opportunity to open up space for all, not just for government activities, and it dramatically reduces the costs of spaceflight as well. As far as I can see, Mr. Shelby is in favor of the status quo, with NASA staying in bed with big aerospace contractors that while offering the lowest bid, have hardly changed their practices in the last 50 years of spaceflight.
The time to usher in a new era for space exploration is now. I urge you to still consider having commercial spaceflight play a major role in upcoming NASA endeavors. Let’s open up space for everyone in a new manifest destiny.
Yours Truly