| ID | 135163 |
| Title Proper | Railroads and the space program revisited |
| Other Title Information | historical analogues and the stimulation of commercial space operations |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Launius, Roger D |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) |
While many are familiar with the enticing of American transcontinental railroad construction through land grants from national, state, and local governments, there was a range of other stimulative efforts to facilitate railroad development. These included tax breaks, investment credits, and otherwise favorable decisions supporting these business interests. They also involved, in some instances, direct subsidies; monopolies not only on railroad operations but also in ancillary and even tertiary industries; and changes to regulations to ease requirements for labor, safety, and other factors. This article examines the analogue between railroad development in the U.S. and that of space exploitation specific to access to space, involving space launch technology development, drawing several key findings from the railroad experience. It suggests that there is a broad range of options that have been pursued in the past to stimulate investment in infrastructure—in this case in railroads—that have application for future space access operations. Not all of these options were successful—some failed outright and others had detrimental unintended consequences—and that is discussed as well.
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| `In' analytical Note | Astropolitics Vol.12, No.2-3; May-Dec.2014: p.167-179 |
| Journal Source | Astropolitics Vol: 12 No 2-3 |
| Standard Number | Development |