Why do dotcom billionaires flock to the space industry? Because space is a lot like what made them rich in the first place. It's technological, packed with challenges, and way out there.
Read MoreMost of NASA's budget doesn't go toward NASA employees building equipment. It goes toward private contracts.
Read MoreApollo was more than a Moon mission. It was America's most successful technology mission. And our economy is still mining the benefits.
Read MoreCan Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos pay for everything in space? Not even a fraction of it. One big reason: risk.
Read MoreTwo primary reasons: investment, and risk.
Read MoreA fully funded space program costs a lot. And we have other priorities. So what's the argument for funding space?
Read MoreFor one thing, satellites generate weather prediction worth $11 billion a year. That's equal to two thirds NASA's budget.
Read MoreOne great example of the knowledge ore--information that private companies mine to produce new products--is a device that can revolutionize drug delivery.
Read MoreIt really wasn’t that long ago when the two greatest superpowers were vying to put satellites into space. Now, 50 nations have their own satellites in low Earth orbit. If you’re a Thailand, say, you can call Space Systems/Loral, a Canadian-owned company based in Palo Alto, California, and tell them you want to put a satellite into geostationary orbit for television broadcasting or military communications. You can have the thing in orbit 25,000 miles above Earth within two years.
