Public-Private Partnerships: The Future of Space Exploration

In 2010, NASA will retire the space shuttle. Which leaves one to wonder how the agency plans to continue to supply the International Space Station (ISS). Wonder no more - NASA, through its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, awarded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a $1.6 billion contract to send unmanned cargo flights to the ISS. That buys NASA a minimum 12 flights of SpaceX's Falcon 9 spacecraft, with a contractual option to order additional missions - a potential total of $3.1 billion. While this seems to be a hefty price tag, NASA is benefiting from SpaceX's setbacks, lessons learned and investments that it took to develop Falcon 9 (it was originally planned to debut in 2007). As this September 2009 Popular Mechanics article describes, the ambitious SpaceX team is not easily discouraged.

The first test launch of the Falcon 9 may occur as soon as February 2nd. Three more demonstrations / test launches will follow, with Falcon 9's first flight to the ISS scheduled between May through November 2010. If all goes well, the Falcon 9 will haul 20 tons of cargo to the ISS by 2016. An earlier model of Falcon 9, Falcon 1, was listed as one of Popular Science's Best of What's New innovations for 2009. With the Falcon 9 carrying cargo loads, NASA is freed up to focus on accomplishing manned missions to the Moon and possibly Mars.

PM in Photos: Bogota Colombia

Centro Bacatá is a project that just recieved approval to go forward, and has a planned completion date in 2012. The building will be located in Colombia's capitol city, Bogota, will stand at 140 metres tall, and is slated to cost roughly $62 million. The multi-use complex will be home to a hotel, apartments, offices, and retail space.

Photo Copyright Holder - Alonso Balaguer

Rwanda: Clean Water Project

The October 2009 edition of PMI's PM Network Magazine highlights a project that is bringing self-sustaining water treatment plants to rural Rwanda. I am enthusiastic about this project because it is unique in both its technical and organizational approaches. The project is being conducted by The Manna Energy Foundation, which is installing more than 400 of its systems at secondary school locations.

Technically, the project is utilizing cutting edge sciences that cut down on the energy and funding needed to maintain the systems. Solar power provides the energy needed to run the systems, cell phone technology allows the team to monitor the systems from remote locations, and lasers are used to purify the water. The mechanism used for purifying water is drawn directly from processes used on the International Space Station to provide drinking water for the astronauts aboard. (Yet another of the multitude of everyday earthly benefits as a result of space exploration, but I digress.)

Organizationally, this project differs from most humanitarian development projects in that the water treatment systems generate continuing income through the award and sale of carbon credits. Usually projects of this nature are reliant upon one-time donor financing, causing the focus to be on the initial roll-out of the facility, instead of self-sustainment and the continuing operation of the facility. It is hoped that the revenue generated from the carbon credits will provide a built-in incentive to keep the water purifying systems running, and also fund other related projects, particularly human waste biogas generators.

This video, created by Manna, gives an overview of the project and drives home the compelling need for clean water world-wide.