Wow, so much naysaying here. When I hear about private plans vs government plans I think back to what Neil deGrasse Tyson said:
> Private enterprise will never lead a space frontier. In all the history of human conduct, it’s as clear to me as day follows night that private enterprise won’t do that, because it’s expensive. It’s dangerous. You have uncertainty and risks, because you’re dealing with things that haven’t been done before. That’s what it means to be on a frontier. [...] The government is better suited to these kinds of investments. They have a longer time horizon. They’re not shackled to quarterly reports like you see in a private enterprise.
I tend to agree with him. I'm betting on the government to get humans there first. But I'll be happy to eat humble pie.
> Private enterprise will never lead a space frontier. In all the history of human conduct, it’s as clear to me as day follows night that private enterprise won’t do that, because it’s expensive. It’s dangerous. You have uncertainty and risks, because you’re dealing with things that haven’t been done before. That’s what it means to be on a frontier. [...] The government is better suited to these kinds of investments. They have a longer time horizon. They’re not shackled to quarterly reports like you see in a private enterprise.
I tend to agree with him. I'm betting on the government to get humans there first. But I'll be happy to eat humble pie.