SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Gravity Is Not the Main Obstacle for America’s Space Business
from the Economist
In the spring of 2006 Robert Bigelow needed to take a stand on a trip to Russia to keep a satellite off the floor. ... It was, says the entrepreneur and head of Bigelow Aerospace in Nevada, “indistinguishable from a common coffee table.”
Nonetheless, the American authorities told Mr Bigelow that this coffee table was part of a satellite assembly and so counted as a munition. During the trip it would have to be guarded by two security officers at all times.
Exporting technology has always presented a dilemma for America. ... If export rules are too lax, foreign powers will be able to put American technology in their systems, or copy it. But if the rules are too tight, then it will stifle the industries that depend upon sales to create the next generation of technology.
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