Paul Stimers, space policy and law expert who advises the U.S. House, Senate and White House, issued a stern warning regarding the U.S. space program on "The Costa Report" on Wednesday, June 21. ''Don’t try to do what China is doing. It’s a trap,'' he cautioned.
Stimers urges U.S. leaders to streamline current regulations and procedures so space transportation becomes as routine as conventional airline travel. When leaders begin treating outer space as ''a place, rather than a mission,'' Stimers believes policies and regulations will fall in line with what U.S. commercial ventures need to stay in front.
Rebecca Costa, host of "The Costa Report," concurs. ''He who establishes beachheads —the moon, Mars and other celestial bodies first — makes the rules. We can’t afford to let China or Russia get there and carve everything into private property. What then? We go to war in space?''