I also have an interest in space exploration but after considerable thought I've concluded that it might be best to take care of this planet first, then push towards the stars. First the overwhelming cost of space exploration is indeed a burden we shouldnt have to carry. Secondly is the extreme dangers involved in space flight which technology hasnt overcome. Thirdly, we simply are not ready, putting a man on the moon is one thing but colonizing or even mining the moon is an astronomical (no pun intended) effort which the first two reasons cover.
As far as your questions go the private sector should not be governed by existing programs, as an example take spaceship one, they did a great job without government interference.
Spaceship One
The government is great and spending billions of dollars with few results, yes we landed a man a the moon but in my opinion that was shear luck. Its a small miracle that those men ever made it there let alone returned alive. Any number of cataclysmic events could have ended that journey in a heartbeat.
Look at the space shuttle program...........
Risk assessment shows NASA's odds were high for greater space shuttle losses | The News-Press | news-press.com
Quote:
CAPE CANAVERAL — NASA seriously underestimated the dangers astronauts faced when the shuttle fleet began flying in the early 1980s, a new internal safety study shows.
At the time, managers thought there was only a 1-in-100,000 chance of losing a shuttle and its crew. Engineers thought the probability was closer to 1 in 100. But in reality, the odds of a disaster were much higher.
On each of the shuttle's first nine missions, there was a 1 in 9 chance of a catastrophic accident, according to the new risk analysis. On the next 16 flights that led up to and included the January 1986 Challenger disaster, the odds were 1 in 10.
NASA lost 14 astronauts in two shuttle tragedies, and saw near misses on a dozen other flights.
"We were lucky. There were a number of close calls," NASA summarized in the new risk assessment.
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The moon is already for sale although I'm not sure how anyone could actually stake a claim. A piece of paper might not do the trick
Buy Moon Property - Lunar Real Estate - Moon Land For Sale
And of course there are already many standing in line to exploit the moons resources. Gotta get that helium3, Good Luck with dat.
Global Network - Space Exploration and Exploitation
The Artemis Project: Private Enterprise on the Moon
Opinio Juris Blog Archive Bilder on the Legal Regime for Mining the Moon
The inherent dangers of space which include both zero gravity and cosmic rays would have severe health implications for astronauts on any long term mission, we first need to investigate their effects on cells, tissues and our hormonal and immune systems. Not to mention those pesky micrometeorite showers, the psychological effects of living in confined spaces, & propulsion systems.
Give us a few hundred years & we might have a few of these bugs worked out.