Transition Team Recommends Focus on Space Solar Power

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team has published a white paper persuading the new administration to attach a significantly higher focus on space solar power (SSP). “Space Solar Power: A Solution for Energy Independence & Climate Change” addresses SSP as the prime candidate for alleviating present global energy concerns. The paper was prepared by the Space Frontier Foundation and published for public comment by the transition team.

So far, the paper claims, space solar power is largely ignored because no federal agency is responsible for encouraging any such program. The U.S. Department of Energy sees it as a space issue and therefore NASA’s responsibility. NASA, on the other hand, sees it as an energy issue and therefore the DOE’s problem. Meanwhile any pursuit of SSP is mired in federal bureaucracy.

Why is SSP so advantageous? The paper cites a report by the National Security Space Office (NSSO), which points out these benefits: (more…)

Transition Team Recommends Focus on Space Solar Power