Sam Fraser
06-04-2010, 09:28 AM
The International Trade Arms Regulations or ITAR is a Cold War era export control law which limits the sharing of technical information to foreign countries. The major effect of this law in the space community is that no one, even our allies, can discuss technical specifications with US space technology producers. ... From this nation's perspective, the law is great, but a more global perspective gives a different idea.
Scientist and advisor to the French space program, Jacques Blamont, commenting on the ITAR in his paper International Space Exploration: Cooperative or Competitive said “it is difficult to believe that a large-scale endeavor, which would require technical exchanges on many subjects where American superiority is overwhelming, could be successfully carried out on a day-to-day basis” in the current political environment (Blamont, 91). In effect, our isolation has frozen any possibilities for a large scale space project, such as space habitation. ... This self serving isolation is not conductive to a peaceful future nor is it realistic in the vastness of space. ... We are attempting to go forth into infinite nothing by ourselves and we are making enemies in the process.
http://www.habitationintention.com/2010/05/space-settlement-american.html
I think the "making enemies" part overstates the case a bit and I would hardly call the opinion of one Frenchman a "global perspective", but ITAR has already cropped in private discussions about a PERMANENT entry in the Google Lunar X prize. For example, we would have to go all-American to avoid ITAR obstacles and use a $50m SpaceX Falcon LV to claim a $20 million prize. That seems insane to me.
Scientist and advisor to the French space program, Jacques Blamont, commenting on the ITAR in his paper International Space Exploration: Cooperative or Competitive said “it is difficult to believe that a large-scale endeavor, which would require technical exchanges on many subjects where American superiority is overwhelming, could be successfully carried out on a day-to-day basis” in the current political environment (Blamont, 91). In effect, our isolation has frozen any possibilities for a large scale space project, such as space habitation. ... This self serving isolation is not conductive to a peaceful future nor is it realistic in the vastness of space. ... We are attempting to go forth into infinite nothing by ourselves and we are making enemies in the process.
http://www.habitationintention.com/2010/05/space-settlement-american.html
I think the "making enemies" part overstates the case a bit and I would hardly call the opinion of one Frenchman a "global perspective", but ITAR has already cropped in private discussions about a PERMANENT entry in the Google Lunar X prize. For example, we would have to go all-American to avoid ITAR obstacles and use a $50m SpaceX Falcon LV to claim a $20 million prize. That seems insane to me.