Tim Fernholz

"What Silicon Valley's space entrepreneurs owe NASA, and how NASA can get it back"

ABSTRACT -- My book Rocket Billionaires traces the rise of two space companies, SpaceX and Blue Origins. They emerged from the same Silicon Valley ecosystem that created Apple, Google and Facebook—with a big boost from NASA. Now, the space agency is incorporating commercial partnerships into major exploration missions like Artemis. This talk will discuss the history of NASA's work with the private sector and what the agency can do to leverage American engineering know-how while avoiding crony capitalism and and high-tech boondoggles.

SPEAKER -- Tim Fernholz's career includes stints as a reporter for Quartz, a correspondent for the National Journal, and a staff writer for The American Prospect. He is the author of Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race, a recent history of the US space program. He grew up in New Hampshire and now lives in California. He has a BA from Georgetown University in government.

Next Week: "Our Dietary Past", Bill Schindler, Washington College

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov