Donald Trump will take power any minute now, and we need to take advantage of the change in the White House to change NASA's focus.
Why? NASA needs to get out of the rocket business and shift its attention to a permanent space transport infrastructure, an Eisenhower-style highway in the sky. An infrastructure with:
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Gas stations (propellant depots),
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Rest stops and permanent housing—roomy human habitats with windows and vegetable gardens,
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Truck stops and freight yards—logistics bases with cargo-handling equipment,
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Trucks, SUVs, and dune buggies—Moon-and-Mars ground vehicles; plus tugs to haul loads around in space,
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Fuel production equipment—units to turn the water of the Moon and Mars into rocket fuel, breathable oxygen, and drinkable water,
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Units to turn the carbon dioxide in Mars' atmosphere into plastics, graphene, and carbon fiber with which 3-d printers can build more habitats, tools, and rovers—more trucks, SUVs and dune buggies.
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Units to turn the rusty rocks lying around on the Martian surface into high strength steel for habitats.
Why move NASA into space highway construction? Because no one else will do it. And our future in space depends on it. Our future share in a space economy that United Launch Alliance (a joint venture rocket company from Boeing and Lockheed Martin) estimates will be worth $2.7 trillion in thirty years.
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