Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!caen!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!gatech!udel!rochester!sol!yamauchi From: yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu (Brian Yamauchi) Newsgroups: sci.space Subject: Japan's Space Industry (was Re: Humanity's Launch Window) Message-ID: Date: 5 Feb 91 18:08:29 GMT References: <197.27AE8D32@nss.FIDONET.ORG> Sender: news@cs.rochester.edu (Usenet news) Organization: University of Rochester Lines: 24 In-Reply-To: Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG's message of 1 Feb 91 22:02:29 GMT In article <197.27AE8D32@nss.FIDONET.ORG> Paul.Blase@nss.FIDONET.ORG (Paul Blase) writes: NS> The only thing the Japanese really have over us is efficiency -- The key is that Japanese Industry is taking the initiative and not merely relying upon government funding. Maybe we're more innovative, but they are DOING it. Japanese companies also seem to have more of a long-term vision with regard to space development. I've heard that Shimizu has plans for an orbital space station (for tourism), a lunar base, and a Mars base, and that Ohbayashi has plans for a lunar mining complex. Whether these plans will be translated into reality is another issue, but, still, I wonder whether one could suggest similar ideas to an American Fortune 500 company without being laughed out of the boardroom... (or whether one would get to the boardroom in the first place). -- _______________________________________________________________________________ Brian Yamauchi University of Rochester yamauchi@cs.rochester.edu Department of Computer Science _______________________________________________________________________________