Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!donb
From: donb@hpcuhb.HP.COM (Donald Benson)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: R+D Payback Studies ( was Apollo Payback )
Message-ID: <5270004@hpcuhb.HP.COM>
Date: 20 Dec 88 22:17:49 GMT
References: <4046df8e.298d@dl298d.engin.umich.edu>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 17

>      expenditure [1].  Assuming that NASA's R+D expenditures produce the same 
>      economic payoff as the average RD expenditure, MRI concluded that the 
>      $25 billion (1958) spent on civilian space RD during the 1959-1969 
>      period returned $52 billion throught 1970 and will continue to stimulate 
>      benefits through 1987, for a total gain of $181 billion.

However, what reason is there to believe NASA's R+D expenditures *will* produce
the same economic payoff as the average RD expenditure?

The average R&D investment pays 7:1, so If I spend $1M, I will get $7M back?

In industry, there are some cash-rich companies who don't invest all they
could because the incremental returns fall off.

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My radical ideas would never be accepted by a staid company like this.
								DonB
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