Pharmaceutical corporations already occupy a sizeable payload portion of satellites in space. And not just for exploration of space and Earth. The absence of gravity causes crystals to grow unusually large and with almost perfect form, without touching the walls of their containers.
Read MoreApollo was more than a Moon mission. It was America's most successful technology mission. And our economy is still mining the benefits.
Read MoreFor one thing, satellites generate weather prediction worth $11 billion a year. That's equal to two thirds NASA's budget.
Read MoreOne great example of the knowledge ore--information that private companies mine to produce new products--is a device that can revolutionize drug delivery.
Read MoreIs the Gravity Well worth the cost? To answer that question, we need to look at one of its least understood benefits.
Read MoreThe Gravity Well is more than a defined realm of space. It's also a kind of ladder of success. We've established a thriving economy on the first run.
Read MoreIt really wasn’t that long ago when the two greatest superpowers were vying to put satellites into space. Now, 50 nations have their own satellites in low Earth orbit. If you’re a Thailand, say, you can call Space Systems/Loral, a Canadian-owned company based in Palo Alto, California, and tell them you want to put a satellite into geostationary orbit for television broadcasting or military communications. You can have the thing in orbit 25,000 miles above Earth within two years.
