The Business, Politics, Policy, & Players of Space Programs

Welcome Course 3 - The Business, Politics, Policy, & Players of Space Programs. If you are here, you have successfully completed both Course 1 and 2 of this specialization. Course 3 has nine lessons spread out over 4 weeks with 31 Learning Objectives. In this course, we will discover who and what funds the exploration that we have enjoyed learning about in Course 1 and 2. We will also focus on a few specific applications of some of the concepts we have learned about so far with two companies, the Global Positioning System, and the an academic program that could be implemented at your institution of higher learning. Week 1 - There are three lessons this week that will cover a range of topics that greatly influence where space exploration has been, is today, and will go. The Politics of Space, with Jack Waldorf and Abby Benson will provide a basic overview of how space missions are funded in the US government. Space Governance with Dr. Zach Donohew and Eric Alston, JD will present the case and justification for how we as species will need to govern what we do in space. The Business of Space with Dr. Dan Baker, will cover the basics of the space industry from the size to the value of doing business in space. These topics will build on many of the others we have covered in the other courses and in the lessons ahead. Week 2 - This week's topic is Space Entrepreneurship and it is broken it into two parts. Both parts involve real-world space entrepreneurs. Part 1 is with Dr. James Stuart who has started many space companies and continues to work with other entrepreneurs as they push the boundary of what we do in space. Part 2 is with Scott Tibbitts, who has a very unique background and path to being a space entrepreneur but that did not stop him and his company from enabling NASA to explore Mars. These lessons will give you a new perspective on the impact entrepreneurs have in space exploration. Week 3 and Week 4 are application lessons where we take a deep dive into a few of the many examples where space is used in our daily lives and how companies and academic programs are helping to bring access to space to everyone. The Global Positioning System (GPS), with Dr. Penny Axelrad, is so ingrained in our daily lives that we may not even realize we are using it. We will discuss how it came to be and how it will be used for years to come. David Ferguson and I will discuss SpaceX's Starship and Starlink programs and how one company is changing our vision for how we explore and use space. The Access to Space for All with Sierra Space, with Dr. Janet Kavandi, covers how one company, that many may not have heard of, has big plans for science and tourism in space. Dr. Kavandi also has some interesting space experience! The last lesson of this course covers an academic program at the University of Colorado Boulder call the Space Minor. Ashleigh Bailey and I discuss this unique program that allows students of all majors to minor in space. This program is a model of other institutions of higher education around the world. So please consider enrolling and then let's hit the trail.