I would love to see an ASA on home turf, but I can't see either government (labour or liberal)with the initiative or the vision to pour the money into such a scheme.
If it was soley on R/D and space research, it might be a hard sell - governments don't have long term vision, unless something is in it for them.
It would have to be a joint venture either with some rich person with a passion in aerospace or a multi-national corporation with a business objective of deploying commercial satellites and the like.
Although we'd be miles behind NASA and ESA, I do believe we have the minds to get something like this off the ground.
I could see a market for space travel, even if its just at the edge space to start with. Once the technology and hardware is proven, it could be a regularly thing. Eventually (maybe not in my lifetime) this becomes an affordable experience.
If the likes of Richard Branson can get something off the ground, surely some local entrepenuer could do the same.
Norm
