It is often argued, and I would certainly agree, that the large aerospace prime contractors, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, are strategic national assets that the U.S. government needs to preserve, even at some loss of economic efficiency. However, at this time of increasing dependence on space systems and declining resources with which to create and maintain them, those companies, such as AeroAstro, that have a history and experience base building smaller, much-lower-cost spacecraft are also a strategic national asset that must be preserved if we are going to simultaneously reduce the cost of future space missions and increase or maintain our space capabilities.
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