This is in line with Obama's National Space Policy (NSP). Obama wants to greatly increase the private commercialization of space.
However, as one might expect, the transition hasn't exactly been smooth. Today, NASA released the first draft of a document detailing it's relationship with private industries, which was initially hailed as a historic change.
Today's article in Popular Mechanics notes that the announcement might not be the radical change many had envisioned, and provides a series of answers the Affirmative can leverage against the Privatization CP:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science ... 6+Space%29
...we read through the dense language of the contract, called the Commercial Crew Integrated Design Contract (CCIDC), and found that it sets terms that keep NASA very much in control of the design and timeline of the next astronaut-carrying spacecraft and launch vehicles.
Space companies are quietly pushing back against parts of the contract. Officials complain that the terms leave open questions over who has final say over the engineering. There are new government review boards that can reject hardware designs. Some insiders complain that this intensive NASA control is tantamount to the FAA certifying the design of airplanes, not just certifying their airworthiness. And the contract stipulates that companies would have to make room for NASA employees in their own offices, who would keep tabs on the companies’ projects.
