With NASA facing massive budget cuts, the scientific powerhouse must now consider ferrying cargo and astronautics into space through private companies, a first for the agency.  Proponents of the outsourcing idea argue that non-governmental organizations would foot the bill for research and hope to make profit from providing services or creating products with the resulting developments.  As seen at the 50th anniversary of NASA, the research provided by the governmental agency has brought many modern products to fruition.
Private companies must often react faster to developments to stay viable, while NASA relies on huge government expenditure.  While a presidentially appointed commission [...]

While food fit for human consumption in outer space has come a long way from the days of vegetable puree in a squeeze tube and freeze-dried Neopolitan ice cream in a foil pack, it has a long way to travel still if we’re ever going to send a mission to Mars. As NASA looks to the future of the program, creating meals that will survive the years long journey while still preserving some semblance of enjoyment at the prospect of cracking into the next pack presents a real difficulty.
The LA Times explains some of the challenges faced by the team [...]

At the PSFK Conference Asia 2008, Colin Nagy (Attention!) interviewed social media/grassroots expert Andrew Hoppin (NASA) and noted architect Mark Dytham (Klein-Dytham/Pecha Kucha Night) on the subject of collaboration.