It's fun being out of the military; I don't have to use slides and I can be late. I'd like to spend the whole day with you but I can't.

Clearly the subject of this conference is near and dear to my heart. The main message I have is that this is America's last best chance to start moving in the solar system. The way we will do that is to involve the private sector in space in a big way. I'm pumped that I'm assigned to NASA Ames. It has a long and distinguished history going back to the NACA days. I think NACA had a tried and true model and that's to partner with others to get things rolling, then get out of the business. This center is playing an important role in getting robotics to the moon.

The second important part is that this center sits in Silicon Valley. That helps make us an unbeatable combination. I will do whatever I can to help form partnerships. I will help the private sector and government pick each other's pockets so each can make a lot of money.

I'd be happy to now answer a few questions or get your ideas and comments.

Q: You commented that it would be a moon activity for the first commercial ventures. We believe there are other more near-term ventures.

A: The moon offers unparalleled opportunities for things you can do on, from, and with the moon. There are a lot of opportunities and it's a huge resource we see every night. It's like an offshore island. I'm familiar with the Space Portal ideas, and anything we can do in that area and other areas is good. Clearly, this center is open for business. I'd like NASA to consider us a portal and assist in the development of space capabilities. It's not just the moon; it's also about such things as asteroids and free space. It's like the NACA model. We'll help form partnerships. I also have several acres of prime real state that I can use to leverage these partnerships.

Q: What is the NACA model and how does it work?

A: It was set up early in the 20th Century to help groups with technology and knowledge. The private sector needs help with infrastructure. For instance, observatories are built with private money but the roads leading up to them are not. The infrastructure is inherently government's role. Technology is open-ended and can do the basic research. In the government, funding may go away if there are no results, but one is rarely fired for that. The government can help in providing the things a VC may be reluctant to do, such as roads and commodes. That can be a risk the government helps with.

Q: What about property rights?

A: That's something the US government has to explore. Freedom and America is built on the private ownership of property. I'm a strong believer that it's something the government can do: underwrite the private ownership and control of things. There is an engine behind economic development and that's the new owner. It's better that governments don't have to compete for ownership; it's better to stay in the private sector. The US government can underwrite private ownership so you won't have to invest in a piece of land and see it being taken away. I will work hard to help influence that.

Q: I'm interested in the NACA model. Do you think NASA will support something like that to support space commerce and show commitment to do that?

A: That's very much in the Space Act and other agreements that have already put us in that arena. The Space Act of 2005 was a milestone. I have some institutional resources and will make those available as much as possible.

Q: Where do you see Ames in five years?

A: This is a center for space commerce and information technology. There are new space businesses around it. We remain as a nucleus of a place to go and get things done. I don't plan to do a big government expansion of it.

Q: One of the things that could prompt this is for NASA to write delivery contracts for products and services in the future so there would be no cost upfront.

A: I'm lobbying hard for communication systems for lunar science and exploration. Why don't we just issue an RFP? That's very much in the mode and we have a good shot at doing that. That's a start. Once we do the first one, the rest will come along quicker. We want to develop cheap lunar landers. These are things, and I'm proposing this to headquarters, that we can build. I'm looking for partners to do that. The lower cost gets in the range of something a VC may want to partner with us on.

Once again, thank you very much.