Mojave Desert: the next Silicon Valley?

It's a whole new world, and magic carpets have nothing to do with it (WashingtonPost via Instapundit)

If there’s one thing that New Space has going for it, it’s that Old Space is in trouble. Old Space and New Space turn out to be symbiotic. New Space companies need NASA contracts, and NASA needs New Space companies to pick up the agency’s slack.

The true believers imagine that, someday soon, robotic vehicles will mine asteroids for precious metals, including gold and platinum. Moon dirt will be transformed into rocket fuel for missions to Mars. Closer to home, FedEx will send a package from New York to Tokyo, via space, in half an hour.

More: on SpaceX's coming commercial geostationary launch (USAToday)