Carson's newcomer brings spaced-out ideas to town

Not many Carson City residents can claim they have delivered beef jerky to astronauts at the International Space Station.

Greg Nemitz has worked for 15 years as a "space entrepreneur" by helping to develop commercial opportunities there.

Nemitz, 45, is a self-made man. He was encouraged by friends and family to market his homemade recipe for beef jerky to the general public. Already involved in the National Space Society as publicity director, he decided to market his jerky in 1995 as "Final Frontier Jerky."

Nemitz hoped the product would provide publicity and outreach to policy-makers to help open space exploration to everyone, he said. The jerky, which is manufactured in Los Angeles using his original recipe, is available on his Web site.

"It's great space food," he said.

The traditional American beef product was on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, delivered by special request to the International Space Station in 2001, and smuggled on board a spacecraft in the pocket of an astronaut, Nemitz said.

Nemitz, who moved to Carson City in April, is deeply involved in space issues.

"One of my key issues is property rights in space," he said.

Under the name of his corporation Orbital Development, founded in 1992, Nemitz made claim to the near-Earth asteroid Eros. He estimates the value of the rock at $15.84 trillion, considering its mining and habitability potential. Since then, the United States landed the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft on Eros. It now is a permanent installation.

Nemitz is hoping to gain official recognition of his ownership of Eros. He is suing the federal government for a $20 rental fee for a century of parking and storage.

"If an object in space can be owned, it can be mortgaged and then it can be developed," Nemitz said.

He has several other interests in space, including a project that may result in the launching of a privately owned video camera orbiter to circle the moon.

He recently applied to fill the open seat on the Carson City Board of Supervisors and hopes to find a management or executive position with a local company.

ON THE NET

To order Final Frontier Jerky, go to

www.beefjerky.com