America offered more than a place to explore. France, Germany, and England lost thousands of civilians to terrorism by religious zealots. On top of that, overpopulation in some areas, degradation of farmland in others, and deep economic divisions between rich and poor caused misery, disease, and mass starvation. Europe needed an escape hatch.
Read MoreThe Apollo program had a profound effect on a generation; witness the high-tech billionaires flocking into low Earth orbit today. But the lure of Apollo wasn’t all about space. It was about the future.
Read MoreSixteen nations, including America, participated in building the International Space Station.
Read MoreThe five Space Shuttles completed 135 missions over 22 years.
Read MoreThree years passed between the first transcontinental airmail service and the establishment of the first transcontinental airline. Twelve years passed between the Soviets’ first rocket and the Americans’ Moon landing. Forty-four years have passed since the last time humans were on the Moon.
Read MoreOn July 20, 1969, an estimated 600 million people around the globe watched Neil Armstrong take his first steps onto the lunar surface. This was about 15% of everyone alive at that time. (“When the Eagle Landed,” Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2009)
Read MoreAt the height of the attempt to send men to the Moon, most citizens opposed the program.
Read MoreWithout its wind tunnels, the aeronautics industry would have struggled to get off the ground.
Read MoreIt really wasn’t that long ago when the two greatest superpowers were vying to put satellites into space. Now, 50 nations have their own satellites in low Earth orbit. If you’re a Thailand, say, you can call Space Systems/Loral, a Canadian-owned company based in Palo Alto, California, and tell them you want to put a satellite into geostationary orbit for television broadcasting or military communications. You can have the thing in orbit 25,000 miles above Earth within two years.
