At some point in the very near future the dream of human space settlement will either thrive and become the next step for human civilization or die and become another lost cause, a shriveled dead branch on the tree of historical possibilities. Dreams of space settlement and economic expansion have waxed and waned before. After Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in July of 1969 there were high hopes that this amazing accomplishment was only the first step in a grander plan of further space exploration and settlement: an era of Moon bases, permanent human occupation, the seeds of a cosmos-based economy. The dream fizzled when the funding ran out along with the political will to fight for the dream. The Moon shot was only a political statement to demonstrate that American technology and commitment was superior to that of Russia. After we celebrated our victory in the space race we retreated to other, safer, national priorities that redirected space expenditures to Earthly concerns and stranded the dream of human space settlement back out on a limb.
Trouble in Paradise
The Cosmos Economy ; Kapitel : 25 ; 209-211
2021-05-18
3 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
IuD Bahn | 1998
|British Library Online Contents | 2008
Online Contents | 1998
NTIS | 1998
Online Contents | 1996