Sputnick At 50: Where Are We Going, And Why?

50 Years After Sputnik, some “Space Age”!

What happened? The future seemed so bright even back in 1970’s, when we left the Moon for good. The space shuttle just doesn’t cut it. You must have some chutzpah, and some awesome goal to hit. Otherwise, if you cannot capture the public imagination, there won’t be any tax dollars going to NASA anytime soon.

Of course, there now is an emerging private sector [think Space Ship One and the X Prize] which is willing to start the venture where man has gone before.

Can they be prodded to follow James T. Kirk, to “go where no man has gone before”?

In the New York Times, in essays related to the Sputnik anniversary, we find these comments: “Some space age,” writes an author. “NASA works for the [US] president, and curiosity alone doesn’t loosen purse strings”.

Tell all the new billionaires of the world to get off their duffs, and start investing in space travel to the planets and moons.

For as little as $10 billion you can make your mark in history. Let’s see, buy Facebook, or travel to Mars?

We’d take Mars any day.