The space cadets grow up. (disappointments of space travel)

From: The Economist (US) | Date: October 4, 1997 | Copyright information

Space travel has become a disappointment because of unrealistic expectations and poor execution. The expectation that space travel would become routine is an unrealistic one, and the fantasy of manned space travel has slowed progress because of the massive technology required.

Forty years after Sputnik, space has not been all that the pioneers hoped for. One reason was a failure to concentrate on unmanned travel; another, that space was treated less as a business and more as a roma...

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