Travelling Companion

[tracker7]

50 years ago today, the old Soviet Union orbited the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.  The first milestone in the Space Race had been passed, and America's prestige took a big ol' hit.  Four years later, the first manned orbital missions, and eight years after that, manned lunar missions.  Think on that for a moment.  First satellite launch to manned landing on another celestial body in just under 12 years.  12 years from now is late 2019.  I do not expect to see manned lunar missions, much less ones going further out, by then.

The Google Lunar X-Prize gives me a lot of hope for the increasing privatization of space exploration, though.  It's bold as hell, and blessedly free of the nightmare of government funding requirements.

Comments

[spoe.livejournal.com]

First satellite launch to manned landing on another celestial body in just under 12 years. 12 years from now is late 2019. I do not expect to see manned lunar missions, much less ones going further out, by then.

I don't expect it, but I'd not be terribly surprised to see the Chinese close to it in 2019.

[tracker7.livejournal.com]

I see regular predictions of the next space race being between China, India, and Japan. I'm not surprised, or even discouraged, by this.