Travelling Companion

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.