83
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Spagnulo, The Geopolitics of Space Exploration, Springer Praxis Books,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69125-7_8
8
Space Economy: A Business On the Launch Pad
“The future is no longer what it was”.
Arthur C. Clarke
When we talk about the future with friends, we often end up talking about the past.
All our knowledge is based on past events, but we make decisions on facts that
have yet to happen.
Those born in the mid-twentieth century may remember referring to the future
as the general 2000’s – a seemingly far off horizon at the time. The path that separated the fifties and sixties from the next century seemed a long one, wherein
sensational and terrible things could happen.
Western society in the second half of the twentieth century was characterized
by a sincere, albeit naive feeling that everything would change in the 2000’s – that
space travel would be normalized and the Moon would become a second home for
humankind. The period after the world wars had fostered renewed optimism in
scientific discoveries that in a few decades significantly improved the quality of
life of populations in Europe, US and Asia. Communication networks, air transport, computer and medical systems were just some of the technological revolutions that changed the world. It was a common belief that traveling into space
would solve many terrestrial problems.
Half a century ago, many books were published – with the support of NASA
1
–
to speak about how space outposts would soon be realized. It was thought that
soon enough, houses would have small screens on the walls instead of telephones,
and people would be able to video call their friends on vacation to Mars through
1
Taylor, Paula. 1982. Kids’ Whole Future Catalog. Random House Books.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Spagnulo, The Geopolitics of Space Exploration, Springer Praxis Books,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69125-7_8
8
Space Economy: A Business On the Launch Pad
“The future is no longer what it was”.
Arthur C. Clarke
When we talk about the future with friends, we often end up talking about the past.
All our knowledge is based on past events, but we make decisions on facts that
have yet to happen.
Those born in the mid-twentieth century may remember referring to the future
as the general 2000’s – a seemingly far off horizon at the time. The path that separated the fifties and sixties from the next century seemed a long one, wherein
sensational and terrible things could happen.
Western society in the second half of the twentieth century was characterized
by a sincere, albeit naive feeling that everything would change in the 2000’s – that
space travel would be normalized and the Moon would become a second home for
humankind. The period after the world wars had fostered renewed optimism in
scientific discoveries that in a few decades significantly improved the quality of
life of populations in Europe, US and Asia. Communication networks, air transport, computer and medical systems were just some of the technological revolutions that changed the world. It was a common belief that traveling into space
would solve many terrestrial problems.
Half a century ago, many books were published – with the support of NASA
1
–
to speak about how space outposts would soon be realized. It was thought that
soon enough, houses would have small screens on the walls instead of telephones,
and people would be able to video call their friends on vacation to Mars through
1
Taylor, Paula. 1982. Kids’ Whole Future Catalog. Random House Books.