It used to be that going into space or even thinking about it meant that you had to be enthralled within a governmental program of some sort, most notably NASA. Unless you were a career pilot or a career soldier with ties to high ranking officials, the closest you would get to the space program would be watching just like the rest of us. But not anymore. A few years ago the US government opened the doors by offering a contract to the first company to pilot a plane/ship into space (low Earth orbit) and back. It was only a matter of time before someone did. However the most important part about all of this was not the fact that a particular company was able to accomplish this monumental feat. But the fact that this got people to thinking. This finally broke the mold of what it meant to be able to reach space. Of what it meant to get to space. And overall what space meant to the world!
Over the last couple of years there has been an influx of new "space" companies to emerge on the scene. Make no mistake folks, the images of space mining companies and space travel companies that you have from some past sci-fi stories are all going to happen. This is the age we now live in. And sure, it's going to take some time for this to all build up, but it has already started. There are companies actively building new capsules, ships, living modules, all sorts of things. These companies are all legit and almost every single one of them has a large financial backing. There are some smart people out there with a ton of money. And they see all this coming too. They are making sure that they are the ones positioned to make the money once all of this becomes commonplace. Matter of fact, they are the ones hoping to make it so.
This is just the beginning. But what has happened today is more than that. What happened today with this successful launch is the culmination of many years of work and hope. And it is proof that NASA and the governments of the world are not the only ones with the money, smarts and power to get into space. This partnership will have a private company acting as a ferry service for NASA. Taking and returning precious cargo to and from the space station. But you have to remember that in order for SpaceX to win the contract to become this hi-tech ferry service for NASA they had to show NASA that they could get there on their own. They had to show that they could power themselves into space and return safely. So the fact that they were able to do that and win this contract is proof that a private company, with no government help could do what NASA has been doing for years. And there are many more companies just like SpaceX out there. Just waiting for their turn to shine. And when they do, many more markets will begin to open. Jobs created, and new industries opened. Times are changing and we are walking into the future together. And when we stop and look back, we can look upon what happened today as possibly the most important rocket launch in history!
 |
| SpaceX's Dragon Space Capsule |
