FWIW, Chris Columbus wasn’t exactly one of the common rabble when he got the financial backing of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella for his own little jaunt across the Great Unknown Western Ocean. But once people saw that it could be done, and what benefits it might have, it got democratized pretty fast.
My own prediction for space exploration in the next half century or so is that we’ll have retirement communities in near-Earth orbit, where old folks will live in controlled environments with low risks from germ exposure and nasty falls. And a really great view!
FWIW, Chris Columbus wasn’t exactly one of the common rabble when he got the financial backing of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella for his own little jaunt across the Great Unknown Western Ocean. But once people saw that it could be done, and what benefits it might have, it got democratized pretty fast.
My own prediction for space exploration in the next half century or so is that we’ll have retirement communities in near-Earth orbit, where old folks will live in controlled environments with low risks from germ exposure and nasty falls. And a really great view!