Why it's a Mind Blow: This launch is an historic moment in the story of our exploration of the heavens. Space X is a private firm, and when they launch tomorrow from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, it will usher in a new era of collaboration between NASA and private industry. If all goes according to plan, private companies like Space X will be shuttling freight and even astronauts to the Space Station in the near future.
When we look back on this moment in a hundred years, I believe it will be remembered as a turning point. Governments, hampered by fiscal and political realities, can only carry our space program so far. Private industry, on the other hand, can go just as far as profits will allow. After all, it wasn't a sense of adventure that financed Columbus in 1492, it was the promise of gold. And if NASA's $3.5 billion contract with Space X is any indication, their are profits to be made out there.
Perhaps some day, after money becomes obsolete, this will all be moot. But in the mean time, the private model gives us a path forward into the final frontier. Tomorrow's launch is the first step, and I for one couldn't be more excited!
Source: http://phys.org/news/2012-05-spacex-poised-high-stakes-space-station.html
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