Human Spaceflight At 50

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight-- and the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launch. In that twenty years, we went from the small capsule of Yuri Gagarin to the huge, capable shuttle of John Young and Robert Crippen, but at the cost of limiting humanity to low Earth orbit after some forays to the Moon. Since then, human spaceflight has focused on learning to build and operate space stations, and on demonstrating humans can do real work in space. The Hubble repair mission, for example, was a remarkable example of human ingenuity that led directly to a new understanding of the universe. While the first 50 years were dominated by government run programs, the next 50 years of human spaceflight may well be dominated by private sector efforts. If that happens, we'll likely see a welter of spaceship designs. We'll also see the first true human spaceships-- vehicles built in space that will only ever operate in space. When those ships are ready, the opening of the Solar System to human exploration and commerce can begin in earnest.