The Space Visions, Past and Futures

During the first two-thirds of the twentieth century, public expectations for human space travel were high and largely fulfilled by reality. However, support for public space programs now is low, perhaps because although developments in communications have continued at an astonishingly rapid pace, developments in transportation have stood still since the 1970s. At the same time, space fiction movies, television shows, and games continue to feed expectations that are far beyond what is technically possible today. Failed energy, economic, and governing systems along with climate change and other environmental challenges may hinder future space travel.