However, it seems that this regrettable state of affairs has been fixing itself. The most visible example of this was announced about a week ago, when a Planetary Resources, a group funded by several well-known, visible billionaires was announced. Their mission was the dream of outer space junkies everywhere - to send robot probes to asteroids in order to mine them. Here's a good article on it, in the event that you haven't read about it already.
I confess that when I first heard about this, I was unimpressed. This didn't seem as though it was something that could really take off (pun intended), for several reasons. First off, it would require years of unprofitability as the technology was developed and viable asteroids were found, something that the ever-fickle investor would probably be unhappy about. Furthermore, the logistics would take even longer to sort out - how long before the payload brought back by one of these robots would be worth more than the effort taken to extract it?
However, I then took the time to read up on the project. It had several very notable investors, including such notable personalities as James Cameron, the Google cofounders, and several others. This brings a lot of much-needed publicity to the project. Perhaps more importantly, the investors have stated that they are well aware that the project will not yield any profits in the short or even long term. Rather, they are investing into this based on an ideological convictions.
I also had doubts about the feasibility of this plan. It seemed to me as though a goal had simply been declared, with the planning for it left to the future. However, some searching lead me to this, a through study of the technical aspects of this program. For those of you who are disinclined to read that much, it seems as though much of the technical aspects have already been identified, and a fairly sound plan has been put into place. The study concludes "that it appears feasible to identify, capture and return an entire ~7-m diameter, ~500,000-kg near-Earth asteroid to a high lunar orbit using technology that is or could be available in this decade", and "that such an endeavor may be essential technically and programmatically for the success of both near-term and long-term human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit".
Put into simpler terms, there is a very real chance that this could yield results - and if it does, it could propel humans further into space.
But this is hardly the only thing that should be catching the eye of space enthusiasts everywhere. British engineers have recently announced critical moves forward in the development of a spaceplane. An engine has been developed - it is currently being tested - that would function like a jet at lower altitudes, yet act like a rocket higher in the atmosphere. Proof of concept for a spaceplane could attract some heavy hitters investment wise.
This isn't like the space shuttle - this is a massive step forward in the development of a true spaceplane, which would drastically reduce the costs of moving things into space. It would also grant the ability to move to Earth-bound places at an incredible speed, being able to reach anywhere on the planet in under four hours. Although I hate to digress, consider that a mere two hundred years ago, a simple voyage across the Atlantic could take weeks. It's impossible to fully appreciate how far the human race has come.
Finally, we must consider that space is becoming increasingly privatized, with companies like SpaceX making their own flights into space - with SpaceX launching the first private spaceflight to the ISS on May 7.
Privatization in an industry, especially one like space, will drastically impact it in the best way possible. Costs will be driven down as companies compete with one another for government contracts, and new uses for space will be dreamed up (think private space tourism). There will be a second Space Race, but instead of being between two countries, it will be between countless companies and investors, always dreaming up the newest way to profit and further this new industry.
After the crushed hope of humanity's first tenative steps into space in the 1960's, I believe that we are finally beginning to, indeed, emerge into a new Space Age - one that will make the dreams of older generations reality.
