Normally we discuss very ancient history here, but this week ends the Space Shuttle program. While it never flew as much as intended, nor brought costs of spaceflight down, it did make it normal. Hard to believe it has been thirty years since the first flight in 1981. Like most government run programs, it was hampered by the changing whims of politicians, as has the entire space program. Ever since Apollo was ended early, the government has never embraced the grand plans and future-thinking legacies that spaceflight could bring. We are decades behind where we could be. For insight to what space travel could bring mankind, check out The Survival Imperative: Using Space to Protect Earth, Mining The Sky: Untold Riches From The Asteroids, Comets and Planets, The Case for Mars and Return to the Moon.
Energy. Resources. Exploration. Knowledge. A New Frontier.
Perhaps the next stage of human history.
And on 
Darrick Dean 