[Serpiko]

I've been recently reading a brief history of the USA-URSS space competition in the '50s and '60s. Back then, both sides wanted to prove that their own political/economical/cultural system could bring the world to a future of wealth and progress. In this sense, the symbolic value of space exploration became even greater than scientific or practical results.

At that time, Man had gone into space dreaming of getting beyond the stars. Nowadays, it looks like the general interest about space travels is focused on the concrete benefits they can bring to dear ol' Earth.