janstett
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In all probability we really need an outside enemy like the Klingons in order to get backward nation-based thinking out of people's heads and start seeing spaceflight as a business that in it's very nature has to be a global venture.
The fact that so much of spaceflight is based on national defense and national interests alone will prevent it. Spaceflight started by riding atop ICBMs. ISS is a start. Space tourism may be international in nature but so much of spaceflight by nature is not.
A large chunk of shuttle missions had military components and some were completely military (perhaps I'll have to look up the percentage). The USAF is keeping alive the X37, one of the aborted shuttle replacement directions.
Multinational ventures like ESA haven't exactly been blazing new paths of innovation, it's very timid and restricted.
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