These are the voyages of the Space ship Enterprise
It’s 5 year mission to explore strange new worlds
To seek out new life and new civilizations
To boldly go where no man has gone before

Who can forget the voice of Captain James T. Kirk as the opening credits rolled, and the Star ship Enterprise and it’s crew embarked on another remarkable journey to explore strange new worlds at the edge of the Universe at Warp speed? There was Captain Kirk assisted ably by  Spock, Bones, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov. All with wit, and ingenuity racing boldly where no man has gone before.

The Star Trek Television series offered a whole new world of space adventure. The first trials of human space travel successfully behind and the race to space in full focus between the two giant forces of the western world: Soviet and US; Star Trek provided the vicarious enjoyment for all of us who longed to reach the stars. Since the beginning of time mankind has looked skyward and yearned. In the words of Carl Sagan:   “But I guess I’d say if it is just us… seems like an awful waste of space.” (quoted from the book movie Contact based on a book by Carl Sagan)

The launch of the Dragon spacecraft by SpaceX marks an extraordinary milestone and advances the next generation of space travel by leaps and bounds! After decades of monopoly by NASA, it is finally time for the commercial world to finally address the whole idea of space travel. It opens up immense possibilities for the rapid advancement and healthy competition for the common man to address, solve and simplify the solution for cheap, efficient and easy access to space. The success of the Dragon spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station clearly demonstrates that it is achievable.

Burt Rutan (Scaled Composites)  and Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic) in the last few years have test flown and irrevocably demonstrated that with a little support, some private funding, enthusiasm and drive, space is reachable; three times over to win the XPrize in 2004. With SpaceShipTwo poised to facilitate commercial space tourism we are one step closer to achieving this dream.

Kudos to Elon Musk and all the people at SpaceX for a job well done! For reliving the dream, giving hope, opening the window of immense possibilities and thrusting us forward into that next generation of commercial space flight.

See Also:
Discovery
Atlantis: Final Flight 
I Touched SpaceShineOne!!!
SpaceShipOne and I
SpaceShip One Government Zero
Lost in Space