In 1949, 20 years before the first moon landing, the world-famous American science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein wrote the short story called "The Man Who Sold the Moon." First published in 1950, the story centers on Delos David Harriman, a brilliant entrepreneur determined to achieve the first manned mission to the moon – regardless of the cost. Harriman is adamant that the mission should not be orchestrated or funded by the government. Instead, he plans the expedition as a private, commercially driven endeavor. With astute business acumen, persuasive propaganda, and adept political maneuvering, he succeeds in attracting investors, overcoming obstacles, and ultimately building a moon rocket.

In the 1960s and 70s, private initiatives such as this seemed unrealistic given the absolute dominance of state-funded space research. But is government-funded space research really the rule and private space research the exception? This perception might hold throughout the second half of the 20th century, which was marked by NASA’s government-funded Apollo program, which led to the moon landing, followed by the Space Shuttle program and the ISS.

But when Robert Heinlein wrote his book in 1949, there was already a significant tradition of privately funded........

© Townhall