During the time of the Apollo program there were rockets going up all the time, new technologies were frequently being tested and then used as we pushed the boundaries further and further, at times we were left wondering where would it end.
Science fiction believed that by the end of the 20th century we would have colonised the entire solar system, interplanetary travel would be routine, and we would be on the verge of interstellar travel. Things have not worked out that way, while there have been achievements such as the US Space Shuttle and the research aboard USSR space stations, these are very modest compared with the predictions outlined above.

So why have we not achieved anywhere near what we believed was possible?
Ok so the predictions may have been bold but there is no question that the years since Apollo have seen the development of space exploration slow almost to a halt with just a few routine flights of the US shuttle and some work on the USSR space station Mir. Why?

It is down to politics, economics and technology. It has been said that Apollo owed its existence to the Cold War.
For the Apollo program President Kennedy was right behind the project, and crucially, so were the American people enthralled by the race against the Soviets and this of course meant that government funding was available. The same competitive edge also existed on the other side, the Soviets were just as determined to beat the Americans.

The most important factor for both sides however was the technology. The fact that the technology existed to achieve the goal and reach the moon made the space programs real for the people and it was something they could believe in.

Today we find no real political or financial support for advanced space development programs anywhere in the world (and the collapse of the USSR in the 1990's removed a major player from the pursuit of space exploration). Public interest has dropped and governments are not convinced of the merit of public spending on space programs. The reason for this apathy is due to technology, or rather the lack of it.
Of course with the financial constraints now being put upon development it has severely hindered the possibilities of developing the technology we need, but this is not the first time that we have seen this type of vicious circle in this field of science.

The technological problem that we face is reducing the time it takes to travel through space. At the moment it would take a ludicrously long time even to explore just our local planetary system.
Another major consideration is that our technology is insufficient to remove the dangers and the costs involved in space exploration.

Personally I believe it comes down to the fact that the excitement is just not there at the present time. I also believe this will change as advancement in technology gives us capabilities to reach other planets and even other stars in fast, safe and affordable ways.

We are already beginning to see some improvement, the International Space Station has created some new interest and is certainly in step in the right direction, it is by far the largest, most complex and expensive undertaking in space since the Apollo program. Interest is also starting to increase again as we are beginning to unravel new technologies that could be important, some are even in the testing stage. Increased UFO sightings have also captured the imagination of many and the discovery of new planetary systems has interested many more.

Despite all this probably the most important factor in the increased interested in the exploration of space has once again been the work of science fiction, just as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells inspired the very beginnings of the space exploration, we are now seeing physicists beginning to seriously discuss the possibilities of Star Trek's anti-matter engines and Warp drives. Some people are beginning to believe that this is not just fiction, that these technologies may be powering us to the stars in the future.

All these factors could lead, ultimately, to the re-emergence of public support for the space programs.

Of course as detailed in the previous section, all these positives have been undermined by the recent, tragic shuttle Columbia disaster.

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