I've always believed in trickle down. The process of trickle down I believe in is that rich folk will always pay big bucks for the new and exotic. As the economy of scale slowly kicks in, that high dollar technology gets cheaper to build and low and behold the upper middle class can afford it. Of course, it doesn't stop there, everything from the pencil, computer, microwave, refrigerator, air conditioner, cell phone,.... seems to eventually become affordable by the vast majority of society. Does anyone still question market economies? The soviet union essentially fell, because they lacked one. China chose to initiate a market economy to avoid going the same way as the USSR.

I always find it fascinating that so may attempt to short circuit the market economy for some sort of committee driven (we know better than the market approach). Of course, usually there is some sort (lobbyist bribing) hidden agenda to do so.

I really really really (that's 3 really's) believe that a market approach to space (and everything else) is the best way to go. Subsidizing everything (including space exploration) doesn't help space exploration. Remove the subsidies so we can see where we're at and do the right things.