The new era is both MORE and LESS than we expected...
When Sputnik was launched, the public thought a space future would consist of gigantic space stations and colonies on the moon and other planets. The fear was warfare in space raining down on Earth.
"The reality is that the things we expected did not come to pass, and the things that we did not fathom changed our lives in so many ways that we cannot even envision a life that's different at this point," said Roger Launius, senior curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
< a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/sputnik-turns-50/2007/10/04/1191091251963.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1">; http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/sputnik-turns-50/2007/10/04/1191091251963.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1