> NEXT APOLLO-STYLE SPACE RACE IN 5+ YEARS?
>
> Macroeconomic and Macrohistorical Trends Over Last 200 Years Support
> Near-Term Space Forecast
>
> Today�s world is afflicted by natural disasters, economic uncertainty,
> and global terrorism. Is it possible that President Kennedy�s 40+
> year old vision of human expansion into space will rise again, in less
> than ten years, to dominate global headlines?
>
> A new weblog -- http://21stCenturyWaves.com -- shows the answer is
> yes.
>
> Trends over the last 200 years - in the economy, technology, and
> society - clearly point to the decade between 2015 and 2025 as
> heralding a similar economic and exploration boom as the 1960s,
> accompanied by a Camelot-style zeitgeist.
>
> When the 1960s wave of space exploration is viewed in the context of
> other major science, technology, and exploration advances over the
> last 200 years, it becomes possible to forecast the next peak in human
> achievement. As trends are examined, major events in human exploration
> (e.g., Lewis and Clark), massive state-of-the-art engineering projects
> (e.g., Panama Canal), and exceptionally destructive wars (e.g., Civil
> War) are seen to cluster together roughly every 56 years, near times
> of economic booms.
>
> This new macroeconomic/macrohistorical approach to strategic
> technology forecasting convincingly explains our national romance with
> the Apollo Moon program in the 1960s, and society�s waning interest in
> it in the 1970s. Even more importantly, it enables scientific
> forecasts about the specific timing and key drivers of events in our
> future, including the following:
>
> 1) When will humans land on Mars and vacation on the Moon?
> 2) Why has public support for space waned since the 1970s and, despite
> a world often full of bad news, why is it increasing now?
> 3) What are some of the near-term economic, technological, and
> political events we can expect that will culminate by 2025 in the
> greatest technology and space extravaganzas ever seen?
>
> In summary, the two major themes presented in the 21st Century Waves
> blog are:
> A) New scientific evidence for the psychosocial power of the space
> vision suggests that, like prior periods of significant human
> achievement, it is capable of providing a revitalizing force for human
> civilization in the near future, and
> B) Despite its compelling nature, the Space Vision will not fully
> begin to materialize until around 2015 when long-term trends in
> economics, technology, and society are favorable again.
>
> These themes and the forecast for 2015 have been featured in such
> journals as Space Policy, Futures Research Quarterly, Ad Astra. and as
> a presentation topic at AIAA conferences. Please join us as we track
> our forecasts in real-time against daily events and trends from around
> the world in 10 Wave Guide areas, including economic growth, non-space
> macro-engineering projects, popular culture, as well as NASA and
> international space activities.
>
> This is �Space Colonization Central!� We specialize in timing,
> roadmaps, and growth strategies.
>
> Check us out! Your comments are welcome!