>quite honestly thought that Hilton and Pan Am (yes, 2001 did it) would be operating in space within decades. It was a rational assumption. There was good data

>quite honestly thought that Hilton and Pan Am (yes, 2001 did it) would be operating in space within decades. It was a rational assumption. There was good data suggesting we could expect a significant drop in launch cost. Then the two nations who could do this decided instead to spend all their money on nuclear weapons and conventional military forces as well as proxy conflicts which starved whatever civilian rocket innovations could have or should have happened in the 70s and 80s. They both had classic designs by then that worked well enough and competing on cost per lbs didn't matter to them as it wasn't incentivized by anyone.