> If they had built something that looked and operated like a 747 nobody would have cared I don't entirely agree. With a space program that "looked and operate

> If they had built something that looked and operated like a 747 nobody would have cared I don't entirely agree. With a space program that "looked and operated like a 747" - assuming you mean a relatively routine and reliable spaceplane where the launches are less of a spectacle - you'd get a lot of people and hardware in space, and people would have cared about that. I guess it's harder to get people excited about results than about spectacles, but it can be done, and it lasts longer.