I'm not sure it's American exceptionalism, just that Hubble has been around a long time and is much more prominent in the public conscience thanks to iconic ima

I'm not sure it's American exceptionalism, just that Hubble has been around a long time and is much more prominent in the public conscience thanks to iconic images like the Hubble deep field. If someone builds a big new ocean liner you know journalists are going to compare it to the Titanic. Same thing.