A big part of it is that space is just too inaccessible to most people - Neil Armstrong was elite, and an aversion towards all things 'elite' permeates our soci

A big part of it is that space is just too inaccessible to most people - Neil Armstrong was elite, and an aversion towards all things 'elite' permeates our societies. We technocrats sure know why he was awesome, but to the average Joe, Neil Armstrong represented a segment of society that was untouchable, outside the reach of an average individual. I think its a two-edged sword - we need 'the best' to pilot our technologically overwhelming machines - but this leaves a lot of us out. If Neil Armstrong wasn't such a well-trained, highly educated, privileged individual, perhaps there would be more of a fuss made .. but the fact is, average humanity is about as far away from the state of existence of Neil Armstrong as you and I are, really, from the Moon .. (Too bad NASA and the entire US "Defense" apparatus isn't delivering water purification, school library and DIY-hospital packages from orbit. Maybe it'd matter more to the rest of Humanity..)