Wouldn't landing rockets vertically show that we have mastered in-atmosphere conditions rather than space?
I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to understand how you came to the conclusion you did.
I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to understand how you came to the conclusion you did.
In a theoretical world where we could just beam anything into earth orbit, unmanned interplanetary spaceflight would likely be an expensive hobby instead of something only governments attempt.
If by "hobby" you mean doing something for fun or personal growth, with only vague - if any - expectations of future usefulness, then no. SpaceX was aimed at getting us to Mars from the day 1; it's their entire raison d'être. Musk bootstrapped it with his own cash because he also set this goal - getting humanity to Mars.
If by "hobby" you mean doing something meaningful instead of just making moar money - then sure.
Maybe you could argue the Falcon 1 was an expensive hobby, but interplanetary spaceflight is certainly not.