/sci/ - Science & Math

TO THE MOON, IN A TEARDROP
CARRIED ALOFT ATOP A COLUMN OF FIRE NAMED SATURN
THE THREE EXPLORERS SAILED THROUGH THE ABYSS
TO TOUCH THE SURFACE OF ANOTHER WORLD

The difference between a civilization with suborbital capability and one without is the distance from Germany to England. Were it not for this huge distance that needed to be covered, the V-2 would have never lifted off the pad to become the first human artifact to enter space. Near the end of the war, there were already V-2s with names like "Washington DC" - the development of the ICBM was underway.

The difference between a spacefaring civilization and one that never achieves spaceflight is the distance between the USSR and the US. Were it not for this distance, ICBM development never would have been funded. The powers that be wanted a way that they could deliver a nuclear warhead to America, and it just so happens that the amount of power needed to accomplish this feat also happens to be sufficient to send a small payload to orbit.

On an unrelated note, I really love the Block 1 design of the Command Module. It looks so cool. It's probably the most futuristic, flying saucer-like design of the whole space industry.