A Century of Wondrous Dreams About Spaceflight

It began in the afterglow of America's victory over the Axis Powers in World War 2. We had defeated powerful enemies, freed Europe and begun to help rebuild its shattered cities, mastered the power of the atom. Primitive though they were, our first ships had reached the edge of space. In such a time of optimism, grand dreams are natural.

Halfway along that hundred-year span, we have brought many of those dreams to fruition. True, we have had our failures. But few such failures can be laid to any lack of talent or energy in the dreamers. Meanwhile we have learned much, gaining new knowledge which informs our current dreams.

What will we know about spaceflight when the year 2050 is history? Where will we be, and what will we be doing?