TCS: Enviro-Sci - Eyes on the X-Prize: "Eyes on the X-Prize
By Rand Simberg08/15/2003

Few countries on the planet have a space program. Those few that do are either one of the two traditional space powers, the United States and Russia (formerly the USSR), or take their technological and programmatic lead from one of those two countries. Which is to say, they all build expendable launch systems (with the dubious exception of the Space Shuttle, which is only partly reusable), usually more or less based on U.S. or Russian designs and concepts.

But why have the Americans and Russians so dominated space programs this way? In large part because the only available model for a successful space program -- 'successful' being defined, in this case, by the minimalist relative definition of being better than having no space program at all -- has been to set up a government agency, give it as much money as it says it needs, make it look like either the U.S.' or USSR's, and hope for the best"
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