SPACE: The Maze in Washington

Pondering the meaning of Sputnik I back in October 1957, the London Express confidently predicted that the result of the Soviet push into space would be a U.S. drive to "catch up and pass the Russians" in space exploration. "Never doubt for a moment that America will be successful." the Express added. The U.S. agreed with that statement: of course it would catch up, and quickly.

But two years later the U.S. is still running a poor second in the two-entry space race. And in high-level Washington last week, there still were no detectable signs of urgency about the U.S.'s space...