the future is now, then and again

[foxtongue]

From sclerotic_rings,

"Fifty years ago tomorrow, with the launch and subsequent success of Explorer 1, the US officially set off the space race. With it came the discovery of what are now known as the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth, marking the first real scientific discovery of the interplanetary US/Russian competition. Now, maybe, we'll see advertisers stop using "Space Age" as a synonym for "futuristic" and maybe see its use as a synonym for "fondly nostalgic of paths not taken"."