A lot of people have missed the significance of private industry entering space missions. For now. Columbus wanted a short cut for spice trades. Yet those Spanish speaking folks you refer to, after bank rolling Columbus, decided to make a little history themselves. And brought home plenty. Of Gold. They made a lot of history,,,,but got tired and were relegated to obscurity. Gone are the days of showmanship, competing for fanfare, first to orbit, first to the moon. Time to make more history. No, low earth orbit won't get us anywhere. We are immensely more sophisticated then the Spaniards. We will need to be, to take advantage.