Blake Scholl at Big Think:
These programs share a common origin: a Cold War-era desire in the West to demonstrate technological superiority over the Soviet Union. Apollo was, of course, championed at the highest levels of the U.S. government and consumed 4% of the federal budget at its peak. Concorde was a joint venture between the French and British governments, established via treaty in 1962.
Both programs ultimately delivered tech demos — and both threw off technologies that might otherwise have taken longer to invent — but neither paved a path toward an enduring future of space exploration or supersonic travel. Both pursued glory without regard to cost or practicality.
Glory is a dangerous goal, and when it is pursued without regard to pragmatic utility, much damage is done.
More here.
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