--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By 1973, we had a space station, the…" description: "\"By 1973, we had a space station, the Skylab, and we had multiple probes going up to planets. So, all this wonderful stuff happened in 10 to 15 years. A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/burt-rutan-12448_about_by-1973-we-had-a-space-station-the-skyla_2189935.jpg" --- # By 1973, we had a space station, the Skylab, and we had… ![“By 1973, we had a space station, the Skylab, and we had multiple probes going up to planets. So, all this wonderful stuff happened in 10 to 15 years. About that time, there should have been enormous initiatives to make it affordable for people to fly in space, not just a handful of trained NASA…” quote by Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/burt-rutan-12448_about_by-1973-we-had-a-space-station-the-skyla_2189935.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/burt-rutan-12448_about_by-1973-we-had-a-space-station-the-skyla_2189935.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/burt-rutan-12448_about_by-1973-we-had-a-space-station-the-skyla_2189935.jpg) > “By 1973, we had a space station, the Skylab, and we had multiple probes going up to planets. So, all this wonderful stuff happened in 10 to 15 years. About that time, there should have been enormous initiatives to make it affordable for people to fly in space, not just a handful of trained NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts.” [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker notes rapid early space achievements and argues that affordable access should have followed quickly, urging broader participation beyond elite astronauts. **In simple terms:** Space progress was fast, but affordable access lagged. Key Takeaway Push for lower-cost space travel. Themes space exploration technology accessibility innovation Mood optimistic critical Type visionary motivational When to use this quote - government funding decisions - private venture funding - public interest - regulatory environment Key Concepts commercial spaceflight economics policy infrastructure Questions to Reflect On - How can private investment overcome high launch costs? - What policies could accelerate public access to space? A Different Perspective High costs and geopolitical constraints slowed affordable access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronauts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronauts/) [Cosmonauts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmonauts/) [NASA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nasa/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Russian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-station/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [“Skylab might have been the only thing that fell faster than Reggie’s skirt when it came to a man squatting in the general proximity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dicroce/skylab-might-have-been-the-only-thing-that-fell-faster-than-reggie-s/) [Chris DiCroce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dicroce/) > [“If we are to send people, it must be for a very good reason - and with a realistic understanding that almost certainly we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/if-we-are-to-send-people-it-must-be-for-a-very-good-reason-and-with-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Whenever we went on a trip, picnic, or business trip, I was always with my dad, and I would just always be in contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-romanenko/whenever-we-went-on-a-trip-picnic-or-business-trip-i-was-always-with/) [Roman Romanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-romanenko/) > [All children of cosmonauts went to one school. 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I am ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentina-tereshkova/i-would-enjoy-flying-to-mars-this-was-the-dream-of-the-first/) [Valentina Tereshkova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentina-tereshkova/) > [“The Soviets were worried that the Americans would attack their "sparkling new Mir space station, ... in a space shuttle, throw out grappling hooks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mahaffey/the-soviets-were-worried-that-the-americans-would-attack-their/) [James Mahaffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mahaffey/) > [Why can't a state that launches cosmonauts into space provide enough eggs and milk for its city children during the winter months?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-salisbury/why-can-t-a-state-that-launches-cosmonauts-into-space-provide-enough/) [Harrison Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-salisbury/) > [I took a Russian class at Notre Dame. 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They're two totally different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-like-to-call-the-difference-between-research-and-development-some/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [America was good enough to make a small compact lighter weight nuclear weapon. The Russians still had these big clunky heavy ones, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/america-was-good-enough-to-make-a-small-compact-lighter-weight/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A true creator researches how to have confidence in nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-true-creator-researches-how-to-have-confidence-in-nonsense/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. 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