One of the most endearing qualities of Future Past and one of the factors in its demise was its unfailing optimism.  Case in point, look at this graph from the 1960s showing the cost of putting a payload into Earth orbit or on the Moon in US dollars.  The left side of the graph is realistic enough with the cost of shipping cargo to the Moon in 1960 at well over $10,000 per pound, but as time goes on the curve gets... I suppose optimistic is the most diplomatic way of putting it.  By 1975, the cost of going to the Moon is a little over $100 per pound and by 1980 is drops to $20 per pound.  As for Earth orbit, by 1980 it's as cheap as air freight.

No wonder every time I phone Nasa I can hear quiet sobbing in the background.

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