The space cadets' other hope, China, might pick up the baton.

ECONOMIST: Inner space is useful. Outer space is history

Today's space cadets will, no doubt, oppose that claim vigorously.

ECONOMIST: Inner space is useful. Outer space is history

The reason for that second objective is also the reason for thinking 2011 might, in the history books of the future, be seen as the year when the space cadets' dream finally died.

ECONOMIST: Inner space is useful. Outer space is history

And, for those space-cadets who still dream of a manned mission to the planet, there is also the Mars radiation environment experiment.

ECONOMIST: Mars Odyssey

The satellite, FalconSat-2, was built by US Air Force Academy cadets to investigate the phenomenon known as "space weather".

BBC: The new Falcon 1 rocket has been lost on its maiden flight.