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.
In 2010, when Mr Obama outlined his ideas, he spoke, somewhat vaguely, of a manned trip to a near-Earth asteroid, to be followed at some unspecified date in the 2030s by the ultimate space-cadet dream a manned mission to Mars.
The company's ultimate goal is to re-create the science-fiction dream of making access to space the province of individuals, not governments.
The heroes of Mr Morton's book are the astronomers who yearn to solve Mars's scientific puzzles, the science-fiction writers who project their politics on to Mars's blank canvas, and the space-flight enthusiasts who dream of Martian colonies.
You might remember the first space expeditions which realized the marriage of technology and the American Dream.
Is it your dream to see the space shuttle lift off -- in person?
There was a time when projects like Space X were the reserve of dream and fantasy, and this next vehicle -- for now at least -- also sits in that category.
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That might well have been the end of proceedings, but the space age Lord's drainage gave the crowd some superb late evening entertainment and kept England's dream alive.
And, for those space-cadets who still dream of a manned mission to the planet, there is also the Mars radiation environment experiment.
At some point, the space agency lost sight of the fact that part of its mission is to dream, and that the force of that dream would lead to the purpose of its science.
But today, the demilitarized town where the first man in space Yuri Gagarin once lived, is open for business, ferrying cosmonauts and billionaires to space while also offering wild spins in a giant centrifuge to visitors who only dream of the great beyond.
Shuttleworth's dream of space travel gained momentum last year when California equity fund manager Dennis Tito became the first tourist in space.
The Kastrinoses might be extreme in their shedding the traditional American dream, but others are trying it too. iReport: Do you live in a small space?
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