50 years in space

When the Soviet Union launched its "October surprise" in 1957, it began a space race with the United States largely driven by politics and fear. Now, as the 50th anniversary of the October 4 launch of Sputnik 1 rolls around, the face of space exploration has changed dramatically.

Today, Russia and the United States continue to lead the rest of the world in research and space flight. The two nations have put more than a hundred astronauts (not to mention plant seeds, fruit flies, and a dog named Laika) into space. And what began as Cold War competition has since turned into cooperation, resulting in a state-of-the-art experimental lab orbiting Earth that's hosted researchers from around the world and contributed to scores of scientific studies. More than a dozen countries have since contributed technology, research and manpower to further the work being done at the International Space Station.

But it's not just governments making strides in space. Frustrated with the pace at which NASA has worked since its "golden age" in the 1960s and '70s, several well-funded entreprenuers are taking it upon themselves to make commercial space travel a reality. A handful of private companies are making plans to bring tourists on suborbital flights and even to set up floating space hotels.

Meanwhile, much of the technology that's been developed to facilitate space exploration has benefited business. The commercial satellite market has turned into a multibillion dollar industry, albeit one with an uncertain future. And some of the most significant things to come out of Silicon Valley have their roots in NASA labs.