Missiles, rockets, and space flight

LESS THAN A QUARTER of a century ago, there was no semblance of a rocket or guided missile industry; today, there exists a multibillion-dollar business employing a sizable fraction of the Nation's most skilled scientists, engineers, and technicians. This industry has brought into being, in the relatively short span of some dozen years or so, some of the most sophisticated and complex mechanical and electrical systems yet conceived by man. There exist today target-seeking missiles for military applications, and vehicles for exploring cislunar space, not to mention the highly automated ancillary devices and equipment required to support operations and missions which existed in the realm of fantasy only several decades ago.