>>10389844A lucky and short lived coincidence born from the sputnik scare and the fear ussr is about to take over space as well as that it is leading in icbm capabilities (r7 is the first).
Many of the pioneers in rocketry likely knew and believed it had potential beyond simple warhead delivery and their influence after the initial space programs were started couldn't entirely be ignored despite the desires of the politicians.
Nonetheless as years went by less and less "think big" designs were being thrown around, replaced with realistic, down to earth, highly conservative ones instead.
Even the STS happened because the then NASA succeeded in convincing the airforce it is useful to them, and in return received support for it without which the project and likely the entire space program would have ended.
