A New Frontier for Humanity?

Here's my comment (posted on Dan Gillmor's blog) on the private space launch.

I heard a discussion of the flight on NPR last night by someone introduced as a NASA historian. He claimed that like the first human powered flight 30 eyars ago, it is not likely to make much difference.

The pilot on the flight predicted that perhaps within 20 years the same experience will be available to anyone for a mere $10,000. If that's all we get after 20 years, why is this event so important?