“It boils down to public acceptance of risk vs return on investment. Space travel was too abstract, even exotic, to capture the sustained imagination of the average man on the street.”
Actually I think it captures the imagination of many, especially as the Earth becomes more and more civilized, and there are no new frontiers.
The extreme expense of space travel on the taxpayer’s dime is what’s caused pushback. The arrival of private enterprise on the scene is a turning point.
The fact is, there is unbounded wealth in space, and that is where the future of humanity lies.
I agree 100% that this will change public perspective on access to space in general. It's success will now depend on the inevitable government regulatory intervention on how such a private program will be exercised. Will it be man rated? Will the govt see the FAA or NASA as the regulating agencies. Will they help or hinder?
I don't see a great deal of support on things like a mission to Mars. As the public learns the risks and rigors of such a mission, support will diminish. No one will sit around looking at a TV for years to track a single mission. The public was barely interested in Apollo after Apollo 11.
Private space travel will get literally 15 minutes of fame if successful. And woe be to everyone involved if it fails. Congresscritters and NASA will be all over the program to assess blame and tell how they would have done it better.