> Most of the pioneers of space TODAY got into space b/c of what they witnessed with apollo and to some extent, the shuttle.
1) that "TODAY" is a pretty important qualification, and 2) it's a stretch to call those people pioneers. I live in the American West TODAY, but I certainly shouldn't be labeled a "pioneer" like the people who moved to this area 150+ years ago.
I think the word is being stretched a bit, but not much. Space is not inhabited by any meaningful number of people, and very few have been, so for the foreseeable future anyone simply leaving Earth could be called pioneer - among the first to explore a new area.
1) that "TODAY" is a pretty important qualification, and 2) it's a stretch to call those people pioneers. I live in the American West TODAY, but I certainly shouldn't be labeled a "pioneer" like the people who moved to this area 150+ years ago.