JOHN TIERNEY: NASA, We’ve Got a Problem. But It Can Be Fixed. “Normally, once a pioneer makes the first trip somewhere, the cost goes down as others follow and technology improves. That’s why so many colonists could follow Columbus to the New World, and why the masses today can afford to fly in Lindbergh’s path back to Europe. The real costs of shipping freight by rail and air have declined by an order of magnitude since locomotives and airplanes were invented. In space transportation, though, many costs have actually risen since the days of Apollo.”