&gt;<i>&quot;It feels a bit like we&#x27;re sitting here with this &#x27;money&#x27; abstraction and pretending that energy research is too expensive, when realistically, governments across the world have the might to make clean energy the next Apollo project. Why aren&#x27;t they? That would be a fantastic legacy for any president&#x2F;prime minister&#x2F;whatever.&quot;</i><p>Apollo wasn&#x27;t very successful. I say this as someone who is personally an aerospace nut, and owns every space or aviation documentary he can get his hands on.<p>Apollo succeeded in getting a dozen men to the moon, but it did not succeed in promoting the exploration of space, or creating a great deal of technological innovation which benefited the populace at large (for the amount of money spent).  Apollo was also very unpopular, except for a little while between Apollo 9 and 12.  Most of the population would have been happier with a new refrigerator or air conditioner, and those appliances would probably have had a better lasting impact (for a number of reasons).