Although it's much more right than any other form of fiction. The other side of this coin is the assumption, often made by non-sf readers, that technology has advanced to such a level there's nothing left for the genre to explore. In the long-term it will be a temporary blip. We've seen so much happen in our lifetimes. Infinitely more than we ever dreamed was possible.
Life has no sense of disappointment whatsoever.
Clarke has always advocated the peaceful uses of space exploration, and with the Cold War over would like to see less involvement by the military. We wouldn't have had a space programme, we wouldn't have gone to the Moon, without the military input. Unfortunately, that's the way it was. I mean, the V2 was the stepping-stone into space. I'll say one good word for the military, though - their reconnaissance satellites have had a tremendous impact on preserving the peace.