alt Hacker News> Way longer than that. The first KH-11 satellites that Hubble shares its design with were in orbit in the late 1970s.
That's all fascinating stuff! What are some books that cover the start of the pursuit of those advanced machines? Can I say warfare machinery? Was it the end of WWII and a race to self-protect, was it the start of cold war, establishment of NATO, or a particular administration?
There is likely something more recent or more specific, but I read and enjoyed 'This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age', Burrows when it came out in the 90's.