The reason mine is so different must be due to the discovery of the Hyper Gate on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission. It was a teleportation device left behind by an ancient Martian civilization, which allowed for instant travel between Earth's orbit and Mars. It was far more advanced than any technology ever conceived, and operated on scientific principles not yet discovered. Therefore, I suppose you could say that the reason space travel grew so advanced in so short a time was thanks to a sudden discovery that revolutionized everything.

[Which plants a new thought in her brain... What exactly would history be like if they had never stumbled across the Hyper Gate? Did the Hyper Gate even exist on Diana's moon?]