To boldly go... to eternity and beyond?

‘These are difficult times when there’s not that much good news. And I think this is one of those things that is universally good. No matter where you are on planet Earth, this is a universally good thing.’

Those words were delivered earlier this summer. So quick quiz (without cheating and looking down this column for answers): who said them, and about what?

Answers: Elon Musk (founder of the American aerospace company SpaceX), about the successful return of their Dragon Capsule from its manned test mission to the International Space Station. As I write this, SpaceX are due to launch their first proper mission with four astronauts in late September.