There is some argument whether it was the Age of Storms that forced the conquest of space, or if the space craze just coincided with the storms. Probably, it was both: the technologies that allowed the space conquest came just in time for the storms to press them into use.

Nevertheless, the Age of Storms was a trial to Mankind that she barely survived.

Mankind had all but depleted the resources on Earth. There were very few resources to dig up from the ground anymore and recycling was not only a fashion but a valuable source for raw materials. The climate change from our wasteful uses of the finite resources tried and tested our civilization. Countries disappeared under the ocean, nations were displaced, and cities were ravaged not only by extreme weather, but of winds of war.

As Mankind struggled to restore the imbalance of the ecosystem, it was apparent that wasteful industry had to be dismantled or move off the Earth entirely. A more eco-friendly economy grew on Earth, fuelled by the expansion into space, and eventually the storms settled. The cost was incredibly high, but in the end it was the leverage that pushed Man into space.