With all the brouhaha about declining education results, cuts to our university systems and the general disregard for science from our GOP electeds…in the shadow of the success of the New Horizons spacecraft flyby of Pluto…I have to wonder…will we have a next generation of space scientists? Will the USA continue to be a leader in hard science research and development or will eventually become an also ran?
With that question in mind, check out this NASA photo of the New Horizons team. Not a lot of women or minorities in the current lot (but that’s been a long term dig against science) but very few of these people even look like they are under 50….just sayin:
I have long argued that we need to have a national leader who will again set our sights on some huge goal that will instill interest and desire to attain knowledge in the sciences and math akin to what President Kennedy did with the moon landing. We always play to the short game due to what we term ‘economic limitations’ and in so doing fail to dream big and bold. Since Americans like to see the sunny side of politics–Reagan’s morning in America type of campaign–would it not be great if some presidential candidate would speak to this nation’s ability to dare again for greatness?