Next Gen Moon Landing
2007-04-04
I've heard stories about how when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, people were completely stunned. Elderly people at the time had grown up without cars had lived through the invention of the airplane and now there were people walking on the freakin' moon. I am somewhat envious of this as thus far my own lifetime has been devoid of such marvels.
This got me thinking about what sorts of events would have a similar effect on me. Landing on mars wouldn't do it, cause we already know that it's possible (it would just take a huge pile of money). It would have to be something new. Here's a list that I may add to later:
This got me thinking about what sorts of events would have a similar effect on me. Landing on mars wouldn't do it, cause we already know that it's possible (it would just take a huge pile of money). It would have to be something new. Here's a list that I may add to later:
- Passing the Turing test
- Creating a visible, stable quantity of a new type of matter (transuranic elements, exotic matter, metallic hydrogen, etc)
- Artificial generation or absorbtion of gravity
Comments
Sephiroth2010-03-08 17:23:13
Or how about getting 50,000 light years into space in the next 100 years? If they pull that off, I'll crap my pants. Or if I am a ghost, I'll crap whatever i have.
Brandon2010-11-29 03:08:03
You don't think cell phones and the Internet are marvels? Anywhere in the developed world, you can pick up a little box and talk to your mother, who could be anywhere else in the developed world. I think that's pretty great.
Anyway, mass production of antimatter comes to mind. And there are a lot of things which we know are possible but I will still be amazed if we ever accomplish, like ending our reliance on fossil fuels or a permanent settlement on the moon.
Anyway, mass production of antimatter comes to mind. And there are a lot of things which we know are possible but I will still be amazed if we ever accomplish, like ending our reliance on fossil fuels or a permanent settlement on the moon.
Byron2011-02-11 11:26:45
In my lifetime we have:
outpassed Star Trek communicators, when did you ever see Spok playing tetris?
ended decades of cold war nuclear terror (true it's been replaced but...)
created a GLOBAL culture that thinks freedom of information is a pretty good thing (despots and totalitarian regimes aside it's still a fairly widespread belief and growing)
created simulated worlds not just for scientific research but for friggin entertainment!
invented devices that have mapped the activity of the brain during orgasm
I am awestruck when I think about it all, and excited by what else can be in store.
outpassed Star Trek communicators, when did you ever see Spok playing tetris?
ended decades of cold war nuclear terror (true it's been replaced but...)
created a GLOBAL culture that thinks freedom of information is a pretty good thing (despots and totalitarian regimes aside it's still a fairly widespread belief and growing)
created simulated worlds not just for scientific research but for friggin entertainment!
invented devices that have mapped the activity of the brain during orgasm
I am awestruck when I think about it all, and excited by what else can be in store.