Will July 21, 2011 be remembered as the day that American Innovation died? Like how the demolition of Pruitt-Igoe marked the death of Modernism, could the final flight of the Atlantis mark the end of American Innovation?
The Space Shuttle was the crowning achievement in American Innovation; watching it take-off had always been a magnificent sight. But with the program over and without a replacements on the horizon, one has to worry about the future of innovation.
Examining our innovation today and one would realize that our creativity is trapped on improving current existing technology. Despite our advancements, we have failed to create something that could surpass the Space Shuttle in innovation.
Worse is that the goals of NASA (like so many other government agency’s) have become limited due to budget cuts and the ongoing spending debate in Washington. The last hope may be with the private sector if it has a reason to invest in space exploration.
For those who were at Cape Canaveral on the day of the lunch, consider your self lucky to have seen an event that will never be witnessed for a while. Unless our society reclaims the spirit of innovation, we will be forced into a dark age of creativity.
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