Up Up and Away!
As people across the nation watched Space Shuttle Atlantis lift off for the last time today, one must concede the experience was bittersweet. While witnessing the technological splendor of a shuttle launch is never dull, knowing that today’s launch would be the last time you would ever see a shuttle take off from Kennedy Space Center made today’s launch even more significant. Over the course of the 30 year shuttle program, NASA pushed the boundaries of technology by building one of the most complex machines the world has ever known – capable of lifting millions of pounds of payload into space.
While this payload often included scientific experiments and satellites that would allow us to better understand the universe we live in, it also included the hopes of a nation – as the shuttle program represented the very best American minds could offer. The shuttle program represented what is possible when a team works together, striving for perfection as they pushed the very limits of science and technology. Their innovations amazed millions, and have impacted the world in ways that will take decades to fully appreciate. But today, as the shuttle program comes to an end, the future of space exploration is in question. As NASA seeks to find ways to operate in economically challenging times, they are turning to the private sector for help.
Only Time Will Tell: The True Impact of Technology
In today’s modern age, technology is having a profound impact on every industry – allowing the gears of commerce to turn more efficiently. Between mobile devices and social media, today’s technology is also revolutionizing the way we communicate, interact, and shop. While the immediate impact this technology is having seems profound, only time will tell just what type of impact that mobile devices and social media will have on society in general. In the long term, innovations like these can have a ripple effect that lasts decades and even centuries. Many innovations, whether they intend to or not, have the unique ability of impacting other industries in unforeseen ways, and alter the course of progress.
