And SCUBA, etc, etc… but it does leave that nagging questions of whether and if so why these inventions had to be “trickle-down” from something very abstract and esoteric (albeit very sexy, for the time) and not on direct efforts toward making everyday life better. The kind of historical determinism that says that we flat wouldn’t have these things without NASA seems hyperbolic. But if true, is just kinda frustrating. Honestly, I love space exploration too, but a self-conscious corner of my mind is pretty sure that Space exploration is a lot closer to spectator sports and the movie industry that I’d care to admit (two other industries that trickle innovation into the real world.)
As a counter-example that does make me feel better, often educational strategies designed for non-majority-language speakers and special needs environments often end up benefiting majority-language-speakers and neuro-typical kids as well…
