Technology evolution

I just saw this article online which made me think. You look at that and see how technology has progressed – it’s made things smaller, faster, and generally better, enough so that we forget about what came before (yes, we can be wistful and nostalgic, but I for one don’t miss the audio-tape WalkMan devices or dial-up modems). But consider the one big shining technological marvel developed years ago, and now long retired, without a new and improved replacement: the Concorde.

Man, I loved that plane. It just looked cool, and I just wished that would have a chance to fly at Mach 2+. That is, until they retired it. Truth is that the economics of the whole deal ultimately sank it (to say nothing about that crash in 1997). So in a century where we saw the quickest way to get to London from Kingston change from the ship to plane-hopping in propeller planes to jets, we haven’t really progressed over the last few decades.

Same thing goes for space travel. 40 years ago, mankind was on the moon. 40 years later, we’re decidedly more inward-looking. Sure, we have the International Space Station going up, and tons of satellites. Our lives are more entwined through outer space than ever before. But how many satellites actually look beyond Earth? Sure, there are a few (the magnificent Hubble being one). But let’s not let economics sink our forays into the last frontier. Get a man on Mars in my lifetime please!