I was born in 1956, so I was not old enough to hear President Kennedy’s inaugural challenge to put an American on the moon. Still, much of my childhood was shaped by the excitement of our country’s race to get there first. After the Soviets launched Sputnik, Kennedy challenged the nation to look to the stars.
Americans rose to that challenge. Research and development were accelerated to find ways to launch a person into space and bring him safely home. There were many early failures: rockets exploded on the launch pad, lifted off and toppled over, or climbed briefly before exploding. None of that stopped us. Each setback pushed us to work harder and fix the problems. With every successful step, Americans cheered as we moved closer to space. We read about remarkable discoveries and inventions, including transistors, Teflon, solar cells, microwave technology, computers and powerful rocket engines.
I remember the Halloween costumes: half the boys dressed as astronauts in silver jumpsuits with plastic masks held on by thin elastic strings. Space was fascinating, and I could not get enough of it. I followed John Glenn’s flight, the first spacewalk, and the Gemini missions. I watched the Saturn V rocket launch on a small black-and-white TV, read the daily newspaper accounts of the journey to the moon, and watched the first steps on the lunar surface. We were a proud nation then — the envy of the world and a leader in scientific discovery.
These achievements were joint efforts between NASA and private companies, proving that remarkable things can happen when we work together. We also discovered that much of this innovative technology could be used here at home. GE used transistor technology to make portable radios and sold millions. 3M applied Teflon to nonstick cookware. Amana built microwave ovens. Americans embraced these products, and modern technology benefited everyone.
At the same time, medicine was making extraordinary progress. Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine. Our parents grew up with polio and often knew someone who had suffered from it. They were afraid to let their children go swimming or play outside. With the vaccine parents brought their children to schools, where we lined up for sugar cubes containing the vaccine. After two doses, they could worry less about their children contracting the disease. Antibiotics were fighting infections, and vaccines were developed for childhood diseases such as smallpox, rubella, mumps and measles. Research in hospitals and university labs, supported by our government, helped make the United States a global leader.
As a nation, we invested in science, engineering, research and technology — and saw tremendous results. Since then, we have continued to support research through partnerships with universities, colleges, hospitals and engineering firms. Hundreds of new and exciting products have grown from those investments.
Unfortunately, our government has decided to cut funding for many research facilities because their missions do not align with our leaders’ priorities. The reality is that these cuts could cause programs to disappear and years of scientific work to be lost. Research and innovation are what these people do. If they cannot find funding in the U.S., they will look elsewhere.
Other countries are already recruiting our brightest researchers, engineers and scientists, offering relocation support, citizenship and guaranteed funding. They want these experts to help expand their economies through green energy, battery technology, disease cures, artificial intelligence and space exploration. They are willing to invest in talent, and while we may still hold an advantage in computer technology and AI, it will not take long for others to catch up and surpass us.
They have already surpassed us in solar, wind, battery, and EV technology. One example, Tesla vehicles sold in the U.S. are getting a little over 400 miles on a charge while China has cars on the market that exceed 800 miles and charge in as little as 15 minutes. Their cars are sold in Europe, Far East, Canada, Mexico and Australia. The cars are currently held out of the US market for concerns over cyber security, a legitimate concern, but the U.S. auto manufacturers are also pushing hard to keep them out protecting their market. Instead of investing in emerging markets, they continue to produce inefficient, fossil fuel burning vehicles.
If we continue investing nothing in researching these expanding markets, we should expect nothing in return. I for one would like the U.S. to again be the leader in innovation benefiting everyday Americans. We should demand that research funding be restored so that we the United States can find a cure for cancer, end Alzheimer’s, clean up the environment and so many more discoveries!
Thomas Kolling lives in Concord.