Today, my wife and I were talking about the greatest scene in cinematic history: the moment in Apollo 13 when the engineers dump plastic sheeting, wires, tubing, tools and duct tape onto a table with the instructions that they have to figure out how to get the astronauts aboard the damaged space capsule back on the ground alive using only those items -- because that's all the astronauts have to work with.
When did we stop dreaming big? I'd say it was about 20 years after President Kennedy exhorted us all to launch the space program, after a different president insisted "government is not the solution, government is the problem," and told us the federal government budget is full of "fraud, waste and abuse" and thus made it politically impossible to raise taxes to accomplish any national goal.
Instead, our national leadership continues to push the "trickle-down" theory that cutting taxes on businesses and the wealthy will stimulate enough economic growth to offset the lowered tax revenue. We have 40 years of evidence that said theory does not hold any water, and yet they persist.
My story "Flying Whistle Stop" was inspired by two main ideas: (1) what might the world be like if, at the height of the 1950s flying saucers craze, aliens had just landed and said "hi" and (2) could I create a world where we might achieve the dreams for the current century that we had in my early childhood. So I set it in an alternate 1971 when the aliens return. The space program is everything and progressive social causes have been fast-tracked-- though they're now facing resistance. I can't imagine why the latter idea was on my mind in the 20-teens.
ClarkKent_DC > Jeff of Earth-JMay 30, 2025 at 10:16pm
Jeff of Earth J said:
I thought you were going to cite the scene in which all the engineers whipped out their notepads and pencils to solve an equation.
Wha -- ?
Nah, the greatest scene in cinematic history calls forth the true spirit of American ingenuity: figuring out how to solve a life-or-death problem with spare parts and scraps. There's no villain, no Big Bad, but the stakes are as supremely high as in Iron Man (where Tony Stark built a suit of armor out of spare parts and scraps, as Obadiah Stane groused about to his engineers).
Replies
Today, my wife and I were talking about the greatest scene in cinematic history: the moment in Apollo 13 when the engineers dump plastic sheeting, wires, tubing, tools and duct tape onto a table with the instructions that they have to figure out how to get the astronauts aboard the damaged space capsule back on the ground alive using only those items -- because that's all the astronauts have to work with.
Coincidentally, we crack open the daily paper and there's this: "Ed Smylie, Engineer Who Helped Save Apollo 13 Crew, Dies at 95"
I thought you were going to cite the scene in which all the engineers whipped out their notepads and pencils to solve an equation.
That NASA ran a successful space program with the tech available then never ceases to amaze me. When did we stop dreaming big?
When did we stop dreaming big? I'd say it was about 20 years after President Kennedy exhorted us all to launch the space program, after a different president insisted "government is not the solution, government is the problem," and told us the federal government budget is full of "fraud, waste and abuse" and thus made it politically impossible to raise taxes to accomplish any national goal.
Instead, our national leadership continues to push the "trickle-down" theory that cutting taxes on businesses and the wealthy will stimulate enough economic growth to offset the lowered tax revenue. We have 40 years of evidence that said theory does not hold any water, and yet they persist.
This needs to be said over and over, on the national stage. Excellent summary.
My story "Flying Whistle Stop" was inspired by two main ideas: (1) what might the world be like if, at the height of the 1950s flying saucers craze, aliens had just landed and said "hi" and (2) could I create a world where we might achieve the dreams for the current century that we had in my early childhood. So I set it in an alternate 1971 when the aliens return. The space program is everything and progressive social causes have been fast-tracked-- though they're now facing resistance. I can't imagine why the latter idea was on my mind in the 20-teens.
Jeff of Earth J said:
Wha -- ?
Nah, the greatest scene in cinematic history calls forth the true spirit of American ingenuity: figuring out how to solve a life-or-death problem with spare parts and scraps. There's no villain, no Big Bad, but the stakes are as supremely high as in Iron Man (where Tony Stark built a suit of armor out of spare parts and scraps, as Obadiah Stane groused about to his engineers).
Wha -- ?
The reason I find that scene so memorable is because it drew an audible reponse from the audience in the theater.
I taught myself how to type using a manual typewriter that we had around the house and one of my mother's old textbooks.
-
549
-
550
-
551
-
552
-
553
of 553 Next