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Patrick,
On the contrary - It actually states an increase !
"The Apollo missions inspired a generation.
The number of US graduates in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM subjects), from high-school through to PhD, has doubled. The relative growth rate since then has dropped drastically, even though the total number has gone up."
So when there was a very small number, the increase as a percentage was great, as the numbers climbed the rate of growth has declined even though numbers have increased.
But I think there is a greater level of awareness on so many new and fronts.
As I recall Astronomy gets a greater number of citations than any other discipline
As for the OPs initial argument and the link provided.
Maybe that cited growth rebuffs the argument or the fact that in the 60s we had two Nations involved in Space flight (UK and USSR) we now have many wealthy developed countries involved in Unmanned Space flight - USA, UK, China, India, Japan, European Space Agency, Italy . . .
Plus lots of countries making and launching satellites
People of 38 Nationalities have been into Space
Whilst the expenditure of NASA Space missions has dropped, there is more expenditure on building terrestrial based space research by the US and other nations as sole or joint projects and in the last few years private enterprise well and truly participating in commercial space flight.
We dont send people into space because we have robotics to do what people cannot do for much less and much longer !
The first of anything - first space ship, first astronaut into space, first lunar landing, first walk on the moon - these are always the sort of events that will capture the publics imagination and get the press.
So is the argument that there hasnt been as many groundbreaking, head turning events that have captured the public's imagination ?
It just seems to me to be an extremely simplistic argument based on an unsubstantiated premise by the author without facts, real research or details and missing about 99% of the content that should be there and relies on unsubstantiated opinions on a few barely relevant points.
Its barely even an opinion and whilst a good talking point - needs further development to be treated seriously
Sorry for the hard line.
Where's Gary when we need him !!
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