I kept very close track, this past week, of the landing of Philae on the comet 67P by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was a huge engineering and scientific achievement - done by Europeans. Even though at some level I know that America shouldn't and can't do it all, my thoughts wandered to recent examples of scientific prowess. The major particle accelerator in the world is CERN in Geneva where the Higgs boson - a major piece of the puzzle in our understanding of the physics of the universe - was discovered.
These tasks - landing on a comet, discovering the Higgs, the Space Station - are done in the name of humanity and offer no direct immediate financial gain but furthers man's understanding and appreciation of the cosmos we live in. The nation - or consortium - that accomplishes them is exceptional.
America at one time - when we landed men on the moon, when we built the world's largest (at that time) particle accelerator, FermiLab, - was exceptional. Not only did we have a democracy that enabled all of us - to the extent of our abilities - to participate but we recognized the importance of adding to knowledge whose only benefit was an increase in understanding.
Then the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC), a particle accelerator to be built in the vicinity of Waxahachie, Texas was canceled in 1993. When future historians study America they will signify that event as the end of American exceptionism. Our priorities shifted from the exceptional to the mundane.
It was fitting that NASA officials were on hand to congratulate ESA.
© 2014 Lester C. Welch
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