Randahl FinkThe US may have put a man on the moon, but Denmark put an entire population on free healthcare.
WesDym@randahl We put a dozen men on the Moon, in six visits, but they were all over a half a century ago. When we brag about this, it's like the comedy trope of the middle-aged guy still bragging about his high school sports accomplishments. It's glaring admission that we haven't done anything as glorious since then.
David BruchmannISS was unthinkable in that time, and newer satellites made many discoveries.
The Mars missions with the rovers have been scientifically important and much efforts have been put into physics concerning gravity waves and black holes.
Of course some steps on the moon are easier to show to the public.
I agree that reproducing the achievements of that time seems still being a challenge, but priorities grew more diverse.
Furthermore many experiments have been made in space concerning medicine, biology, physics, chemistry and probably more.
Partially I suppose the results could be used for common products on earth, including the materials and design for tools for space.
Regrettable I've no list about those achievements, if someone knows more, or has a link, that would be great.
Quark Maker@DavidBruchmann @wesdym @randahl The point Wes raises isn't simply a matter of whether we're doing anything important at all now; it's the specific genuflection this nation engages in about our past.
And by that one particular metric, the two greatest things the U.S. has done is go over to Europe and to Japan and win World War II (allies? anyone ever hear about the allies, without whom we likely wouldn't have won?) and the Moon Landings.
Our motto might as well be: "Look how great we were!"
Yeah I got that in some kind.
But therefore it might be important to point out other achievements.
The achievements concerning the win of wars get always tainted when people realize how cruel they are won, the firestorm is perhaps only comparable with napalm in Vietnam.
@DavidBruchmann @wesdym @randahl It's awful easy to brag about accomplishment you don't have to put any effort into to be able to claim.
I can easily remember seeing t-shirts for sale in Walmart and elsewhere which read "United States of Awesome". Honestly, it seemed rather disrespectful.
Indeed Americans showing the flag around on clothes and everything else leave probably no good impression internationally -- and seemingly nationally too to some people.
Discussion is getting diffuse now, not even sure about who exactly still mentions the wars and moon landing as accomplishments, of which level we're speaking here? Simple people from the street, politicians, scientists, universities?