Apollo 24 is about to lift off. A few episodes ago, it was the Russians who were first to land on the moon. The TV series For All Mankind has me fairly hooked. I have always been a fan of sci-fi series anyway. In this one, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States does not end with Neil Armstrong becoming the first person to set foot on the moon. Next season, they are off to Mars!
What the series makes clear is that the drive to be the first to put someone on the moon led, in the 1960s, to extremely rapid development in one specific field of technology. It took place at such speed that there are people today who no longer believe the moon landing really happened.
Competition, pressure or necessity accelerate development in a particular area. This can be seen across many fields, including Formula 1. Many innovations from Formula 1 ultimately find their way into our cars. But what has pushed our own wonderful industry forward in recent decades? Mainly the drive to increase output per square metre at the lowest possible cost. The use of energy, fertilisers and pesticides fitted neatly into that picture. But now, all of a sudden, we go: “Houston, we have a problem.”
