If you write it, they will come

I'm reading a book about rocket scientists. It's a biography, but it reads like fiction due to the fact that rocket scientists are totally wacky and out of this world (hee hee). Basically, it's a fun read. 

One of the things I learned while reading this book is that people didn't like rocket science, back in the day. It seems to have gone something like this:

• pre-1903: rockets are kind of cool
• 1903: bike enthusiasts fly a plane
• 1903-1941ish: planes are cool, rockets are dumb, and rocket scientists are dumbasses
• post-1941: HOLY SHIT WHAT ARE THESE DEATH TUBES THE GERMANS ARE SHOOTING AT US FUND ALL THE ROCKET RESEARCH NOW

During that ~40yr sweet spot, rocket science took off (I'm on a roll), mostly due to an extremely committed cabal of scientists and enthusiasts that loved sneaking out to the desert and blowing shit up. 

But the COOLEST part of this whole thing is that the rocket science community, seemingly without fail, was comprised of science fiction nerds who read pulp fiction magazines by the pound. And they turned what they read into reality. They read about rockets and space travel, and used their brains to actually turn fiction into non-fiction. 

Let me repeat that for you: nerds read science fiction, and made it science. 

As you know, one of my 4 Great Goals in life is to dig the world's deepest hole. Straight to the center of the earth. Most people scoff at the idea, but only due a lack of imagination. A lack of mystery, of wonder. A lack of understanding. 

What the history of rocket science has taught me is that in order to inspire imagination, I need to write a compelling story. This is one of earth's greatest secrets: the one who tells the best story wins the day. 

So if the 6 Silos Expedition will ever be a story remembered by humanity, it has to start as a story.