47 years ago this week, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong and his fellow Apollo 11 crew members Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins changed the course of history, and inspired generations around the globe. I’m sure many of you reading this remember exactly where you were that July day. What a moment in history.
This accomplishment validated the theory that anything is possible, if you put your mind to it and keep working hard. Shooting for the moon actually meant something. Serial innovators, like Amazon and Google, have deep rooted internal goals of failure. It might sound like a strange concept, but it’s quite pragmatic. The best way to learn is from mistakes. It’s all about trial and error. It’s science. It’s innovation. It took NASA 8 years and countless launches from President Kennedy’s challenge to reach the moon by the end of the decade. That bold mission was accomplished.
One of the hottest concepts coming out of Silicon Valley is the concept of drone delivery. In space-age fashion, robotic aircraft are speeding thru the atmosphere with consumer packages in hand. Google has been working on its “Project Wing” since 2012. The company has developed a 5-foot wide, single-wing drone that can fly thousands of feet in the air and gently lower packages to the ground using a wire or cable. This could be a service that complements or even replaces UPS or the mailman with door-to-door delivery. It’s altogether very possible. Allegedly, Project Wing is also working on using tiny robots on wheels that will carry multiple packages to a safe, centralized holding location.
The thinking is, delivery drones will be able to transport packages faster and more economically than traditional couriers which can be limited by geography while also cutting down on pollution by taking traffic off the streets. The FAA doesn’t allow for these flying devices yet, but things are moving forward for a drone filled world. Google’s Project Wing team has been working with multiple companies, including Amazon, and have a deal with NASA to design an air traffic system for low flying drones. It’s a simply wild concept, and it’s coming.
5 decades after Neil Armstrong took that small step, which was indeed a giant leap, mankind continues to “shoot for the moon” for progress. It’s fascinating to us, and of course it’s investable. We’re always on the lookout for new, innovative investments.
Have a nice weekend. We’ll be back, dark and early on Monday.
Mike
