[betterunix]

I suppose it depends on how you interpret the term "big project." Deploying wireless networking seems comparable to the Interstate Highway System -- you are laying down a new infrastructure to make a particular technology more efficient. It is certainly ambitious and it certainly has a lasting impact, and you definitely need expertise and a commitment to finish it. On the other hand, you do not need the breadth of expertise that Apollo required, which is where I think the line is drawn here.

An example of something comparable to Apollo (one that does not involve outer space) would be a hypothetical switch away from fossil fuels -- completely renewable energy. Imagine a government project to replace every internal combustion engine with electric, to deploy rapid (on the scale of minutes) charging infrastructure, to build wind and solar farms to replace coal/gas power, to find new ways to heat blast furnaces, etc. You would need research in numerous science and engineering fields, and you would need experts in those fields working together. You would need a commitment to doing this, the way we committed to Apollo -- not a wishy-washy federal effort or a lot of poorly-organized local efforts.