Part 15/18:
Participants also identify a mix of motivations: the altruism of advancing humanity (e.g., colonizing Mars), the awe-inspiring nature of rocket technology—"flying buildings" barreling through the atmosphere—and the sheer technological excitement of traveling at 17,000 miles per hour, ripping through the atmosphere during re-entry.
These shared cultural reference points nurture a collective identity among aerospace professionals—a lexicon of heroism, exploration, and the pursuit of the seemingly impossible.