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>> I'm CJ Bixby, I am the Chief of the Systems Engineering
and Integration Branch,
at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.
I think there's a good chance
that Armstrong will still be here in 60 years.
I think we have a few things going for us.
We have access to restricted air space and the lake beds,
and about 345 days of great flying weather.
That gives us a lot of flexibility to do the kind
of missions that we do.
We have world class capabilities in flight research integration.
Our mission here is to advance knowledge through flight.
So, basically what we do is we look
up to get knowledge about the universe.
We look down and sniff around to get knowledge
about the Earth and the atmosphere.
And we look at the thing that we're flying
to advance knowledge about aeronautics.
I don't think that all the mysteries
of those three things will be solved in 60 years.
I think we're actually kind of adding to mystery at this point.
So, I think there's a really good chance that the kind
of thing that we do here will still be really relevant.
And that we'll still need to fly machines
in relevant environments to get that kind of data.
So, I think we'll still be here, and I think we'll be vibrant,
robust contributors to the knowledge base.
So, I don't know what exactly we'll be working on in 60 years,
but I think there's a good chance
that we'll still be integrating, simulating, modeling,
and bringing new technologies to flight in order to learn stuff
about the universe, and the planet, and the things that fly.
We're in a really interesting time right now
where technologies are kind of coming together and it looks
like markets might open up to increase accessibility, speed,
and efficiency of air transport.
And we don't know which of those technologies is going
to kind of win.
You know, what -- which of those technologies is going
to pan out.
Something will.
And so, I think that you know,
our workforce will still be doing
that really interesting work of bringing technologies together,
and working out how to make complex systems work together
to open those markets and refine the vehicles
that will operate in those markets.
A visionary from 60 years ago would be both amazed
and a little bit disappointed.
I think the compute power that we have
and the way we use it would probably,
even if they had been able to anticipate some of that,
just the fact of it would probably be amazing.
The way that we use computers and airplanes, and the amount
of calculations they do, you know, in real time,
I think that would be pretty amazing
to somebody from 60 years ago.
The fidelity of our models
and our simulations I think would be pretty mind-blowing
to somebody from 60 years ago.
And you know, we all carry
around in our pocket this computer,
and it's an encyclopedia, and a phone, and a camera.
And you know, I think -- and the fidelity of that screen,
just the way the color and the resolution of that screen
in that little, tiny package, and the way we use it.
Like, we -- I navigate to the grocery store
with a computer in my pocket, right?
If you try to explain to somebody in 1958
that I was doing that, and they're thinking in 1958 terms
about what a phone, and a computer,
and an encyclopedia look like,
they would probably think we were nuts, right?
So, I think that part would be amazing.
I think the thing that would be a little bit disappointing is
that we don't have flying cars, and we don't -- and there's --
and alot of our technology maybe hasn't accomplished what you
might have hoped it would accomplish.
I think it's human to think that technology is going
to solve a lot of human problems.
And we still have a lot of stuff that we're dealing
with that our technology hasn't solved.
And sometimes our technology exacerbates problems before it
solves them, right?
So, I think that would be a little bit disappointing.
We still do a lot of our work,
we do it a little bit by rote sometimes.
We have rote process, we have bureaucracy.
Our technology didn't solve out that for us.
And I think that would probably be disappointing.
But, I think what would be super satisfying for somebody
from 60 years ago is to see our workforce,
and the way our workforce works with the kind of courage,
and integrity, and persistence that they worked with.
And I think that would be extremely satisfying
to somebody from 60 years ago.
I think Armstrong's workforce
in the next 60 years will look a lot like they do today.
They'll be generalists, they'll be innovators,
they'll be integrators.
I hope they're more diverse.
I hope they look more like the general population
than we do today.
We're not bad, but we could be better.
And I hope for that diversity, because that's strength, right?
I mean, my team fills in my blind spots.
So, the better, more diverse my team is,
the fewer blind spots I'm going to end up with.
I also am interested in that diversity,
because one of the easiest paths to inspiration is to be able
to see somebody that you recognize as being
like you doing something really challenging.
So, if we have a really diverse workforce,
we have the opportunity to inspire a diverse group
of people to come work with us
and solve these really challenging problems
that are going to need a really wide perspective
in order to solve.
I think that our future workforce will be really
comfortable with a lot of tools that we can just dream of today.
I think there will probably be some language translation tools
that are kind of seamless.
There'll be some really seamless collaboration tools.
They'll just be -- and maybe even some digital coworkers,
right?
And they'll be able to interface with these machines,
and these algorithms in a way that we can't do today.
We don't do a good job of parsing
up human/machine tasks right now, in 60 years I hope
that we make some progress there.
So, that their digital coworkers will actually be pretty
productive in that relationship,
so called relationship would pretty productive as well.
But, I think if we do our job right
that we'll recognize Team Armstrong 2078.
Because the youngest among us here
in Team Armstrong 2018 will have taught the oldest among Team
Armstrong 2078 about the persistence, the courage,
and the innovation that is needed to challenge --
to tackle these really challenging problems.
Sometimes the facilities I think, they'll look a lot
like they do now on the outside, but they'll be more powerful
on the inside, I hope.
I think -- I hope that we'll have some --
the ability to sort of,
reconfigure our office space really easily,
so that it will accommodate teamwork and individual work,
maybe some kind of lab work as well.
I hope that we have really seamless collaboration tools.
I imagine that a lot of us will continue to show up here,
but our work has always been about partnerships,
and we'll need really seamless tools to collaborate widely.
I think that there's some really interesting things happening
right now We're kind of on the cusp
of some really interesting data storage and retrieval.
And I hope that that enables us to get rid of paper.
So, I hope that in 2078, some
of our younger coworkers have not seen a piece
of paper in the workplace.
I also hope that we've figured out how
to configure personal devices
and professional devices really easily,
so that we can protect our personal information
and the government's information.
And I hope that, you know,
we continue to expand our capability to care
for each other when we're here.
So, that we have, you know,
sort of world class medical facilities, and gyms,
and opportunities to rest and recreate,
and healthy eating options for our world class workforce.
That's up to us.
A lot of people from my generation wanted to work
at NASA because we saw moon landings on TV.
We saw people really pushing the envelope in every sense
to do something really difficult.
And if we approach our challenges the way the Apollo
generation approached theirs, if we choose to explore boldly
as one, then people now and in the future will be inspired
by that and they will want to have been here to contribute.
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