A long time ago in high school, I read "Megatrends 2000" as part of an economics class. It got me thinking for a decade now on what "the next big thing" was going to be. And I've been thinking about it some more now that we're in the midst of a gasoline crisis, an empyting out of our manufacturing sector, experienced the relatively recent implosion of the Internet and the corporatization of practically everything.
Anway, my current belief is that the next big thing will be some major development in the transportation industry. I'm not sure what. I'm not sure when. But I think that's what the U.S. economy will turn to next. Maybe it will be 100 MPG or solar-powered car engines, maybe it will be a space elevator, maybe it will wormhole technology, maybe it will be something akin to Pym particle miniaturization. Who knows, but I think that's where American ingenuity will surface next — Transportation.
If NASA is the one to develop it, and I hope they do, then let's fund 'em.