While there are a lot of un/underemployed STEM-majors in the US, I'm not sure we have the technical expertise/competence in our ranks that we had during the moon-race.
Let me give an example:
Today, in my field, there are people graduating with CS degrees that simply do not instantly grasp the utility of restricting valid values from a type (i.e. subtyping*). This is used so often in mathematics that I cannot understand how someone could even lightly dismiss it. (Math ex: For all X, where X is a positive integer…
is the restriction of Integer to the positive values.) This facility is rather uncommon in the type-systems of many programming languages.
Moreover, there are industry pressures for the "cookie cutter candidate" for employment, as most employment postings now have a requirement of X years of experience on their systems/environments for entry level employment… which pressures the management to implement in "lowest common denominator"-languages (which are usually fairly unwieldy for solving the problems of their project); which, in turn, pressures academia to churn out graduates trained in the lowest common denominator... to the detriment of needed skills.
And this is a technical industry we're talking about —Yes, there are exceptions— but the question is whether we are still capable of the expertise/competence that would be needed for a Mars-mission, which must be more complex/difficult than a mere moon-mission. (Logistics, different entry/landing-variables [Mars /= Earth], psychological/physiological health of the crew, etc.)
* Subtyping (and a strong type-system) can be used to greatly reduce complexity, thereby allowing easier proving/validation of programs.
I work on the ground as a structured cabling specialist. I also do hardware support (parts swaps and installs, point of sale mostly) I am over 40. I am so busy I can’t keep up.
There are kids in this field. Lots of them. Companies I deal with who will pay my rates say the kids are morons. Even at much lower rates they won’t use them. These idiots will bill 10 bucks an hour as a contractor.. 10 bucks?!?!? I’ve seen their work, it’s awful. Wire everywhere. along the floor, strung like a clothes line, equipment hanging by wires.. Yikes is all I can say. They are not even worth the 10 dollar bill.
We’re screwed.