It is my belief based on the history of science and technology, that it takes a minimum of two full generations in order to bring a major scientific discovery to fruition. I don’t expect to see the result of the current High Energy physics and Cosmology research - but I’m excited about seeing it progress nonetheless.
What I WOULD like to see before I die, and still believe we COULD if someone had the balls to actually pursue it singlemindedly for more than ten years, is WORKING FUSION POWER GENERATORS. Gaack! We’ve been so bad at focusing on that incredibly powerful concept. ... I better not get started on this side track or I’ll write a chapter of a book in this thread!
If I were a zillionaire I'd spend most of it pursuing space. If man is going to survive long term we have to get off this rock.
Now back to reality...