Rockets and the Cost of Bionic Men


With weather worthy of Houston, I just came home from a local park where I introduced my daughter to rocketry. We had built and launched a small rocket, and all went well save for the recovery (it ended up drifting farther than I had anticipated once the chute opened up, ending up in a backyard somewhere in our neighbourhood). Oh well, it was a blast (pun intended) and got me thinking…

The Six Million Dollar Man: Popular television show of my youth starring Lee Majors, SMDM redefined slow motion punches and often made for the background music when running slo-mo. So, here’s my question:

Was Steve Austin really a “six million dollar” man?

Given the research expenses, cost of computer technology in the 1970’s (did they even have microchips back then or was it all transistors, etc.?) and other economic factors including the specialised folks who fabricated an implanted the technology, what would the actual cost be? Being no expert, I would think that he would be worth well over $6,000,000.

…Note, I am speaking of straight bionics here, forget the polyester red track suits.

Now if this was a Star Trek question, I’m certain that there are many folks out here in cyberspace who could quote me the answer in both Romulin and Klingon. I don’t think that the SMDM gets nearly the cult following of other sci-fi programmes.

So, please let me know your estimates and rationale as to the overall expense for “Steve Austin… Astronaut…Gentlemen, we can rebuild him…we have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Stronger. Faster…”

…Resonating slightly of Nietzsche's Superman, no?