The article on 3-2-1 Contact by Ingrid Ockert, in the January 2021 issue of Physics Today (page 26), provided an interesting background of the innovative show. As a child, I watched the show regularly, and I received a 3-2-1 Contact–branded optics exploration kit as a gift one Christmas. I clearly remember aligning the mirrors of a periscope and exploring color combinations with a spinning wheel.
Working as an optical engineer a few decades later, with the opportunity to contribute to such historic efforts as the James Webb Space Telescope currently scheduled to launch on Halloween of this year, I frequently think back to that influential kit and show. My sincere hope is that organizations such as PBS and Sesame Workshop continue to receive the funding necessary to inspire our future engineers and scientists.
