Why the expression "its not rocket science"?

you know Rocket Science? Is it really that hard? i just heard something use the expression "its not rocket science" and was just wondering in this day and age if rocket science is the bench mark to measure difficulty anymore?
got me thinking if the expression would eventually be altered to something like "its not time travel", or "its not curing aids" - something that hasn't been done yet. cos rocket science has been done already.
Any view?

I use it's not neuroscience.

It is a meme

Its there just because everybody knows it and uses it. Rocket science might not be the hardest science, but that is not the point.

i think it means.....duh,how easy can it be

Very difficult...

I think you are right. I am going to start saying, "its not time travel. But on the other hand, i have warts. NO thats not right, on the other hand even though it has been done I think rocket science is difficult for the average bear.

no its just something that people use from time to time don't worry:-)~

Rocket science is cetainly a correct phrase and while "it's been done", it is still a good measure to distinguish the difficulty of a task.

I think it has to do with the precision that rocket science has to uphold. You can't round your heading to the nearest thousandth of a centimeter, or you will be 900 miles off by the time you get to Saturn.

I think it's not so much that rocket science is something beyond human intelligence. The expression is referring to the idea that of all human knowledge, the most difficult thing humans have discovered is rocket science. So if something is "not rocket science," it means that it's not the most difficult thing that humans have figured out.

You go try and build a rocket and then tell me its not good enough to use anymore. GEEZ! lol

Most certainly is a meme.

In the not so distant past that was indeed the hot stuff. For those of us who remember the space race, those were the folks at NASA who were the brightest of the bright. It was a cutting edge science that was virtually unknown until the 30's when science fiction started to meet up with science. These folks were where it was AT.

I am sure that as we evolve and science makes advancements that our grandparents couldn't have dreamed up the term will change. This from a physics geek :)

Other than the power to reproduce its one of the greatest things man has ever achieved , The ability to explore space

You havent heard the saying " Its not like you are curing aids"? I doubt they will stop saying that phrase "its not rocket science" simply because there are more difficult things to do out there. I dont think the majority of society knows too much rocket science, which I think is aerospace engineering