I think the implication is that a good teacher can inspire more students to take up science and contribute broadly to the field than just one person on a specific field.
Pretty much. Having a working understanding of Newtonian physics, electricity, and other High School physics topics has real-world benefits. Landing a spacecraft on Mars is a remarkable technical achievement, but makes almost no difference in the life of 99.999% of people.
Either could inspire someone to pursue a career in science, I was more thinking of just practical benefits.
