TERRY GROSS: Thinking big can lead to breakthroughs or spectacular failures. And the Pentagon agency DARPA has had its share of both. DARPA is the acronym for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It started off as ARPA before the D was added for defense. Its mission is to create innovative defense technologies. Its projects have ranged from space-based missile shields to cyborg insects. Its innovations have had practical applications in the civilian world, ranging from the Internet to robot vacuum cleaners. My guest, Sharon Weinberger, is the author of a new book about DARPA called “The Imagineers Of War.” Her research includes recently declassified documents, as well as interviews she conducted with people who have worked on DARPA projects. She’s the national security editor at The Intercept, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former editor-in-chief of Defense Technology International. MORE