 |
| America watched as the dream became real |
On July 20, 1969, 56 years ago today, Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. On that summer Sunday, slightly less than 66 years after the Wright Brothers first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903, and not quite seven years after President John F. Kennedy made his “to the moon speech” at Rice University on September 12, 1962, America held its collective breath watching scratchy video of the event.
The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, on
October 4, 1957, setting off the space race. When America appointed its first
seven astronauts in 1959, all military test pilots were instant celebrities.
Most kids could recite their names: Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn,
Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, and Gordon Cooper.
The world was a different place back then. Baby boomers were
coming of age under the cloud of the Viet Nam war. The specter of cold war nuclear
annihilation was ever present. Beating the Soviet Union to the moon was a high national
priority. Schools focused on the importance of teaching science and math to ensure
that America had the technical expertise needed to land on the moon.
By today’s standards, 1969 technology was primitive. The
average smart phone probably has more computing power than those used by NASA
to plan the first moon missions. Indeed, many of the calculations, whose accuracy
was vital to the success of the mission, were performed by slide rule.
The six successful moon landings, which allowed 12
astronauts to walk on its surface, ended in 1972. These were followed by the space
shuttle program and space stations used for research. Since then, many people have
followed the original astronauts into space, including Sally Ride and Mae Jemison.
How did we get where we are today? Everyone’s mad. The “I’m
right and you’re evil” attitude seems to infect every aspect of our daily life.
It’s time to pause and reflect on the moon landing and how we
got to where we are today. Time to stop fighting and start collaborating for
the benefit of all.
1 comment:
Unfortunately, fighting was the primary motivation for winning the space race. We were involved in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and it was fighting and war that drove the effort, not discovery, exploration and science. They were mere beneficiaries.
It would be wonderful if humans could cooperate and compromise in order to advance our knowledge and welfare, but it just doesn't seem to be part of our genetic makeup to do so.
Still, it's a wonderful reminder of what we are capable of, when we set our minds to it.
Post a Comment