40 Years Ago today we put a man on the moon. Wow - wow. Now granted I'm no scientist and I'm still not sure what all we gained from putting a man on the moon but I'm sure we gained a lot more than I can list including; rocket propulsion, space suits, moon rocks, velcro and of course Tang.
Seriously though, 40 years ago was the culmination of a nation's push to discover, to do better. We went to the moon because it was a challenge, it was a visualized goal that we could see, we could do. We did it not "because it was easy, but because it was hard." It was an amazing feat that was an amazing experience that I yearn for in my lifetime what's next for our generation what is our "moon landing"? Is it a cure for cancer? Is it a manned trip to Mars? Is it health care that works? (For all of you who want to make this a political issue fine, just get it done, make it work!) Is it charting the ocean's floor? Is it ending global warming? What is it?
Whatever it is, I think today is a great chance to look at what is possible when a nation comes together for a collective goal a reason to stand up and cheer a reason to believe. Bravo NASA, bravo America, bravo hope, drive, and goals. Let's keep yearning for the next "giant leap for mankind" but make sure to keep walking those small steps to get us there.
(P.S. Happy Birthday brother)
3 comments:
They say we'll be back to the moon in ten years. After that, Mars. We'll see what happens! They're going to do the first test launch of the rocket system that will get us there later this year.
Since I moved out here, I've made several friends who work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. They're fantastic folks, and they've all hung on to a childlike sense of wonder at what they do (individually and collectively) at NASA centers across the states.
Apparently, they have a ridiculously huge budget every year (I want to say millions, but it might be billions, and they're always over), and yet it's only a tiny percentage of the entire national budget.
I hear the "so what next?" of your post. I really think the Department of Defense could be spending a lot more money doing productive things like exploration and knowledge expansion rather than destructive things like, well... war and stuff. But we all know that's not going to happen.
Especially if we keep seeing movies about the weapons we'll need to destroy the aliens we discover who try to enslave our planet....
I remember well the pride and excitement of a nation just 40 years ago! It is one of those times that you know/remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when they walked on the Moon. It would be wonderful to see more travels in space; but hopefully, in your lifetime, you will see more, much more than just space travel...it would be awesome to see a cure for every disease there is and a peaceful, green world.
P.S. Happy Birthday to Matt, too!
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