Forty years ago today, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong had broken loose of earth orbit and were on their way to the moon. The Command Service module would orbit the moon with Michael Collins at the helm while Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong would descend to the lunar surface in the Sea of Tranquility region in their insectile looking lunar landing module. They were launched atop a mighty three stage Saturn V rocket standing taller than a typical skyscraper. The rockets used just years earlier to propel John Glenn in to earth orbit seemed like mere bottle rockets by comparison.
It’s quite a revelation to look at the earliest Project Mercury spacecraft launching solo astronauts into orbit from 1961 to 1963 and look at the substantial advancements featured in the Apollo spacecrafts with the Gemini craft for two astronauts from 1964 to 1966 in between. President John F. Kennedy committed our country to landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade in 1961. The journey to get there was an amazing feat wrought with the dreadful Apollo I tragedy killing three astronauts during a launch pad rehearsal on January 27, 1967 taking the lives of Gus Grissom, the second American to fly into outer space, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.
After such a setback, the notion man could still land on the moon by the end of the 1960’s seemed remote, but the resolve was tremendous. The pathway to the moon resumed October 11, 1968 when Apollo VII was the sole Apollo flight launched by the Saturn IB rocket into earth orbit. Subsequent missions would be directed at the moon or carry the lunar Lander requiring the vastly more powerful Saturn V whose 3rd stage functioned as but the 2nd stage of the lesser Saturn. What a moving experience the world was treated to witnessing Christmas, 1968 as the crew of Apollo VIII orbited the moon with television images of a giant blue marble and the ghastly cratered lunar surface were transmitted back to earth while the astronauts read from the Biblical book of Genesis, the account of creation.
Between December and July, two more Apollo flights would be necessary. The next never escaped earth orbit as Apollo IX was the first test of rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the lunar Lander. Next on deck, Apollo X shot for lunar orbit with the lunar module almost buzzing the moon’s surface.
In the summer of 1969, the Vietnam War continued on. The Beatles were still thought to be together. Gas was less than 30 cents a gallon. Cars were beautiful. Richard Nixon was in the first year of his presidency. There were no home computers, microwave ovens, or VCRS. Air conditioning was just beginning to become a must have option in much of the United States. Substantial television programming was still in black and white. The New York Jets were the reigning champs in football as the AFL and NFL were approaching the final terms of their merger. The Baltimore Orioles were the talk of baseball. Plans were afoot for a massive rock festival in upstate New York just a few weeks later.
Given only 12 years had passed since the Soviet Union launched the first manmade satellite, Sputnik, what might did we think the world of space exploration and technology would hold in store forty years later. Perhaps some clues were presented in the popular Stanley Kubrick movie, 2001, A Space Odyssey, based on Arthur C. Clark’s novel. In 2001, the earth was orbited by glorious space stations complete with every modern convenience. Colonies were on the moon, and the current frontier was the exploration of Jupiter. The spacecraft was largely computer driven, and the computer, HAL, had ideas of its own on how the mission should progress.
Given the progress the world had seen in the past twelve years, Clark’s vision didn’t seem that far fetched. Surely by 2009, man would have ventured to Mars. In 1969, satellites had already visited the red planet and Venus. Could we imagine that our quest for space would only have advanced one mission past Apollo to the Space Shuttle supporting but one international space station whose mission still remains quite nebulous to measly earthlings as it is just now getting ready to host a full crew of six explorers not just three. The shuttle will be retired next year with American manned spaced efforts supposed to resume by around 2015 with project Orion, almost a retro looking space configuration harkening back to the Apollo era poised to launch more missions to the moon. As for landing on Mars? Well…?
Many conveniences we enjoy every day as well as advanced medical equipment have their origins in the space program most notably the moon missions from project Apollo. From Velcro to personal computers to camcorders to MRI technology, all of these were advanced by the space program. Velcro was first put into use to keep objects from flying free in zero gravity.
How sad it is that our nation has lost its fascination with space and perhaps the pioneering spirit that created this nation in the first place. We’ve become a nation buried in the “here and now” and creative long range thinking does not set well with the “me” generations. While space exploration does not come inexpensively, even during the full deployment of the Apollo space program, it represented a small fraction of the Federal budget.
In 2009, the United States has lost its interest in science. Our competitive advantage in science, technology, engineering, and math are seriously losing ground to the rest of the world.
As divided as our country was in 1969 with racial tension and the Vietnam War, the teamwork and dedication of so many talented professionals from many walks of life, backgrounds, and talent worked together to accomplish a task so great.
Are there any current “frontiers” that could capture the American spirit around which out society could unite for a giant goal like a decade long quest to land on the moon?
Probably not. Nevertheless, we should commit to landing on Mars sooner than later while people who worked on Project Apollo are still alive to appreciate the results. The United States needs to work on such much needed goals which require tremendous technological growth such as energy independence. Much work is needed in the life sciences and medicine to improve health care and eradicate dreadful diseases.
Let this anniversary of Project Apollo, perhaps the boldest dream ever undertaken and accomplished serve as an invitation to dream and think big again.
We can do it.
It’s quite a revelation to look at the earliest Project Mercury spacecraft launching solo astronauts into orbit from 1961 to 1963 and look at the substantial advancements featured in the Apollo spacecrafts with the Gemini craft for two astronauts from 1964 to 1966 in between. President John F. Kennedy committed our country to landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade in 1961. The journey to get there was an amazing feat wrought with the dreadful Apollo I tragedy killing three astronauts during a launch pad rehearsal on January 27, 1967 taking the lives of Gus Grissom, the second American to fly into outer space, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.
After such a setback, the notion man could still land on the moon by the end of the 1960’s seemed remote, but the resolve was tremendous. The pathway to the moon resumed October 11, 1968 when Apollo VII was the sole Apollo flight launched by the Saturn IB rocket into earth orbit. Subsequent missions would be directed at the moon or carry the lunar Lander requiring the vastly more powerful Saturn V whose 3rd stage functioned as but the 2nd stage of the lesser Saturn. What a moving experience the world was treated to witnessing Christmas, 1968 as the crew of Apollo VIII orbited the moon with television images of a giant blue marble and the ghastly cratered lunar surface were transmitted back to earth while the astronauts read from the Biblical book of Genesis, the account of creation.
Between December and July, two more Apollo flights would be necessary. The next never escaped earth orbit as Apollo IX was the first test of rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the lunar Lander. Next on deck, Apollo X shot for lunar orbit with the lunar module almost buzzing the moon’s surface.
In the summer of 1969, the Vietnam War continued on. The Beatles were still thought to be together. Gas was less than 30 cents a gallon. Cars were beautiful. Richard Nixon was in the first year of his presidency. There were no home computers, microwave ovens, or VCRS. Air conditioning was just beginning to become a must have option in much of the United States. Substantial television programming was still in black and white. The New York Jets were the reigning champs in football as the AFL and NFL were approaching the final terms of their merger. The Baltimore Orioles were the talk of baseball. Plans were afoot for a massive rock festival in upstate New York just a few weeks later.
Given only 12 years had passed since the Soviet Union launched the first manmade satellite, Sputnik, what might did we think the world of space exploration and technology would hold in store forty years later. Perhaps some clues were presented in the popular Stanley Kubrick movie, 2001, A Space Odyssey, based on Arthur C. Clark’s novel. In 2001, the earth was orbited by glorious space stations complete with every modern convenience. Colonies were on the moon, and the current frontier was the exploration of Jupiter. The spacecraft was largely computer driven, and the computer, HAL, had ideas of its own on how the mission should progress.
Given the progress the world had seen in the past twelve years, Clark’s vision didn’t seem that far fetched. Surely by 2009, man would have ventured to Mars. In 1969, satellites had already visited the red planet and Venus. Could we imagine that our quest for space would only have advanced one mission past Apollo to the Space Shuttle supporting but one international space station whose mission still remains quite nebulous to measly earthlings as it is just now getting ready to host a full crew of six explorers not just three. The shuttle will be retired next year with American manned spaced efforts supposed to resume by around 2015 with project Orion, almost a retro looking space configuration harkening back to the Apollo era poised to launch more missions to the moon. As for landing on Mars? Well…?
Many conveniences we enjoy every day as well as advanced medical equipment have their origins in the space program most notably the moon missions from project Apollo. From Velcro to personal computers to camcorders to MRI technology, all of these were advanced by the space program. Velcro was first put into use to keep objects from flying free in zero gravity.
How sad it is that our nation has lost its fascination with space and perhaps the pioneering spirit that created this nation in the first place. We’ve become a nation buried in the “here and now” and creative long range thinking does not set well with the “me” generations. While space exploration does not come inexpensively, even during the full deployment of the Apollo space program, it represented a small fraction of the Federal budget.
In 2009, the United States has lost its interest in science. Our competitive advantage in science, technology, engineering, and math are seriously losing ground to the rest of the world.
As divided as our country was in 1969 with racial tension and the Vietnam War, the teamwork and dedication of so many talented professionals from many walks of life, backgrounds, and talent worked together to accomplish a task so great.
Are there any current “frontiers” that could capture the American spirit around which out society could unite for a giant goal like a decade long quest to land on the moon?
Probably not. Nevertheless, we should commit to landing on Mars sooner than later while people who worked on Project Apollo are still alive to appreciate the results. The United States needs to work on such much needed goals which require tremendous technological growth such as energy independence. Much work is needed in the life sciences and medicine to improve health care and eradicate dreadful diseases.
Let this anniversary of Project Apollo, perhaps the boldest dream ever undertaken and accomplished serve as an invitation to dream and think big again.
We can do it.
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