Back to the Moon
It was the summer I turned 11 years old. I was visiting a swim club with my friend, Maria, and there were people all around with small black and white TVs watching the moon landing. It was July 20, 1969. From about 12:30 pm that day until Neil Armstrong stepped out on the moon at about 10 pm that evening, people were glued to their TVs. They were either at home, outside of an appliance store, listening to the radio in their cars or at some remote location where someone had a portable TV with rabbit ears picking up the signal. The world stopped.
That was one of the great collective moments of the free world. For many people my age, finding a TV to watch when a NASA launch was being made, during the mission or watching the landing was “must see TV.” We need to make it that way again.
Last week, I was traveling and heard the BBC World Service podcast of the 4 flights leading up to Apollo 11. All those emotions were brought back and I felt like a kid again. Then I thought, I must start talking to my grandkids about these great moments because we are going back to the moon as a stopping off point to Mars and I’ll be watching and lots of young people will be participating and this is real.
Remember the good things that are happening and the good things we’ve accomplished. Every nickel was worth it.
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