Song of the day:
Video of the day:
One small step for man…one giant leap for mankind.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I was almost 18 months old. I assume my parents watched this happen live on TV with the rest of the world but I don’t know that I’ve ever asked them about it.
That this happened in my lifetime still seems super cool. There are hundreds of movies and documentaries about this historic feat, and I’ve seen a whole bunch of them. The Right Stuff is one of the best, and if you haven’t seen it, well, I guess you now have plans for the weekend. You’re welcome.
A few years ago, the Apollo 11 documentary came out and I took myself right to the IMAX theatre and wow. It was incredible. I believe it’s currently on Hulu and Prime Video so go ahead and add that to your weekend viewing as well.
In case you couldn’t tell, let me be perfectly clear: I love space. I’m fascinated by the Apollo missions and the work that came before and after. I love the space shuttles and airplanes and once met Chuck Yeager, a true American hero.
If I’m in Washington D.C. for even a portion of a day, I must visit the National Air & Space Museum. I consider the trip a failure if I don’t get to walk through those doors. I’ve also had the opportunity to visit the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is part of the Air & Space Museum but not in the same vicinity. The Space Shuttle Discovery lives there and it’s incredible to see up close (see prior post for more on that visit). I also had the opportunity to visit Huntsville, Alabama where the US Space & Rocket Center lives and where you can see a Saturn V rocket in person. Believe me when I say, it is MASSIVE. And so unbelievably cool. I can’t wait to get back to all of these places again, as well as all the places that house the other Space Shuttles. Now that I’ve seen one, I must see them all.
Thanks to the genius of LEGO I’ve built the Saturn V rocket, the Lunar Landing Module, the Women of Space, and most recently, the Space Shuttle Discovery. I mean come on…space is cool! Did you know that LEGO consulted with NASA and real life astronauts when designing these sets? Pretty awesome.
Do I have any desire to go to space myself? Uh, no. No thank you. Do I love that these billionaires are taking themselves to the edge of space in their fancy rockets? Uh, also no. That seems like a huge waste of money. To be fair, I haven’t read all the reasons behind their flights, but to me it feels like rockets and space exploration should be left to the professionals. NASA is about research and science and figuring out how other planets work and survive. It’s about finding out if life could be sustained elsewhere, if there are resources that would help us survive on this planet. Space and everything about it is cool beyond belief, yes, and I understand the fascination of wanting to go, but the cool factor is just the gravy. It’s not the point.
Today’s a pretty cool reminder of how cool science and space are. I may have to put in a movie or two this evening to celebrate this remarkable accomplishment. But until then, I’ll leave you with this…
Two days ago (July 18) would have been John Glenn’s 100th birthday. Here’s a nice little video NASA put together celebrating his accomplishments.
“We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something larger than ourselves.”
John Glenn
Yes, I agree!