It’s hard to believe that 40 years ago today, 3 men, Neil Armstrong, “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins set out on the greatest journey ever undertaken by mankind. On this day, in 1969, Apollo 11 roared off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, into the heavens, and the history books. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to touch the soil of an alien world. Another 6 Apollo Lunar Missions would follow, five of those landing upon the Moon, and one, Apollo 13, failing to land, but termed a success because the crew returned home after an explosion in space. Apollo 17 closed out the Apollo Lunar exploration program in 1972, and we have not been back since.
Many people argued, at the time, that sending men into space was pointless, a huge waste of money, especially with so many problems here at home that we need to take care of. That argument is still made today. That argument has been brought forward in every human endeavor to explore and push the boundaries. I can imagine primitive hunter-gatherers sitting around their camp fires many thousands of years ago in Africa, arguing over the merits of pushing farther and farther out into unexplored territory. In Columbus’ day, many people thought there would be no benefit in finding a new route to Asia (his intention). He discovered (or re-discovered) a New World. The first settlers to arrive in the New World (America), found it a harsh and difficult place. Many died before they even got here. Many died within the first year of arriving here. But, they persevered, and, eventually the New World prospered. (Yes, many tragic things were done along the way with those that were already here, but, hopefully, we can learn from those mistakes).
Today, we humans face 2 choices, and I believe that there are really only 2 choices: Continue to explore and reach out; or stagnate and eventually die as a species. The argument can be made that we cannot afford to keep sending people on flights of fancy to other worlds. We have so many problems here at home. We need to alleviate human suffering before we go out “there.” I agree. We have many problems here at home. But, here is something to consider: those problems have been with us always, and no matter how advanced we become, we will always have problems here at home. There will always be excuses to “stay home.” This does not alleviate our responsibility in making this world a better place for our fellow man.
Every human endeavor to explore has been incredibly hard. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles needed to be overcome, but in almost every instance, the eventual benefits and rewards far outweighed the risks, and costs. New discoveries were made. New resources were acquired. This is the promise of exploring new worlds. As we look to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, what new discoveries will we make? What new resources will we uncover? What new technologies will be developed to benefit all mankind. Maybe, just maybe, the answers to many of the pressing problems we face here at home can be found out there.
That’s why I believe we must reach out into unexplored territory. Happy 40th Apollo 11! Let’s not wait another 40 years to go back!
Check out this link for a list of how space exploration had benefited mankind in these six areas:
1. Computer Technology
2. Consumer/Home/Recreation
3. Environmental and Resource Management
4. Health and Medicine
5. Industrial Productivity and Manufacturing Technology
6. Public Safety and Transportation
http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
Space exploration has given us far more than Tang and Velcro!
Filed under: Exploration, History, Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, Kepler Mission, Lifestyle, Manned Space Flight, Mars, Moon, NASA, Nature, News, Rockets, Science, Space, Space Shuttle, Space exploration, Technology, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tagged: Apollo 11, Lunar Exploration, Manned Space Exploration, Manned Space Flight, Science
