The Wonder of Space Flight

A glance at today's NY Times reminded me that forty years ago we were all watching the first steps of earthlings on the moon. We all use to watch events like these together, usually in the early morning. There was a sense of pride in accomplishing each step of our progress to the ultimate goal of stepping foot on the moon. People actually camped at the site of the launch in Florida in order to get a better view of the launch. Hard to imagine us getting this exciting about anything today, at least in the same collective sense. We now all have our own enthusiasms and it takes a tragedy like 911, or a huge sporting event like the Super Bowl, for us all to watch something together.

I like to make the observation at business lunches that the same courage it took to suggest we land a man on the moon is probably missing today. Of course, this may be a lingering effect of the loss of the 3 martini lunch, too. After a few cocktails we all become more brave and the thought of spending billions in order to conduct scientific research doesn't seem so out of the ordinary. If you posit the same idea to a bunch of people drinking iced tea and lemonade you will likely receive a less than enthusiastic response, and the cost would be brought up and the possible loss of life.

It is all too bad because I feel we lack a certain swagger and confidence. We need these sort of challenges in order to improve ourselves and the world around us. To dwell on what might go wrong is to take time away from reflecting upon what might go very right. Going to the moon was the correct decision and we are all the better for it.