Apollo and me

I watched the documentary In the Shadow of the Moon recently and was reminded how much I loved Apollo. The movie is about the Apollo program, told from the point of view of the astronauts. I was about to enter first grade when the first man landed on the moon. Although my memories are weak, I can remember watching on TV, seeing a splashdown in school, and the general excitement.

It was the space program that got me interested in science. In third grade, just about the time the Apollo program was ending, I read a book about Allan Shepard, the first American in space. I loved it. I read all I could on space travel, and then on Astronomy, and then on physics, chemistry, and eventually biology. I made and flew model rockets, a hobby that I continued again when my own kids were young. I have a detailed model of the Saturn V rocket, a gift from my love. It's in my office now. Every time I saw that majestic rocket in the movie, I was overcome with a thrill.

It struck me again how amazing it is that we actually walked on the moon. It captures the imagination. What the movie brought home is also that this was an international event. Yes, we went to the moon out of cold war competition. But the accomplishment was one for all of humanity. The whole world watched, and it was a giant step for mankind, not for America. It was a proud time to be an American. I am struck by how much more we could have achieved if the world really was one, and not divided.

I don't think anyone at the time imagined in 1972 that we would not even leave low earth orbit again in the next 35 years. I was sure this was the first step, not the high point. I understand that sending humans into space is costly and risky. I usually support the sending of robotic probes instead. However, there is something to be said for the pure awe and majesty of human beings being on another world. It's a vision that tied the world together for a moment, and that inspired a love of science in at least one child.