Those words, so boldly etched in our collective memories, was the first act of a drama so daring and audacious as to seem more like science fiction than science fact.
On July 20th, 1969, the human race accomplished the most notable technological achievement in history when a man first set foot on another celestial body. Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and radioed one of mankind’s most transcendent moments, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” It was the electrifying middle act of the greatest adventure of all time.
Forty years later, we ask ourselves, “What is the legacy of Apollo 11 and the first lunar landing?” It is not so much what was done, as much as why it was done. Apollo 11, and subsequent Apollo missions, proved that there are no boundaries to the imagination. Accomplishment, whether scientific, social, or educational, is an ongoing journey that leads to ultimate illumination. We seek to solve mysteries as we expand our minds. Perhaps the most important result is to take the word “impossible” out of our vocabulary and allow dreams to thrive.
Today, the Young Astronauts of the Columbus Magnet School honor, not only the three astronauts of Apollo 11, but the 100,000 people behind the astronauts. Luna Redux remembers the visionary drive and extraordinary daring that represents the best in America as we come together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of an event that brought the world together like no other. As the moon shines impartially on all those who look up from our fragile, blue planet, we think of Apollo and what was, and what can be again. The Moon Again -- it is more than a mission name; it is a siren call, beckoning us to return to our closest neighbor and to dream again. “We are such stuff as dreams are made…”
So, now we begin the third, but certainly not the final act of humanity’s future.