“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
With those words in 1962, President John F. Kennedy committed the considerable resources and public imagination of the United States to an audacious goal and entered, already lagging, The Race for Space hoping to overtake an ideological rival
50 years ago today man walked on the moon.
Yuri Gagarin, the crew of Apollo 1, and many others cleared the way — often, with their lives.
Their combined feats still inspire and, generations later, fuel new hopes.
But, momentum must be maintained and after a few more missions, we stopped going.
For those of us who spend more formative hours staring at screens than stars, it is easy to forget, without the right zeitgeist or atmosphere that there are accomplishments to unlock other than beating the snake on level 4.
I have a casual disregard for my limbs and longevity when it comes to all things adventure, but have an aversion to bold moves in matters of business, a hesitancy to launch audacious personal projects, and take the right risks.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo Buonarroti
We must be reminded from time to time, that there is still Mars to tame, of the need to become an interplanetary species, and more importantly that there are still yet stars and goals worth striving for.
These milestones are worth celebrating, but most nobly they cause us to turn our eyes and aim upwards, to take risks once more.
So…? Go!
I will.
During my first mars colony phase (mid 90s) and an unexpected artifact from this year’s pilgrimage.
Extras