Apollo 11
“We choose to go to the moon.” ~ President J. F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch date that would take Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their 76 hour/240,000-mile journey to orbit the moon. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin would take the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle and land it on the surface of the moon near the Sea of Tranquility. Two hours after landing, Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module and became the first human in history to step on the surface of the moon saying, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. We landed on the moon because we decided to do it as a nation. President Kennedy brought great hope and enthusiasm to the project we he gave his speech in 1962 encouraging the American people to get behind the project. The task of landing on the moon was not a simple one and it literally took hundreds of thousands of people and billions of dollars for that single moment of history to happen. The program came under intense scrutiny after the Apollo 1 accident that left astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee dead after an accident occurred while running tests in the lunar capsule. Despite the tragic loss of the Apollo 1 crew, NASA continued forward with the development of the program that ultimately came to fruition in July of 1969.
How did we do it? Common knowledge has been shared that our smart phones of today have more computing power than that of the computers that were used to get man to the moon. So how was it possible to do the things we did in the 1960’s? one reason the program was so costly is that it took an estimated 400,000 people to get Apollo 11 to the moon and back. Engineers, mathematicians, physicists, men, women, and every skin tone in America worked together with a common goal in mind of getting to the moon. We were in a race with the other world powers, namely the Soviet Union, to put a person on the moon first. Science and math got us to the moon first, science and math are the foundation upon the space program was first founded and it is science and math that will continue to keep America on the cutting edge of technology in finding solutions that will help safeguard us and the world moving forward.
I write about the Apollo space program as a reminder of how important science and math are for the development of our nation. We are currently facing a crisis where the leadership of our nation and several members of his party have dismissed science completely and the value it brings to all of us as a people. The policy of our leader in the White House has commonly referred to the effects of climate change as fake news but I’m afraid that the science is quite real, and the concerns of climate change are gathering steam despite the current administrations constant denial. Even a blind person can see the weather patterns gradual change from what they once were…the gradual warming of the planet will have far reaching consequences on plant and animal life on this planet and the science of it is not fake news or a hoax to scare people. People should be scared because it is true and there is all kinds of data to prove the point that climate change is real.
People should be alarmed that the current administration is spending countless dollars to revive the coal industry and is cutting dollars that could be used to further clean and renewable energy. President Kennedy challenged a nation to go to the moon if only for the fact that we could do it because we choose to…American could once again lead the world in setting positive examples of progressive scientific thinking if only we choose to do it again. America has become bogged down into different camps because of political beliefs…politics should have noting to do with whether or not we choose to be leaders in the scientific community to save our planet or not. We should all want to make our world a better place for our children and it shouldn’t matter what political party you believe in…the science doesn’t lie.
If we can put a man on the surface of the moon, we can certainly make an effort to help save the only planet we live on. Science is a health issue as without it, our health as a people will decline to levels not seen in years. It won’t matter how much you exercise or how well your diet is balanced if you can’t breathe the air around you or if the water in undrinkable. On this, we can not bury our heads in the sand, we must all have a voice to help save the world around us. When I say, take care of yourself and those around you, I’m serious about that because we really are all in this thing called life together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com