I will call your Moon and raise you a Mars
Thoughts from the Man who went to the Moon
On July 20, 1969, at around 11:00 PM…somwhere…we put humans on the freaking moon! Following Apollo 11’s lead, another 10 astronauts would touch down on that most-foreign surface hurling around our planet (12 in total).
Buzz Aldrin’s tribute is so interesting to me when he describes what he is seeing as the second human being to touch down on the lunar surface— Neil Armstrong having just stepped off — stating it is, “magnificent desolation.”
So, Moon Shots?
This term has wormed its way into everyday vernacular in more ways than I could hope to count. Moon shots of today include when some slugger on a baseball team hits a tiny ball a figurative mile in the air as it proceeds to carry the distance of the entire field and over the fence for a home run. We have moon shots aimed at finding a cure for cancer, X’s Moonshot Factory, and I’m certain somewhere out there you could easily google your way to a ‘moon shot’ for flying cars or something in order to make The Jetsons proud.
There is a multitude of ways we correlate great expansion into the unknown or pushing-the-edge research with novel ideas and future possibilities. I imagine it is because we consider just how groundbreaking some of these creations and innovations might become and have that hope for ‘what might be.’
The contrast between a home run and cancer research, however, is not lost on me. I just hope that calling something a ‘moon shot’ does not limit the ability of exploration we should hope to achieve. The reality is, once upon a time, we did put humans on the moon — yet have not returned in a long, long while.
NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
What better way to end this little thought burst than with some words from the man himself, Neil Armstrong. I see such humility in what he says below and find it reassuring to know that this human, may he rest easy, having been to the moon and back, can still look beyond.
He still shows that endless curiosity that we must all never let be extinguished.
When asked in 2001 about where manned and unmanned space flight might go, this was Neil Armstrongs’s response:
“There’s an increasing interest to go back to the Moon. There’s been enough time now that there are a lot of persuasive reasons why we could benefit from a return visit. I personally hope that we’ll go on to Mars. I think that will create enormous excitement and increased understanding of at least the near part of the solar system. But I can’t predict what will happen. What happens is going to depend on a variety of forces and functions that can’t be controlled. It’s like herding cats.” (Ambrose & Brinkley, 2001)
There you have it. Going to Mars, getting back to the moon, it’s like herding cats.
The first human being to set foot on another celestial body knows more about the complexity of human communication than most learn in a lifetime.
As you attempt to do something ambitious or absurd always remember, we have been to the moon.
Also remind yourself, the first man who went to the moon said he hoped we might one day go to Mars. Never stop exploring.
Chris is an Air Force Veteran and dabbling writer of things. He has spent nearly a decade as an Intelligence Professional and has a career focus of enabling and realizing innovation culture within National Security.
Sources:
Dunbar, B. (2015, February 19). July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind. Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html
NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER ORAL HISTORY PROJECT — NEIL A. ARMSTRONG [Interview by 949319193 740470397 S. E. Ambrose Dr. & 949319194 740470397 D. Brinkley Dr.]. (2001, September 19). Retrieved September 27, 2020, from https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/62281main_armstrong_oralhistory.pdf.
