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'Stargazing' by David Abbou Date published: 7/3/2009
FORTY YEARS ago The Apollo 11 lunar landing was witnessed worldwide by millions of people who watched on their television sets. I was only 41/2 at the time and do not remember the landing, but I am sure there are plenty of readers of this column who remember where they were and what they were doing when history was made that day. Unlike the Soviet Union's triumph with Sputnik at the beginning of the space race, Apollo sealed America's position as the leader in space. It was America at its finest moment. Apollo was an incredible achievement. President Kennedy's goal of sending a man to the moon and returning him safely to Earth was met only eight years after Kennedy's famous speech in 1961. A program manager's dream, Apollo finished ahead of schedule and under budget. Several other missions landed on the moon following Apollo 11, including Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Apollo 13's lunar landing was canceled due to an oxygen tank explosion, but the crew returned safely to Earth thanks to the dedication, knowledge and perseverance of the mission control personnel and Apollo 13 crew. Apollo 13's success at the brink of disaster was a supreme achievement in its own right. The six Apollo missions put a total of 12 men on the moon, and scientific studies were conducted by each of the missions. About 842 pounds of moon rocks were returned by the astronauts, and these rocks are still studied today by geologists and scientists. The rocks have provided invaluable insight into the moon's history. Interestingly, one of these moon rocks is permanently mounted in Washington National Cathedral's Space Window. As proudly as Apollo 11 began humankind's journey to the moon, manned missions to the moon ended with Apollo 17 in December 1972 as interest and funding waned for the program. As an 8-year-old, I remember watching the Apollo 17 mission on television in elementary school, but little did I know that this could have been the last time I would see humans walking on another world.
Very interesting page and worth a read just for fun:
http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/prediction/51/images/astroufo/astroufo.htm#Aldrin
Houston: Bravo Tango, Bravo Tango, select Jezebel, Jezebel! Could that have been NASA’s code for “Can it will ya, everyone can hear you!”
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