Moon Landing – The Stories Awaken

A long time ago…Fifty years to be exact.

It was all over the news, in the daily newspapers, on TV, and on everyone’s mind around the world.  It was a phenomenon beyond compare.

Beginning years before the first moon landing, when the US and global space initiatives began, space exploration was a hot topic, especially for those of us who were then, and to this day, fans of the space program.

While there was interest when satellites, such as Telstar, were launched, representing significant increases in the ability to provide faster and more reliable communications, broadcasts, etc. around the world, it was the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo programs that launched serious interest in the space race in the US.

The race to the moon was on.

Each launch received a good deal of press, from pre-launch to splash down, and in the early manned flights, crew quarantine, to be sure no contaminants were brought back.

Now with the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing fast approaching, the media is in full swing with all sorts of specials, interviews with astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins as well as with the many NASA leaders who were involved, archival footage and archival audio of the communications between the CapCom (capsule communications) team from pre-launch to moon landing and the successful return to earth.

JFK’s challenge to go to the moon and return safely was a significant achievement involving a reported 400,000 people.  The many interviews in particular, many of which are in the documentary movie Apollo 11, have allowed “those that were there” to reminisce, awakening many stories.

I have had the good fortune to meet a number of astronauts through the years, each remarkable in his/her own right, from having several conversations with the first US woman to do a spacewalk (Dr. Kathryn Sullivan), the one who operated the IMAX camera in space more than anyone else at that time (Marsha Ivins) and the first space tourist (Dennis Tito).

Most significant for me personally were the several occasions where I had the honor to meet and speak with Dr. Buzz Aldrin.

The first time was in April 1998.  Dr. Aldrin was on the Board of a company we were advising and we were each invited to do a webcast (a phenomenon in its own right at the time) at the annual National Association of Broadcasters’ Conference.  Due to the scheduling of our back to back interviews, while waiting at the booth for our respective turns, we had time to “chat.”

He signed this famous photograph in my presence, a picture that has been prominently displayed in my home office ever since.

There were two other occasions where we attended the same events, but circumstances were not conducive for anything more than a brief hello.

However, the most recent time I attended an event at which Dr. Aldrin was present was especially meaningful as Roberta Shindler accompanied me to the event.  It was a May 2014 event related to the movie Gravity sponsored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

Dr. Aldrin entered the buffet area while we were enjoying some pre-show refreshments.  I approached him, said hello, and reminded him of the circumstances of our initial introduction.  He joined us at our table and the three of us had the opportunity to talk about a number of topics, from our mutual friend, to the space program, and of course, the movie Gravity.

With that, he noticed that Roberta was wearing her MIT ring.  He tapped her ring finger several times and said “I’ve never seen one that small.”  Certainly, the relative size of his hands merited a much larger ring that he displayed proudly.  While I do not recall her exact words, fellow MIT alum, Astronaut Cady Coleman, who had also joined us, concurred.

As we watch the numerous shows, read about the events of Apollo 11 and the launches before and after, it will awaken many stories for each of us.  The moon landing was one of those events where people remember where they were when it occurred.

NASA is currently developing the Artemis program, named after Apollo’s twin sister, to return to the moon by 2024. Fittingly, a woman will be on board.  The plan is to establish a base on the moon to enable future explorations further into the universe.

While the space program does not seem to generate the same level of interest and media coverage as it did when space exploration was a novelty in its early stages, it has become a global industry.  There is a competition among many private enterprises and several other countries seeking to land on the moon as China has done and as India is preparing to do.

With the 50^th anniversary of Apollo 11 on the horizon, memories will be awakened.  Who can forget “Tranquility base, the Eagle has landed” and “One small step…”  I am hopeful that stories will be told, for all mankind.

 

© The Shindler Perspective, Inc. 2019

Published July 16, 2019