One Giant Leap

Forty years ago this week, I watched on television as Apollo 11 blasted off from earth for its rendezvous with the moon and history. Like many, I was thrilled when the transmission came back from the lunar surface: "Tranquility base here, the eagle has landed."

This was not Star Trek. This was not science fiction. This was happening live on television, reported by Walter Cronkite on CBS. I remember thinking then that I had just witnessed something of enormous importance. Now, four decades after Armstrong left those first human footprints on the moon, I still regard January 20, 1969 - the date of the first lunar landing - as one of the most significant in all of human history.

Every year in my classes, when we study the great age of discovery that culminated with the voyages of Columbus to the "New World", I ask my students their opinion about space exploration. Every year they overwhelmingly express the same enthusiastic support for more investment in space exploration and technology. These kids, raised with computers and i-pods and GPS, know instinctively how important this technology is to our daily lives, and they understand that much if not all of the gee-whiz gizmos that we enjoy today are by-products of space exploration. When it comes to space exploration, they really get it.

Unfortunately, their enthusiasm is not always shared by the general public. The most recent public opinion poll shows mixed support at best for continued support of space exploration. The study done by the Everett Group shows that the American people do not share a common vision when it comes to the future of NASA and space development. Among the report's highlights:

• Most Americans are interested in the space program (60%) but an alarming number have no interest at all (19%). Interest is particularly soft among women.
• On the positive side, large majorities feel that the space program is important to national security (71%), contributes to national pride (79%), and inspires young people to study math and science (82%).
• Half of the public feel that the space program has not directly improved their lives in any way.
• Those who do, however, cite technological developments and knowledge about the universe.
• Most believe that the U.S. continues to explore space in order to maintain our status as an international leader or because it is human nature to explore."

Such findings come as no surprise given the lack of strong leadership on this issue from the current administration. President Obama has ordered a comprehensive review of American space policy and the role of NASA while submitting a space budget that does little to instill confidence among space adherents.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla), the Democratic chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees NASA, has complained publicly that Obama's budget for NASA and space exploration fails to match the lofty rhetoric of his campaign. Nelson recently said that, "the administration's budget does not match what candidate Obama said about the future of our space program."

The administration's current ambivalence on the issue seems strange given Obama's admiration for President John Kennedy who famously declared, "We choose to go to the moon." Let's hope that President Obama decides to endorse JFK's vision with strong support for NASA and a return mission to the moon sooner rather than later.

Now on this fortieth anniversary of Neil Armstrong's "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," it seems altogether appropriate to remember the lessons of Apollo 11. These are simple. This is not rocket science! (OK, maybe it is.)

The most important lesson is that a free people can achieve almost anything when united and committed to a common cause and purpose. When Kennedy issued his challenge to put a man on the moon within a decade, sceptics guffawed. But they were wrong. In fact, Apollo 11 came less than a decade after JFK threw down the gauntlet.

Consider the challenges ahead of us today. The economy, global warming, the education gap, etc., etc., etc. The triumph of January 20, 1969 should remind us that none of these problems are insurmountable and that there is no limit to what we can achieve if we remain determined and committed to succeed.

During this week of celebration, let us not only look back to the last forty years but also ahead to the next forty as well. Who knows where we may find ourselves four decades from now? The moon? Mars? The next solar system?

Don't take my word for it. Just ask the kids. They will tell you which way we should be going: "Second star to the right and straight on till morning!"