This past summer I spent a hot, Kansas weekend traveling to the moon and back via television.
On July 20, 1969, recently graduated from college and not yet in the work force, I watched from my parents’ living room as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.
That night I wondered if I might one day walk on the moon. It seemed possible America’s space program might provide shuttle service to the moon during my lifetime?
Today, I cannot call Uber to fly me to the moon, but I can call my family members on a smart phone from my car—not just from the phone on my kitchen wall. Today’s weather forecasts and medical diagnosis are more accurate, and my ability to travel to a friend’s house in an unfamiliar city is greatly improved because of technology. Would these advancements have been possible without the space program?
Well, yes, I still occasionally make a wrong turn, and I’m not sure I have the courage to fly to the moon, but I’m glad others did and will again. My 2019 trip to the moon was as exciting as the 1969 trip. And, the television picture was much, much sharper.
Judy Carroll 