45 years ago: Navy & Air Force pilots on the moon

[Bob Hudson]

It was 45 years ago this month (July 20, 1969) that Naval aviator Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, followed by Air Force pilot Buzz Aldrin (his fellow USAF'er Michael Collins was told to circle the block while they did their business on the moon).

 

What amazes me is that it was almost half-a-century ago. And, it was only three-and-half years later that the last people landed on the moon - coming up on 42 years ago! You could be a grandparent and be too young to have been alive when man last walked on the moon.

 

[jgawne]

and think of just how far technology has come since then as well.

[jfairclo]

What's sad is that I bet 10% of Americans know this will be the 45th aniversary.

-jcf

[uniformcollector]

It's arguably the most important voyage in the 20th Century. Buzz Aldrin as well as other people involved will be onboard the U.S.S. Hornet on the 26th (anniversary of the splash down). They had it a few years ago for the 40th Anniversary and it's definitely an event worth coming to.

[Bob Hudson]

What's sad is that I bet 10% of Americans know this will be the 45th aniversary.

-jcf

 

I'd say less than one percent. Only about 34% of the US population were even alive in July 1969 and if you subtract those who were young children (9 and under) the number drops to about 20% (or one-in-five). To give a perspective on how long ago the moon landings took place: I was 18 in July 1969, and something that took place 45 years before then would have happened in 1924. To a teenager of 2013 the moon landings are ancient history, if there's any awareness at all.

 

I just called my soon-to-be 16-year-old into the room to ask him about the moon landings. He is a very smart kid, generally more aware than his peers, especially in regards to historical events. He could tell me that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin. He guessed that was in 1963 and when I asked who else walked on the moon, he said, "Didn't the Russians do something?"

 

I'm afraid that is the general legacy of the US space program today: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon a long, long time ago.

 

For we kids of the space age that is sad. We knew about Wernher Von Braun and Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard and John Glenn and others from the Mercury Seven. An entire nation stayed glued to televisions as astronauts were launched to go straight up and straight down or to make an orbit or to head to the moon.

 

Now even the Shuttle is history and Americans hitchhike on Russian rockets to get to a space station few really know or care about. We do have a cool go kart roaming Mars but that only excites those working on the project and I am certain it would be hard to measure any notable public enthusiasm for space exploration.

 

Armstrong took one giant step for mankind. After 45 years are we still waiting for a second step?

[Squeaker]

 

Armstrong took one giant step for mankind. After 45 years are we still waiting for a second step?

 

This statement says so much...

 

I know that when I was in school, no one knew or really cared about space. Columbia happened when I was a junior, but none of the teachers really gave the news coverage leading up to, and after the fact, much thought. Most of what I learned about our space programs was from books and educational Discovery and TLC shows outside of school.

[Hawk914]

Coming in way late... I've just begun my not-so-annual month-long re-emergence here on USMF!

Anyhoo, I am proud to say that my Dad was one of the many who helped make Apollo happen. And despite the general lack of awareness in today's society, I wish he could have been here to see the 40th and 45th anniversaries... thanks for being part of the 'less than one percent', Bob...

 

 

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