Thanks for going to the moon
By Staff
Scot Beard
Monday marked the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong becoming the first human to set foot on the moon.
As a young child I was always fascinated by the space program and enjoyed watching the space shuttle launches.
My family moved back to Huntsville when I was three-years-old, and it was a dream come true for a space junkie like me. The Space and Rocket Center quickly became one of my favorite destinations because I could learn about the history of space flight and dream of the day man could venture to new frontiers at the same time.
I remember one visit, I was probably about 10 at the time, I crawled into the command capsule of the Apollo 16 mission and thinking about how cramped it was. I also thought about when astronauts might return to the moon.
It was December of 1972 when the last humans walked on the surface of the moon. Thirty-three years later, former President George W. Bush challenged the United States space program to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
Having grown up with an appreciation for the space program, I eagerly await mankind's return to the moon and hopefully, one day, another planet.
Is it expensive? Yes.
Is it a waste of time? No.
Is it beneficial? Absolutely.
During the 1960s and 1970s the space program provided the world with many technological advances.
Do you remember the days when you had to drill a hole in wood with an auger? Did you have an electric drill, but was limited by having to drill close to an electrical outlet?
The cordless drill was NASA's answer to the problem of how astronauts can drill rocks on the moon, where there are no electrical outlets.
Do you enjoy knowing your family has extra protection while it sleeps as smoke detectors wait to indicate a fire?
If you do, you should thank the space program for developing the technology for the United State's first space station – Skylab.
Speaking of fire, many firefighters today owe NASA a bit of thanks for the current breathing systems in use today. Up until the 1970s, firefighters used technology from the 1940s that, while efficient, was heavy and impeded movement.
After NASA had to develop a breathing system for astronauts to use on the moon, the design was quickly adapted for firefighters. The result was a lightweight system that was extremely portable and allowed the firefighters to save more lives.
Even sports fans have benefited from the space program. Fans of the Atlanta Falcons can thank the Apollo astronauts for keeping them cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
The roof of the Georgia Dome is made from the same material as the suits the astronauts wore on the moon. The material is lightweight, yet durable – as shown by the tornado that hit the stadium during the Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament a few years ago.
Is there more to the space program than the pride associated with saying we are the only country to send people to the moon? Yes, and it is about time we went back.
There is no telling what new technologies could be developed today. Look at what benefits we got from the last time people went to the moon – that was 40 years ago.
