To The Moon, Alice

When Ralph Kramden threatened his wife Alice with, “to the moon”, it was 14 years before a human being would actually set foot on that planet.  The silly TV catch-phrase was thought so over the top and ridiculous because that’s how people thought of the possibility that anyone would visit the moon.  Then in 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first to do it.  How freaking incredible was that?  

It’s truly the end of an era with Armstrong’s death yesterday at age 82 from complications following heart surgery. He was on the moon’s surface for two-and-a-half hours, July 20, 1969. And yet by all accounts he was humble about the accomplishment and puzzled by all of the fuss over him. Buzz Aldrin, who I had the good fortune to interview in the 1990’s, was second. Michael Collins was their third crew member on Apollo 11, whose job it was to orbit the moon while the walk took place.  Somebody had to run the lunar module.

With the Mars rover Curiosity zapping rocks and rolling a bit on the red planet’s surface right now, one has to wonder how long it will be before there is a manned trip to Mars.  NASA has a sketchy outline for human exploration of Mars in 2030 as well as a trip to an asteroid in 2025.  A Dutch entrepreneur is planning a human settlement on Mars by 2023. He wants to put 4 astronauts there every 2 years and have them build a communications system, places to live and a Starbucks.  OK, Starbucks isn’t in the official plan but you’ve got to think the company is working on it.

Whatever happens in the future, someone had to be the first to set foot on a truly alien bit of intergalactic flotsam and that person was Mr. Armstrong. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the cost of the Mars mission but as far as I’m concerned, space exploration is one of the best and most worthwhile things my silly species has ever done. Armstrong’s family asks that we give the moon a little wink and think of Neil. Happy to.