Next month marks 50 years since the last human beings left the lunar surface. Gene Cernan, the final astronaut to leave the moon and step into Apollo 17’s lunar module, said this as his final words from the surface:
... I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I'd like to just [say] what I believe history will record. That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus–Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.
Given that sense of hope, 50 years is a depressing statistic. Space exploration has not stopped since then, of course. We have had astronauts in Earth orbit for much of the last 50 years with Skylab, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and more. Beyond that, we have built powerful telescopes, probes, and even sent rovers to the surface of Mars. But sending human beings out into that final frontier, that’s where it feels real to all of us. A true human achievement in science, engineering, and bravery.
I’ve been into NASA history since I was a kid, and I’m not exactly sure how it came about. Some of it has to do with the release of Apollo 13 and From the Earth to the Moon, as it feels like Tom Hanks singlehandedly brought the Apollo program back into the foreground in the 1990s. I sit here writing this from my desk that has both a Lego Saturn V rocket and lunar lander on it. There’s something about the mix of nostalgia and inspiration that really hits me when it comes to space. The fact that these men blasted themselves to the moon with technology that was brand new, with a computer less powerful than the one in some kitchen appliances these days, is just incredible.
The November 16 launch of Artemis 1 changed that. While it soars across the distance between our home and the moon, we are on track to have a manned mission land there again in 2025. Part of NASA’s Moon to Mars program, which aspires to learn more about living in space using the moon as a launchpad to Mars, and includes a space station to be built in orbit around the moon. Tomorrow morning, Orion will reach the moon, getting as close as 80 miles to the surface.
Part of the excitement is NASA’s commitment to send a woman and a person of color on Artemis III, making them the first people who aren’t white men to step foot on another body in the universe. We have so much more to learn about what is out there, and when everything here feels awful, having something to look forward to in the future–a reason to look up at the sky–can inspire all of us who will not step foot on the moon.
Quick bit of housekeeping! It was a busy week last week, so I didn’t get a chance to update. My plan is to bring you a Sunday topic like this one each week.
Tuesdays I will be posting about my Marvel Cinematic Universe Rewatch that will lead up to the release of the third Ant-Man movie in February. Look for thoughts on Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk this week.
Thursdays will likely be a throwback to a previous piece I wrote that is no longer online, but I will try to update them a little if I can. Look for that to start after this week.
Recent things I want to share with you:
My review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The latest entry in Printing the Legend, my column about westerns, on Dancing With Wolves
All of these can be found on MovieJawn.