Tonight on the Fox News Channel, Neil Cavuto will host ′Fly Me To The Moon′, a one-hour special remembering the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 17 Moon landing. Our last manned mission to the Moon. Guests will include Mission Commander Eugene Cernan, the last human to stand upon the surface of the Moon, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, the only geologist-astronaut to explore the Moon, and many other Apollo astronauts, including Edwin Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell. Apollo 17 launched from the Earth on December 7, 1972 and after four days, the Lunar Lander, named Challenger, touched down on the Moon, beginning our last, and longest visit to our nearest celestial neighbor. Cernan and Schmitt spent much of 3 days and two nights on the lunar surface, exploring the Taurus-Littrow Valley both on foot and using a Lunar Rover automobile. Meanwhile, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans orbited above in the Apollo capsule, named America, photographing the Moon and conducting his own set of experiments.
Yes, those were heady, exciting days. An era of national ambition, pride and leadership. An age of heroes. A far cry from the thumb-twirling boobs that make up our government today. It is indeed sad to think that after 40 years, we humans have not returned to the Moon. But that may soon change as this past week, a private company called Golden Spike announced that they are working on a rocket system that will fly two people to the Moon, land, and return to Earth, for the measly sum of $1.5 Billion dollars. That is, if they can raise the $8 Billion in venture capital to get their project off the ground.
Some might say this is a flight of fancy. A waste of resources which could be better spent on other needs, like curing a disease. But perhaps this adventure is a cure for apathy, for complacency. Our spirit, our soul is starving for a goal, an objective, a new frontier. Man has become timid, beaten down by the Mob, the masses, who seek conformity and shared misery. Where are the heroic men of today? Men have become so feminized that it has taken a salacious book, ′50 Shades of Grey′, to awaken women to want a real man. A man who is not afraid to control, dominate and lead.
So if you are a space-buff like me, then be sure and watch Neil Cavuto tonight on the Fox News Channel as he hosts ′Fly Me To The Moon.′ This week is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 17 moon flight, our last manned mission to the lunar surface. The one-hour special begins at 9pm Eastern and will feature many Apollo era astronauts, including Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, Edwin Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell. Men who exemplified the Age of the New Frontier. Heroic men who faced danger in a very public way and were an inspiration to many who watched their feats in awe and wonder.
December 9th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Amazing how even today’s cell phones have several times more computing power than what those engineers had to work with. To get people on the Moon….and back!
December 9th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
He he, I remember at 10 not even being allowed to answer our one rotary phone, or call anyone without permission, and the big ruckus made over placing long distance calls.
“Get off the phone dammit ! Someone might be trying to get thru !
How did we function ?
Very well.
We made plans, commitments, and kept them.
We spoke to faces.
As a teen those days were actually cooler because we knew we couldnt plan our crimes with phones anchored to the wall in front of everyone listening.
We had to have our stories collaborated if our parents decided to call each other and confirm them.
We learned to trust, be dependable, stealthy and resourceful.
Kids could be kids, no gps up our asses, monitoring or digital trails.
10 years ago I had 8 cell phones on one plan between my wife, daughter, employees and self.
Never again. Id rather use smoke signals
December 9th, 2012 at 7:26 pm
“10 years ago I had 8 cell phones on one plan between my wife, daughter, employees and self.”
lol…I went down that road for a summer.
I just stopped returning/picking up and answering….Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
December 10th, 2012 at 7:15 am
The cheap calculators you can buy at a dollar store have several times more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft. Modern ’smart phones’ have more than the Space Shuttle originally had. A buddy of mine who worked on experimental packages that flew on the shuttle always was complaining how he had to hunt down archaic transistors and other components to integrate with the shuttle’s systems.
December 10th, 2012 at 7:57 am
The computer system at my college (early 70’s) took up the entire basement and the heat it generated heated an entire six story building.
I am sure it could do far less than even a ten year old laptop.
December 10th, 2012 at 8:00 am
I had to write a computer program for a class in Fortran and Watfiv.
The simplest of actions required 100’s of punch cards. In other words, my “homework” was carried around in an empty beer case (after all, it was college and empty beer cases were somewhat easy to come by).
December 10th, 2012 at 8:55 am
Yea Andy, thats when boxes had balls.
I remember very well my wine crate and cinder block furniture. It was a step up from the lime green van I lived in just off campus.
That furniture would be “retro chic” today.
“The cheap calculators you can buy at a dollar store have several times more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft.”
Hah ! I remember my buddy in 7th grade had one of those watches with a calculator.
Everyone thought he was freaking Steve Jobs.
Our math teacher made him leave it at her desk during class. I busted her once playing with it.
December 10th, 2012 at 9:24 am
Sign of a dying culture is one that celebrates their past more than their future. Europe is like that. They’ve turned their old cities into museum pieces. Use to be that if a building burned down in Rome they built a better one in it’s place, now they make an exact replica as if frozen in time 400 years ago.
Besides, celebrating the last time we did something is like an old man recalling his last wild romp.
December 10th, 2012 at 9:39 am
“The cheap calculators you can buy at a dollar store have several times more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft.”
Yeah. I remember an older professor who worked at JPL in the 60’s-70 pointing that out in class once. I remember looking down and thinking my little Casio “calc” watch was more sophisticated/powerful than what sent people to the Moon.
December 10th, 2012 at 11:59 am
Patrick, I hope to see they day we can stick a jack in our heads and get it all. Build replicants that look and feel like Halle Berry and Anne Hathaway or all be 100% disease free.
Until then, no electronic drum set will ever sound as good as my acoustic ones, no brand new SUV or Jeep will ever be as much fun as my Meyers Manx with the Porsche engine.
Funny enough, you cant drive one on the road now unless you “grandfather”it in. I have no grandchildren. Yet.
And I sure as hell hope reminiscing principles of basic math are not signs of the American culture dying.
If we forget our last good romp then p0rn and those replicants will replace our last great means of human interaction.
December 11th, 2012 at 5:05 am
I got my very first job at the age of 13 at a book store because I could figure sales taxes and other math problems faster than the owner with his fancy-schmancy Texas Instrument calculator. The thing was fairly large and expensive, probably cost as much as a laptop today. Aside from the basic arithmetic keys, it could do percentages and had memory. Of course, since my steel-trap mind was faster, we usually used the calculator for fun stuff like spelling “SHELL OIL”.