It was one of those moments in American history when people who got to see it for the first time felt like they were in a science fiction movie. But with television cameras at every turn, the nation and the world watched on July 20, 1969, as three American astronauts landed on the moon.
The project has been in the works for year to be sure. You have to marvel at the phenomenal amount of work, expert engineering, and amazing genius that went into creating the rocket ships and everything else that would be needed to make flight possible, even if even those at NASA sat in awe and got goosebumps when the "Buzz Aldren was the first man in history to enter another world and utter these famous words -
“That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for humanity."
This phrase, which itself has been carefully prepared, has a lot of wisdom in it. Certainly, touching another world for the first time in human history was a huge achievement for America. But more than that it signaled a new era for humanity everywhere. Suddenly the moon was not a distant myth, full of mystery and magic. Suddenly, people everywhere felt that they too could touch the stars if they put in their best effort.
It was also a huge moment for the unity of all people. Few things will cause the world's population to come together and join arms and become one people rather than separate countries. Most of the time, it's a terrible global catastrophe that brings us all together. But this time it was different. This time it was a moment so phenomenal that everyone stopped and watched and everyone knew that it was not just a great achievement of the three astronauts and the scientists who put them there. It was a great achievement for mankind.
American history is filled with tremendous events, both bad and good. But it's worth taking a moment to sit back and reflect on what the first moon landing meant and continues to mean to Americans and the American spirit. You have to wonder if any other nation would have the ability, the creativity, the powerful minds and the collective will to pull off this kind of amazing feat.
It's even more amazing when you remember that just a few years earlier, on September 12, 1962, President Kennedy, in a speech at Rice University, called on Americans to rise to this challenge. It takes a lot to make something as historic and earth-shattering as the moon landing a reality, and visionary leadership like Kennedy showed that day was a big part of why that landing made history.
This amazing achievement points to something special about the American spirit. Americans are big dreamers. And landing a man on the moon required big dreams. But we didn't just dream of putting men there, it was unacceptable unless we also got everyone home safely.
For the most part, the US space program has a phenomenal history of success in breaking barriers that no one else has before. Yes, there have been setbacks and tragedies along the way. But Americans are not giving up, and for all the struggles we face, we face them together. But we will never forget to look up to the stars and dream of the day when we will again see an American step into another world and plant a flag in this soil to forever be the signal that America is here!
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