On July 20th, 1969 — forty-one years ago today, and less than six months shy of President Kennedy’s deadline — Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to set foot upon the Moon. We would land on the Moon five more times, the last being in December 1972. Phil Plait, aka The Bad Astronomer, says it’s been too long since we’ve walked on the Moon. I agree.
The Apollo 11 mission is well-documented, so I won’t rehash that here. Other people have done a better, more thorough job that I could hope to do on my own.
I grew up in Huntsville, so I naturally know a lot about the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. If you’ve never studied them, however, I’d recommend that you start with this Wikipedia entry for Apollo 11.
When you’re done, plan to spend some time on Google Moon. If you have a recent version of Google Earth installed, you can view the same data on a 3D terrain model with integrated 360-degree panoramic photos, as well as detailed models of the lunar lander module and the American flag that we left behind.
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I'd say it's pretty safe to assume that anyone who asks this question needs to stick with Windows.
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"[T]here was a time when these kinds of threats worked, and maybe it was a good thing."
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It's rare that I completely agree with a "Top Ten" list, but this one is absolutely on-target, right down to its inclusion of Star Trek V.
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Rachel Maddow: "[E]ach additional American life sacrificed to a goal we know we won't reach is a moral outrage — a moral disaster — that we have a responsibility, in this life during wartime, to stop."
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My first thought, predictably: "I wonder who was in there when they were filming those scenes for 'Ghostbusters'."
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NPR: "A new body of research out of the University of Michigan suggests [...] that we base our opinions on beliefs and when presented with contradictory facts, we adhere to our original belief even more strongly."
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It's still heavily compressed, but holy crap.
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Phil Plait on the balance between philosophical ideals and their practical boundaries.
Monkey-Pirate-Robot-Ninja-Zombie
I’m a big fan of Rock-Paper-Scissor-Lizard-Spock, but this is pretty awesome for two reasons:
- Zombie eats Pirate.
- Ninja karate chops Pirate.
All is right with the world. (From BoingBoing, via Alex.)
Luke's X-wing Fighter (Click to enlarge.)
Earlier tonight, my wife and I attended the VIP Premiere of the traveling Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit. The exhibit opens to tomorrow at the US Space & Rocket Center here in Huntsville, AL.
I took a few dozen photos throughout the exhibit, but this is easily my best capture of the night.
