It's Moon Day!

Oh wait! That's the wrong moon. It was a few years before I was born, but I can imagine the excitement and anticipation around the world as events unfolded in the space race. Way back in 1969 (hehe .... 69) on this day three men became the very first to embark on an ambitious mission to set foot on the moon and scouted the terrain for later Apollo missions to become the pioneers of a new sport, extreme moon buggy racing. The mission went well enough, but it turns out moon buggy racing is still a few years off even now. Some pointless ramblings about cost.

I can only imagine the exhilaration and awe felt by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. After months of practicing on the simulator they had finally landed on teh moon. What a rush! It would be cool enough to have seen the earth from orbit and to see the vastness of space through a capsule window, but can you imagine how breathtaking it would have been to open that module door and poke your head into the vastness of space? Even the folks on the prairies don't have that kind of wide open view.

They would have been ready to get out and stretch their legs after the four day ride. Apparently Buzz kept getting on everyone's nerves by asking "Are we there yet?" all the way there. Buzz also pretended to not be able to use the camera, blaming a lack of training with it, so he could be in all the photos. Neil decided that he'd get in one anyway and took his own picture in the reflection off Buzz's visor.

After making history and roaming around leaving footprints and flags they completed the visit by doing that which mankind does best, littering. The mission and 5 others like it saw various pieces of equipment, including the fabled moon buggy racer. The Apollo 17 mission was the last moon shot made, by our planet at least, and the last man to walk on the moon was Eugene Cernan. While most people can remember at least the beginning of Neil Armstrong's "This is one small step for man..." speech nobody can remember what Gene said as they left the moon.

"...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. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."

A beautiful sentiment, but I'll have to give NASA a call and see where they put the peace they returned with. I think they are hogging it for themselves along with all that yummy moon cheese. Bastards!

And why didn't they confirm that the man in the moon was definitely a newfie? Wasted their time up there I would say.