ROCKET LAUNCHES—PAST AND PRESENT

I remember the excitement years ago that surrounded the moon shot. It seemed the whole world was counting down the seconds; ten, nine, eight…three, two, one, lift off! The news media had blanket coverage as the rocket rose into the blue sky leaving a trail of brilliant white.

Later we watched as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and uttered the famous words, “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

My grandfather sat on the couch and watched it on TV. Then he said, “That’s not possible. I don’t believe it.” Nothing we said could change his point of view. In his mind the moon landing didn’t happen. I suppose for someone who courted a “school marm” with a horse and buggy, rockets would seem pretty unbelievable. I wondered if, to later generations, living on Mars would seem feasible.

Such a possibility seems more and more likely. The latest launches saw civilians going into space. While I doubt that I would want to, even if I could afford it, the ones who went seemed euphoric. What did they like most? Weightlessness, the feeling of flying, turning somersaults in the air. Raising a huge amount of money for St. Jude’s. And seeing how beautiful the earth is from space. Feeling the unity, and the wholeness of the world, coupled with the desire to take care of our planet, was something they mentioned. To me, the beauty of the earth was a link to the moon landing and the outstanding photograph the astronauts loved. They called it “Earth Rise”