By Makarand Gawade, Staff Writer
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” was Neil Armstrong’s famous expression after he became as the first human ever, to step on the Moon. July 20th, 2015 marked the 46th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Mission, in which astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin successfully landed on the moon’s surface and safely returned to earth later. It would have been astonishing to participate in this remarkable space exploration effort of human endeavor. I have always been fascinated by outer space and would have loved to be associated with the adventure and seek challenges, explore my limits, and fathom the unimagined.
President Kennedy proposed this national goal in 1961, which eventually succeeded in 1969, after numerous attempts as a part of the Apollo Program. The vision, courage, conviction, and endurance of the people involved are admirable. On the Apollo 11 mission, it would have been exciting to accept the challenge, work endlessly to attain the goal, and finally taste success. It would have been an extraordinary experience to be away from the Earth for days, without gravity, completely relying on the functionality of a man-made spacecraft and having no clue of what might happen next. I am certain this would have tested my abilities to have faith and patience and to keep an undying positive attitude. The experience would also have evaluated my ability to curb my necessities and aptly perform even amidst unfavorable circumstances. Nevertheless, I would have enjoyed every moment of the mission.
Source: Nasa.gov
Armstrong and Aldrin spent a couple hours outside the spacecraft, on the moon’s surface and collected precious lunar material. It would have been heroic to witness an atmosphere totally unknown and survive in it. Additionally, it would have been interesting to collect evidences and samples by being observant and picky, while ensuring not to miss a single opportunity of getting to learn more about the moon. On returning to Earth, it would have been an honor to be appreciated by the world for achieving a great feat.
The Apollo 11 mission was a small step for a man, but a huge leap for mankind. The success of this mission transcended global space exploration to the next level, revolutionizing our lives. If I were to participate, it would be of pride to explore space and be of value to educate the world. Space exploration has indeed exposed human beings to the virtually unlimited natural resources.
Source: Nasa.gov
The Apollo program highly inspires me. It has created a whole awareness of importance of science education and helped prepare the society for the very dynamic world we live in today. The birth of the space age spurred a plethora of new ideas and ground-breaking technologies that are now used in day-to-day living. A few technologies largely influenced by space exploration are the Magnetic resonance Imaging, discovery of space-produced crystals and its impact on development of a cancer drug combination approach and global positioning systems, among others.
In my opinion, the Apollo program is an outstanding effort. Had I been a part of the Apollo 11 mission, I would have cherished the experience throughout my life. Such space exploration is an infinite supply of knowledge, with a tremendous potential of transforming our lives.