So, July 20: Another landmark Moon landing anniversary. Trot out the old boys and have them give speeches, right? How much has changed? Well, not a lot, and that's the problem.
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Despite the initial impetus and result (a propaganda victory for capitalism versus communism), the Moon landing was definitely a triumph for science, initiative, and human determination. Astronauts first of all proved that it was possible to break Earth's orbit and travel into space, then made it all the way to the Moon (multiple times) and then brought back rocks for study. Pictures from the Apollo missions are some of the most breathtaking in the history of photography.
And yet since 1972, no man (or woman) has set foot on the Moon. Space shuttles and space stations have orbited the Earth, but we haven't gone back to the Moon. It's high time we returned.
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Wikipedia
There's no denying the brilliance and importance of Voyager, Magellan, Cassini, Mars Rover, and all manner of other space exploration missions that have come about since we last stepped on the Moon. The Hubble Space Telescope has taught us more about the history of the universe than any other instrument ever invented. But human beings actually exploring the Moon is where our future lies – that and the construction of a permanent Moon base, much like ones now operating in that other inhospitable place, Antarctica. Only when we have a Moon base can we launch manned missions to Mars and to other places in the solar system, thereby continuing with greater earnest the path that the Apollo program started us on 40 years ago. Only when we go back to the Moon can we discover more about its surface, its core, its gravitational pull on our own planet, its history, and its potential as a stepping-stone for more exciting adventures to come. If the speeches of the old boys to commemorate their magical footsteps way back in 1969 tell us anything, it's that it's been too long since anyone has followed in those footsteps.
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