“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”, President John F Kennedy spoke these iconic words in a speech he delivered in Houston, TX on September 12, 1962.
Although JFK did not live to see the dream realized, the program continued and the United States landed on the surface of the moon 50 years ago on July 20, 1969.
The landing of the Apollo 11 lunar module that evening on tranquility base was a seminal moment for me that fueled a life long desire to travel to space.
Our entire nation, in fact the world was spellbound that evening and breathed a collective sigh of relief as we heard “Houston, uh…Tranquility Base here…the Eagle has landed!”
I wanted to share with you an item from Sir Richard Branson’s blog titled “On the Shoulders of Giants”, where SRB speaks of this incredible night and the effect it also had on him. So much so that since it was Sir Richard’s birthday yesterday, his employees surprised him with an Apollo 11-themed cake. They also presented him with a sculpture titled “On The Shoulders of Giants” encapsulating a journey through time, recording in chronological order 360 historic aviation and space achievements and milestones, from gliders and balloons to the Apollo 11 mission and the commercial space industry of today. Please click on the READ MORE link to see the entire post
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS
Thanks to everyone for their delightful happy birthday messages. One of my favourite moments was a call from the Virgin Galactic team and 100 of our future astronauts to sing me happy birthday all the way from Kennedy Space Center. Little did they know, as I took the call, I was hiding outside of the room ready to surprise them!
But, once I arrived, the team had a surprise or two for me too. As well as a special Apollo 11-themed cake, they presented me with a sculpture that encapsulates a journey through time, recording in chronological order 360 historic aviation and space achievements and milestones, from gliders and balloons to the Apollo 11 mission and the commercial space industry of today. READ MORE
If you have any comments of questions please feel free to email me at rocketman@kenbaxter.com, I would love to hear from you!