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Buzz Aldrin, Apollo, and America’s Spirit
American Thinker ^ | December 4, 2016 | Robert Charles

Posted on 12/04/2016 7:42:17 AM PST by Kaslin

America’s Apollo astronauts -- 24 of whom travelled to the moon, 16 of whom walked on the moon, all of whom made mankind’s moon steps possible -- are a sobering lesson in patriotism and risk-taking, not to mention lifetime stamina. The topic arises – a teaching moment, as they say -- because Buzz Aldrin was recently evacuated to New Zealand from a South Pole expedition. First word is, he is okay -- if still intrepid.

Aldrin, one of the first two humans to walk on the moon, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 11, is now 86. You would not know it to see him. Over the years, opportunities have presented themselves for working together -- and he is always the same. He bounds up the stairs, two bags in hand; answers every technical question to a depth that freezes keyboards and fills whiteboards. He is sharp as they come, still the PhD in astronautic engineering, still the moon walker. He is America’s most outspoken ambassador for getting to Mars, and back to the moon.

Nor is it just talk. Buzz walks the walk, did on the moon and does now. He has authored half a dozen books on when, how, why, and with what second- and third-order effects America should get back to space exploration. He is cogent, eloquent, and fervent in conviction that America must regain, maintain and press dominance in space -- maximizing the advantage of being “first.” And of course, he is right.

Today, our grip on space is weakening, with implications for national security, big science, human and robotic space exploration, satellites, and international leadership. Unclear for many, but crystal clear to Buzz and the Apollo astronauts, history does not stand still. What we do in space matters here on Earth.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
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1 posted on 12/04/2016 7:42:17 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

I have a lot of different astronauts on my list of who I think are the greatest but Buzz Aldrin is my all-time favorite.


2 posted on 12/04/2016 7:51:11 AM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: Kaslin
The author raises some good points, but I don't think his underlying theme is valid. Doing something just for the sake of demonstrating that "we're the best" or "we are different" is a complete waste of time and resources. In fact, you might also say that it's symptomatic of a culture in decline.

Space exploration is great, but it has to be done with an eye toward a practical objective. We didn't stop sending men to the moon because we lost our resolve. We stopped sending men to the moon because it no longer served any real purpose to do it.

3 posted on 12/04/2016 7:54:39 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Alberta's Child

Excellent summary.


4 posted on 12/04/2016 7:56:50 AM PST by Jakarta ex-pat
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To: equaviator
I saw a great documentary about the U.S. space program some years ago, and they made the point that the lunar missions never would have taken place if it weren't for Aldrin.

Apparently the early Apollo astronauts were having serious physical problems in weightless environments when they were preparing for those missions. It was bad enough that NASA had pretty much reached the conclusion that the human body could not function well enough in space for more than 1-2 days, which meant a lunar mission was out of the question.

Aldrin was apparently so adept at functioning in a weightless environment without any problems at all that NASA realized the physiological limitations of humans in space could be overcome if they got the right people and the right training process in place.

5 posted on 12/04/2016 7:59:55 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Jakarta ex-pat

Thank you!


6 posted on 12/04/2016 8:00:24 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Kaslin
Basic fact check fail by the author. Only twelve men have walked on the moon.

In total twelve people have walked on the Moon. Besides Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – who were the first two astronauts to leave their bootprints on the Moon — there were also Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt.

Details at the source link.

7 posted on 12/04/2016 8:38:10 AM PST by kristinn (Welcome to the Soviet States of Obama)
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To: kristinn

Thanks for the link. Very interesting article.


8 posted on 12/04/2016 8:55:08 AM PST by Kaslin (Most humans have an attention span of about 10 minutes, after that they will revert to daydreaming)
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To: Alberta's Child

“We didn’t stop sending men to the moon because we lost our resolve. We stopped sending men to the moon because it no longer served any real purpose to do it.”

Hokum. There was an absolute failure of political will by the Nixon administration. There was always a purpose even if you cannot see it now - it was there then and still awaits.

The underlying theme is that, if we do not go back and in a very big way, others will do it ... and that will end US national security or at least make it a total joke - with the Russians and the Chinese controlling all the Lagrange points and the moon. What will we have?

Don’t say Mars because that may never be possible as studies show that prolonged weightlessness causes sever vision loss and a trip to Mars may leave the crew blind. Therefore, we have to find some way to make that trip under at least 1 gee for the crew, else drastically shorten the trip through new or nuclear propulsion.

Manned Space exploration is not merely ‘great’ but absolutely necessary for our survival as a nation, as a species, and to generate worldwide again the tremendous sense of Wonder and Hope.


9 posted on 12/04/2016 9:27:17 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: PIF
There was an absolute failure of political will by the Nixon administration.

And by the Ford administration?

And by the Carter administration?

And by the Reagan administration?

And by the first Bush administration?

And by the Clinton administration?

And by the second Bush administration?

And by the Obama administration?

There was no "failure" here at all. By the early 1970s it was obvious that manned exploration of the moon and other planets had enormous obstacles (including financial ones) that made it very impractical for the foreseeable future. For one thing, there is almost nothing accomplished with manned missions that cannot also be accomplished with unmanned spacecraft.

More importantly, the U.S. government made a prudent decision in the 1970s to focus NASA's efforts in an area that had far more practical benefits at a fraction of the cost: the permanent presence of manned and unmanned hardware in low Earth orbit.

10 posted on 12/04/2016 9:55:29 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: equaviator

My hat’s off to all the astronauts, but Aldrin is my favorite, too!


11 posted on 12/04/2016 10:02:35 AM PST by generally ( Don't be stupid. We have politicians for that.)
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To: Kaslin
Buzz looks great for 86, and he's constantly traveling around trying to promote space travel and science in general. He seems to have a good sense of humor too... it's fun watching him on Twitter:


12 posted on 12/04/2016 10:15:55 AM PST by Cementjungle
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To: Alberta's Child

More hokum. The manned space program (Apollo) was over and done before Nixon two years before he left office. None of the others had the will to restart the closed program as the huge expense of restarting a program Americans had been programed to believe was solely about international competition and also the reflection on Nixon and the people who supported shuttering Apollo would have been too much, too negative, too career ending.

There is also the power factor - the only putative escape valve (into space) was now closed, making way for the creation of the ‘New World Order’ and the ever deepening swamp in DC. A trapped people means and needs greater control, more central planning, more regulations. This is great jobs program for career politicians and central planners and other bureaucrats.

There is a lot that cannot be done by unmanned space probes - to believe other wise is foolish. Read Buzz (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=buzz+aldrin&sprefix=Buzz+aldr%2Caps%2C678&crid=1N0OXRAQ0QLS8) before continuing this futile discussion about something which will never again be done by the US, despite the DJT administration.


13 posted on 12/04/2016 10:16:59 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: PIF
A trapped people means and needs greater control, more central planning, more regulations. This is great jobs program for career politicians and central planners and other bureaucrats.

If this is really what's motivating you, then you can start your own space program whenever you want. Have at it, dude.

14 posted on 12/04/2016 10:30:29 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Alberta's Child

So how did your vote for HRC work out?


15 posted on 12/04/2016 10:41:25 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: PIF
LOL.

I had never been to a political rally in my life until I attended a Trump rally in Pennsylvania a few days before Election Day. I also never donated any money to a political candidate until I donated to Trump's campaign this year.

How did your Jill Stein vote work out for you?

16 posted on 12/04/2016 10:48:41 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Alberta's Child

I voted DJT also, but I totally disagree with your appraisal of manned space exploration.

Don’cha wish Queen Isabella had saved all the money she spent on Columbus’ failed attempt to find another passage to India? What CC accomplished could just as well have been done by fleets of unmanned tiny wooden sailing craft, at a far cheaper price. Just think of all the fun kids would have had then!

So it is for unmanned space probes.


17 posted on 12/04/2016 10:54:24 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Kaslin

The writer has his numbers in error. 6 missions landed on the moon (Apollos 11,12,14,15,16,17) for a total of 12 who walked on the moon not 16. 27 went to the moon in 9 Apollo missions (8, 10 and 13 didn’t land) not 24.


18 posted on 12/04/2016 11:07:49 AM PST by xp38
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To: PIF

There’s a big difference between human exploration of a terrestrial location like the New World and human exploration of space. If Christopher Columbus had landed in what is now North America and found that there is no oxygen here, I’m going to out on a limb here and speculate that it would be uninhabited today.


19 posted on 12/04/2016 11:45:09 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Yo, bartender -- Jobu needs a refill!")
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To: Alberta's Child

Be careful what limb you climb out on ... some of them have a nasty habit of breaking off when least expected ...


20 posted on 12/04/2016 11:52:23 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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