What Might Have Been

The 40th anniversary of the first moon landing is coming up and just released is President Richard Nixon's prepared statement had things ended in disaster. It reads in part:

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon to rest in peace. These brave men know there is no hope for their recovery but they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice. These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding. They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

Once of my most vivid childhood memories is my parents struggling to keep my nine year-old eyes open to watch the landing live on television in the middle of the night. I don't think I had any idea just how dangerous an undertaking it was, I just wanting the space program speeded up so I could go bouncing in low gravity myself. I'd like a gift certificate, Mr. Branson.