Happy 40th, Apollo XI!

There are a handful of historic events that I remember from childhood that, looking back on, shaped my world-view and stay with me decades later. I was too young for the 1963 JFK assassination (I remember watching the funeral on TV), and the significance of the 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy killings was still a bit beyond me. I admit to being more concerned back then with the outcomes of the 1967 and 1968 World Series! In July of 1969, however, I was 9-1/2 years old and a devoted Apollo and NASA buff. The moon flights had captured me completely, and I dreamed of becoming an astronaut. I remember watching the grainy black-and-white television feed in the living room with my family in my hometown of Benicia, California, and finding it incredibly inspiring. It filled me with awe and wonder. Spaceflight continues to do that to me today. Restored footage of Armstrong's famous step has been released by NASA to coincide with the anniversary. Happy 40th, indeed.