Roger Marshall: “50 years ago, on July 20, 1969, people across the country and around the world watched in eager anticipation as Neil…”

“50 years ago, on July 20, 1969, people across the country and around the world watched in eager anticipation as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. This historic event ended the space race and brought American innovation, determination, and leadership to the forefront of the global stage. This was American exceptionalism at its best. My brother, sister, and I never missed an Apollo liftoff. We all became very familiar with that countdown: Ten, 9, 8--ignition sequence--6, 5--fire the retro- rockets--3, 2, 1. Liftoff. We have liftoff. The rocket has cleared the tower. We watched in amazement as we sat in front of that little RCA black- and-white TV. It was like the whole room was shaking. We would sit and watch the TV set until we saw the rocket finally leave all the way out of sight. Apollo 11 was a 36-story-high rocket. It started its 8-day, 953,000- mile journey to the Moon and back. We all had toy rockets back in the day, and we would repeat that liftoff sequence over and over. My brother and I would climb our garage and launch our toy rockets. In Cub Scouts, we built rockets. In Boy Scouts, we built rockets. In our high school physics classes, we built rockets. We had contests to see who could fly their rockets the highest and the farthest. I have no idea how many young boys and girls were inspired to go into science because of the joy of watching rockets being launched to the Moon. That Apollo jargon took over our daily lives.…”