Helicopter Flies On Mars, Walter Cronkite Is Smiling

Truly a remarkable day for NASA. And all of us who champion space exploration and the advancement of science.

The Ingenuity helicopter has successfully completed its historic flight on Mars and safely landed back on the surface, according to NASA.

The helicopter’s navigation camera captured a view of the Ingenuity’s shadow on the Martian surface during its first flight.

As I cheer this news and marvel at the pictures being returned to earth I also am thinking about Walter Cronkite.

I fondly recall him asking about the Lunar Rover vehicle on the moon and how it operated. He was, after all, the reporter who made the space program and the glorious moon landing understandable and the type of news coverage that those of us who witnessed it still recall with smiles galore. I recall vividly Cronkite reporting that story and making it so real that even a boy could understand. In time Cronkite would be as memorable a figure to me from that time as Neil Armstrong. As a young boy, it was Cronkite who made the biggest and best adventure possible. He also needs to be thanked for bringing science into our homes.

Today I just know ‘Uncle’ Walter is smiling over this news.

Man Landing On Moon At Grandparent’s Home

July 20th, 1969 remains a most wonderful memory, not only for our nation, but also for what unfolded that day in my grandparent’s living room.  Today the world is one in memory regarding what is, without doubt, the most amazing feat ever accomplished by mankind.  The landing of humans on the moon.

My family gathered in my grandparent’s Hancock, Wisconsin living room that evening where the large black and white console TV allowed us to watch history unfold on the moon.  I was the youngest in that room, but at the age of seven, I can still recall my heart was on the moon that night. When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon it was something akin to a miracle.  So far away, and yet man was there!

Later that evening as we walked back across the road to our home my brother, Gary Humphrey,  joked that the dark shadows on the moon were the dust being kicked up by Armstrong.  I was still young enough to think perhaps he might be correct.  It was a wonderful time to be a kid.

I recall vividly Walter Cronkite reporting that story of what was about to happen, making it so real that even a  boy could understand, and be awe-struck.  In time Cronkite would be as memorable a figure to me from that time as Armstrong.

As a young boy, it was the biggest and best adventure possible, to be recreated many times afterward in the backyard with the picnic table made with my father’s hands serving as the space ship.  There I was, positioned underneath with my legs up in the wooden frame much as the astronauts were on their backs for traveling through space.  It is amazing that the wooden table never burned up on re-entry into the atmosphere.  White pine is durable!!  (NASA should look into that!)  Walter’s voice of the events would be unfolding and echoing in my head as I moved slowly to impersonate the gravity-free conditions that the famed astronauts encountered.

The Apollo program and those brave men who journeyed to space on rockets of flame were my childhood heroes.  But so was Cronkite, with his authoritative voice which allowed us all to be so informed.  One of the things I still recall about Cronkite was that he seemed as excited as I was over the events.  Later in life I would come to understand that he was!

My grandparent’s home produced many memories for me in my childhood.  They lived across the road from my family out in the country, and since we did not have TV while I was a young boy, it was a pleasure to head over the road to watch the big events, such as the moon landing.  The astronauts would change, as would the number of the Apollo mission, but the anchor of the CBS News broadcasts stayed ever-present and informative. Cronkite was as much a fan of the unfolding drama as we were in that living room.  I recall a Saturday morning as if it were yesterday that Walter Cronkite explained with a plastic model of the moon buggy about how it would operate, and what precautions needed to be taken to ensure its successful movements on the lunar surface.

I sat there in rapt attention, and Grandma true to form for these big occasions, would have chips or cookies to nibble on.  She sat in a larger chair off to the side and behind me, while I sat on the sofa and we would watch Walter.

There is less mystery and excitement–or so it seems to me–for kids today when it comes to the space program.  Not that there are no missions to follow, or untold questions to be answered. But with so much technology in our homes and video games to dazzle, I suspect there are no kids these days pretending to be scientists aboard the space station.  I strongly suspect no picnic tables are also serving as space capsules.

Times have changed, but the real heroes of the space era must still be honored.  With deep respect, I offer thanks to Neil Armstrong for all that he gave to mankind.  And to Uncle Walter for bringing science and space into our homes with as much enthusiasm as we were feeling.

First Writing From Human On Another Celestial Body For Sale

What an awesome artifact to own!

On July 20, 1969 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin successfully landed on the moon for the first time in history. And in the summer of 2019, the manual that got them there will officially be for sale in an auction celebrating space exploration and the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

This lunar module timeline book was used by the two U.S. astronauts to land Eagle, the lunar module that allowed for exploration of the moon’s surface. This rare cardstock-covered manual contains 44 three-hole-punched pages of detailed instructions for the launch and descent of Eagle.

The time period that the book covers is the entire Lunar Module Eagle portion of the Apollo 11 mission, says Christina Geiger, head of books and manuscripts at Christie’s America.

Opportunity Makes Memorable Front Page Of National Newspaper

Yesterday I posted about the end of Opportunity, the rover on Mars, on this site’s Facebook page.  This was the the front page of the Wall Street Journal today concerning that story.  It is a perfect memory of the rover that just kept working.

When We Have A Purpose, Unity, And Commitment….

…nothing can stop us.

Investing in science and exploration always proves to be beneficial. All can be proud of this NASA achievement today and looking forward to the data it gathers and the research which will follow.

We did it!

Jan. 27, 1967: 3 Astronauts Died in Launchpad Fire

I deeply respect the efforts of the United States space program and know the supreme sacrifice that some made for our steps forward must never be forgotten.

Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were killed on the launch pad when a flash fire engulfed their command module during testing for the first Apollo-Saturn mission. They were the first U.S. astronauts to die in a spacecraft.

‘Uncle Walter’ Cronkite Would Be 100 Years Old Today

If you were alive in the 1960s or ’70s, you tuned in to “Uncle Walter” on your TV for the most important news of the day.  Known as “the most trusted man in America,” Walter Cronkite was a legendary broadcast journalist many turned to for decades to get the latest news on World War II, Watergate and the Vietnam War, among other things. In honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Google created an animated doodle highlighting some key moments in his career, including his memorable reports on the assassination of President John Kennedy and the Apollo 11 moon landing.

My grandparent’s home produced many memories for me in my childhood.  They lived across the road from my family out in the country, and since we did not a have TV while I was a young boy, it was a pleasure to head over the road to watch the big events, such as the moon landing on the console television set.  The astronauts would change, as would the number of the Apollo mission, but the anchor of the CBS News broadcasts stayed ever-present and informative.  Walter Cronkite was as much a fan of the unfolding drama as we were in that living room.

I recall a Saturday morning as if it were yesterday that Walter Cronkite explained with a plastic model of the moon buggy about how it would operate, and what precautions needed to be taken to insure its successful movements on the lunar surface.  I sat there in rapt attention, and Grandma true to form for these big occasions would have chips or cookies to nibble on.  She sat in a larger chair off to the side and behind me, while I sat on the sofa and we would watch Walter on that large console TV set.

Later I would re-create the events in my backyard and the green grass at my parent’s home would be the gray surface of the moon.  Walter’s voice of the events unfolding would echo in my head as I moved slowly to impersonate the gravity free conditions that the famed astronauts encountered.   Now at age 54 I am not able to separate the space adventure with the broadcasts of ‘Uncle’ Walter.  They will forever be joined in my mind, and I am glad for that.

While there are many reporters and anchors, there are few models of ethical journalism that meet the standards that Cronkite carried on his shoulders for decades. He is remembered for embodying a reporting approach based in objectivity, accuracy, fairness and integrity. He was also an outspoken advocate for respecting the standards of responsible journalism.

I still miss him these decades later.

See Jupiter’s Polar Light Show As Juno Reaches Target

Juno, the solar-powered spacecraft, which has been traveling through deep space for five years, is expected to enter Jupiter’s orbit tonight at 11 pm ET. Astronomers released pictures of the planet’s amazing polar light shows ahead of the historic event.