One Small Step For Mankind

On July 21, 1969 at 02:56 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), Neil Armstrong stepped out of the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) The Eagle and onto the surface of the moon with the words:

"This is one small step for man.  One giant leap for mankind."

He was followed a few seconds later by Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.  On that day, that time, they were written into the history books as the first Americans, the first men, the first humans to set first on any world, any moon, any place off of the Planet Earth.  With their courage, the Human Race started on its journey into the Final Frontier.

Neil Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He attended Blume High School and was an Eagle Scout.  (He was awarded Distinguished Eagle Scout and the Silver Buffalo Award later in life.)  He attended Purdue University and entered the US Navy in 1949, became a pilot, earned a Master's Degree, then became a test pilot.  He was chosen for the Space Program in 1962 and first flew into space aboard Gemini 8 on September 20, 1965.

On July 16, 1969 at 13:32 UTC Apollo 11 lifted off the surly bonds of Earth and flew into history.

After his historic flight, the weeks of quarantine, the ticker tape parade, the adoration from the world, Neil Armstrong retired from NASA and Space Flight in 1971.  He taught Aerospace Engineering at University of Cincinnati.  He was asked to join the investigation committees for both Apollo 13 and the Challenger disaster.

Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012 due to complications from surgery.  He is survived by his wife Carol and 2 adult sons from a previous marriage.

For One Brief Shining Moment

The year was 1969, the last year of a decade that started out with so much promise, but turned into one of strife and turmoil. A decade that saw a decline in the moral compass of the world. A decade of war, protests, civil unrest, and assassinations. A decade in which the Human Race had very little to cheer about.

This was the mood, the attitude of America and to some extent the world when Apollo 11 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on July 16.

On July 19, just 3 days later, the Command Module named Columbia, with the Lunar Lander named The Eagle went into orbit around the Moon.

The Eagle made its decent to the lunar surface on July 20th, the world held its breath. Then came the first words from another world:

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

The world let out a collective sigh.



An short hour later, the hatch of The Eagle opened, and Neil Armstrong descended to the lunar surface. He uttered the now famous words:

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

And for one brief shining moment the world was one. There were no distinctions of race, religion or nationality. We were one species, one people, Homo Sapien Sapien! Proud that one of our species had set foot upon another world. A feat that could never be duplicated again. We were thrilled.

The mission of Apollo 11 ended with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th, fulfilling the mandate of President John F. Kennedy:

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him back safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."

Apollo 11



View at YouTube

And the Human Race went back to its bickering and fighting.
But for one moment on July 20, 1969, the Human Race was one.

Iran Launches Satellite and Rocket: What's Next

By Maggie M. Thornton

Iran's launch yesterday showed the bottoms of their soul-less shoes to the free world - just as the thwarting of U.N. resolutions have done.

Do we think Iran has no interest in a nuclear-laden ICBMs with a bulls-eye set on America?

Quoting President Obama (read the entire transcript and see the video here):

I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.
I will not weaponize space.
I will slow our development of future combat systems.

I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons.

I will negotiate with Russian to take our ICBM's off air-trigger alert,...

Read how Europe is reporting Obama's plans today.


33 Minutes

Iran: Dramatic Failure

Iran was so proud of its rocket launch. It announced it to the world and then said it would put any Muslim satellite into space. Just one little problem. They can't get their rocket off of the ground safely.

Iran's attempt to launch a dummy satellite into orbit earlier this week was a "dramatic failure" that fell far short of the country's assertions of success, Reuters quoted a US official as saying on Tuesday.

"The attempted launch failed," the official said.
"The vehicle failed shortly after liftoff and in no way reached its intended position. It could be characterized as a dramatic failure."

On Sunday, Iran said it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time, using a technology that could also be used for launching weapons.

Despite stonewalling and frustrating efforts by the IAEA and Western powers to discern the nature of Iran's nuclear program, the Islamic Republic asserts that it has no plans to militarize its nuclear project and insists that it seeks nuclear technology to generate electricity.

Iranian television showed the rocket on its launch pad, but did not show the actual lift-off.

And no photoshop to make it work.

Instead of showing this picture

They should have used this one. It's more accurate and to the point.

In other Iranian news:

Iran Threatens to Close Strait of Hormuz If Attacked

Following recent threats by Iranian government elites, in the past several days senior Iranian officials have emphasized that if it is attacked, Iran intends to close the Strait of Hormuz, thereby impeding the export of oil from the Gulf to the rest of the world.

The following are statements on this matter by several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officials:

IRGC Political Bureau ChiefJavani: Closing the Strait of Hormuz is Part of Iran's Defense Policy

In an editorial titled "When Will the Hormuz Strait Be Closed?" in the Iranian weekly Sobh-e Sadeq, which is the mouthpiece of Iranian Supreme Leader 'Ali Khamenei circulated among the IRGC, IRGC political bureau chief Yadollah Javani wrote:

"The Strait of Hormuz is one of 14 locations in the world with unique strategic importance. Over 60 percent of the world's energy reserves are located in the Persian Gulf, and 17 million barrels of oil are transported daily from the strait by oil tankers. In today's global economy, oil plays the same role as blood in the human body, and under present circumstances, it is impossible to conceive of an active and dynamic economy without oil. Industry is completely dependent on [Persian] Gulf oil for survival.

"Oil production and the transportation of oil via the Strait of Hormuz require regional stability and security. If the Gulf region becomes unstable, this would entail fundamental and grave problems for the export of Persian Gulf oil.

"Iran is the largest and strongest independent country in the Middle East. It commands the entire northern Gulf coast, the Persian Gulf, and part of the Gulf of Oman, as well as the strategically important islands such as Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa. In practical terms, from the geopolitical standpoint Iran is the dominant country in the Persian Gulf. Iran's policy in the region, particularly in the Persian Gulf - this being a strategic marine route - is to establish stability and security, and [to ensure that there is a capability] for withstanding any force that may be conducive to instability and [may present] a threat...

"Iran's response to any kind of military action that [jeopardizes] its interests will be swift, resolute, and crushing... Iran has declared several times that it will use all possible means to deal with military threats. Iran's Supreme Leader and the supreme commander of the armed forces [Ali Khamenei] has openly declared several times in his addresses... that if [Iran's] enemies [i.e. the U.S. and Israel] should commit folly and attack Iran, its reaction would be crushing; Iran would damage the attacker's interests worldwide, wherever it could. Khamenei's message is clear enough... Based on it, the Revolutionary Guards will mobilize all their capabilities and use all possible means to deal with the enemy.

"The point emphasized by Iran and insisted upon by the IRGC - which is the strongest armed military force in the Persian Gulf - is that in the event of military action against Iran by the enemies [i.e. the U.S. and Israel], the geostrategic role of the Persian Gulf, and especially of the Strait of Hormuz, will come into play as part of Iran's defense [plan, as well of its policy] of harming the interests of both the attackers and their supporters. The policy of closing the Strait of Hormuz was drawn up [expressly for this purpose]; it is made possible both by the Strait's geographic location and by the IRGC naval forces' capabilities in the Persian Gulf...

"In the event of [military] action by an enemy, no one should expect Iran to refrain from using every [available] means of self-defense, including closing the Strait of Hormuz with a view to damaging the invaders' interests. Closing the Strait of Hormuz is part of Iran's defense policy in face of the U.S. military threat..."

IRGC Ground Forces Commander Assadi: We'll Obstruct U.S. Troop Retreat, Escalate Oil Prices

In an interview with the Iranian news agency Fars, IRGC ground forces commander Mohammad Ja'far Assadi called Iraq "a large prison for captive [U.S.] soldiers," adding: "The captors know that in the event of an attack on Iran, they will be unable to withdraw all their forces from Iraq and Afghanistan overnight and flee... [since] the Pasbandar region up to the delta of the Arwand River [i.e. Shatt Al-'Arab], which is considered one of the flanks of the Persian Gulf, as well as part of the Gulf of Oman, is controlled by Iran - meaning that Iran maintains a hold on the enemy's vital arteries."

Assadi emphasized that "60% of [all] oil consumed worldwide passes through the Persian Gulf," and added: "These days, [although] no incident has as yet occurred, oil prices have risen from $12 to $120 a barrel. Now try to calculate how high [the price] of this essential commodity will rise if the enemy acts in a foolhardy manner, compelling Iran to defend itself."

Iranian Presidential Advisor: U.S. Warships Will Be Sunk at Leader [Khamenei's] Slightest Signal

In an interview with the Iranian news agency ILNA, Iranian presidential advisor Mohammad 'Ali Ramin stated: "If instead of going on foot to Karbala [in Iraq] as a pilgrimage, pilgrims travel to Iraq to fight the Americans, [they will be doing] something for the sake of humanity. If instead of watching the U.S. fleet in the [Persian] Gulf, you prepare yourselves for the day when, at [Supreme] Leader [Khamenei's] slightest signal you will set forth to sink these ships, you will have done something for the sake of humanity."

From Monkey in the Middle:

Any attack on US warships will be seen to the US as an declaration of war against the United States. And the United States will respond in kind. Make no mistake about that.

Iran is playing a very foolish game here. It is bolstering itself up as a "Superpower" without the military resources to back it up. The more that Iran boasts, the closer they come to annihilation. Sooner or later they will attack the US, either via our Naval vessels or via our troops stationed in Iraq. They should remember the words attributed to Isoroku Yamamoto when informed that the attack on Pearl Harbor did not destroy any of the US aircraft carriers:

I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.