Moon mission evolves into Richland mission
Joyce Jackson
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: News
President John F. Kennedy's "Moon Speech" . . . "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win and the others, too."
American hero and astronaut Buzz Aldrin once had an important mission on Apollo 11 - he became the second man to walk on the moon. That was July 20, 1969.
Today, 40 years later, Aldrin has an equally significant mission - to lend his inspiration, vision and legacy to the upcoming Buzz Aldrin Center for Science and the Arts at Richland College.
Aldrin thrilled a Richland audience Oct. 30 with a fascinating video presentation of the Apollo 11 moon voyage - one of the most famous expeditions of all time. He and fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins completed one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century and the most memorable in television history.
Aldrin recalls his first thoughts during that remarkable journey: "As I stepped out on the lunar surface, it was my turn to say something," Aldrin said. "I heard the word 'beautiful'. I think Neil said that. To me, it wasn't beautiful. It was magnificent desolation - magnificent because of the progress of humanity."
The astronauts' first moonwalk lasted only over two hours, during which they collected the first samples of lunar rock and soil to help man understand the solar system, a legacy of information that had been waiting billions of years.
Aldrin's visit to the Richland campus included a news conference and fundraiser kickoff to help promote the Buzz Aldrin Center for Science and the Arts, which is expected to open in Fall 2010. A private dinner was hosted in the evening at the downtown Dallas Adolphus Hotel for corporate sponsors.
The Apollo moon mission this year celebrates 40 years, but back in 1969 it fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's desire to send a man to the moon by the end of that decade. It began a new era of space exploration for humanity. Since Aldrin retired from NASA, he has continued to promote space exploration.
American hero and astronaut Buzz Aldrin once had an important mission on Apollo 11 - he became the second man to walk on the moon. That was July 20, 1969.
Today, 40 years later, Aldrin has an equally significant mission - to lend his inspiration, vision and legacy to the upcoming Buzz Aldrin Center for Science and the Arts at Richland College.
Aldrin thrilled a Richland audience Oct. 30 with a fascinating video presentation of the Apollo 11 moon voyage - one of the most famous expeditions of all time. He and fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins completed one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century and the most memorable in television history.
Aldrin recalls his first thoughts during that remarkable journey: "As I stepped out on the lunar surface, it was my turn to say something," Aldrin said. "I heard the word 'beautiful'. I think Neil said that. To me, it wasn't beautiful. It was magnificent desolation - magnificent because of the progress of humanity."
The astronauts' first moonwalk lasted only over two hours, during which they collected the first samples of lunar rock and soil to help man understand the solar system, a legacy of information that had been waiting billions of years.
Aldrin's visit to the Richland campus included a news conference and fundraiser kickoff to help promote the Buzz Aldrin Center for Science and the Arts, which is expected to open in Fall 2010. A private dinner was hosted in the evening at the downtown Dallas Adolphus Hotel for corporate sponsors.
The Apollo moon mission this year celebrates 40 years, but back in 1969 it fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's desire to send a man to the moon by the end of that decade. It began a new era of space exploration for humanity. Since Aldrin retired from NASA, he has continued to promote space exploration.
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