It was so nice to vicariously leave the Earth for the last few days, stepping into the realm of science, joy, and the enduring and ever-curious human spirit. A temporal flourishing of wild abandon—embracing these best parts of humanity, while simultaneously leaving behind suspicion, superstition and war. Thank you NASA for a truly worthy and delightful distraction!
I was six years old when humans set foot on the moon for the very first time – if you believe such a thing actually happened. Really, it was the perfect age to ignite imagination and to grasp the heady combination of hope, audacity and absurdity of America’s moonshot program. My mother was a NASA booster. So much so, that whenever there was a launch, she would keep me home from school so that we could watch it together. As the wife of a naval aviator, I believe the space program resonated with her more deeply and differently than the average person. In turn, she imparted her enthusiasm to me, both directly and indirectly.
As Artemis II left Pad 39 Bravo on April 1st, I was instantly transported back to a time of wonder and youthful innocence; a time in my life when looking up held the promise of a bright and hopeful future. Now, at 62, I am less bullish on humanity’s potentiality for goodness. I suppose that’s a sobering fact of maturity. But, somewhere in my core, I’m still holding out for the 23rd century, hoping that humanity will survive long enough to put this terrible destructive period of adolescent behavior far behind us. And, just like a very real NASA, a very fictional Star Trek still gives me hope that we can somehow climb out from the basement of our darkest proclivities and most destructive tendencies. Gravity, however, is irresistible and compelling. Eventually, for now, we must all return to Earth.
*New footage: Go, baby, go! Delightful and sublime!