Did You Know...

**Written by Doug Powers

Today is the 41st anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969. It’s also my oldest son’s 15th birthday, but I digress…

We hear a lot about “progress” these days, but it usually involves bailouts, freebies, nanny-state nonsense, deficit spending and perverting the name of “science” to justify unprecedented wealth transfer.

Gene Kratz, retired NASA director of operations, wrote about what fuels actual progress in a 2005 editorial:

All progress involves risk. Risk is essential to fuel the economic engine of our nation. And risk is essential to renew American’s fundamental spirit of discovery so we remain competitive with the rest of the world.

Are we even allowed to say the word “risk” anymore?

Here’s the CBS coverage of the Apollo 11 landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, while command module pilot Michael Collins orbited, complete with cheeseball graphics of the day, and I still love every second of it:

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe