On August 25th, Neil Armstorng, passed away due to complications from heart surgery.  I was not born when he became the first man to walk on the moon (July 20th, 1969), but the idea that one of us had stood on the moon was an inspiration to my interest in science. For hundreds of thousands of years our species has looked up at the moon in wonder, created mythologies because of it, and strived to visit it.  Neil Armstrong did it!

It was fitting that this past Friday, the night of a “Blue Moon,” that Neil Armstrong’s funeral was held, and his family, friends, and followers wished him well on his final journey.

I sat this past Friday around a campfire, looking up at the full moon much like our ancestors may have, and bid my own farewell to Neil.  It was an astounding achievement, in 1903 we learned to fly…a mere 66 years later Neil stood on the moon.  Not one month ago, we landed the Curiosity rover on Mars with a “rocket powered skycrane.”  Where will our ingenuity and science take us next.  It is likely that in your lifetime, you will see someone stand on Mars.

So please, the next time you look up at the moon remember this astornaut’s achievement,  it belongs to all of humanity.  The moon is a stepping stone to the rest of the universe.

“The important achievement of Apollo was demonstrating that humanity is not forever chained to this planet and our visions go rather further than that, and our opportunities are unlimited.”                                    – Neil Armstrong

Goodbye Neil Armstrong!