Who Said Expect the Unexpected
Who said expect the unexpected? Turns out lots of people and some of them quite famous!
Astronaut Neil Armstrong for one! Commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to walk on the Moon!
“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
As Armstrong stepped out of the LEM onto the Moon’s surface on July 21, 1969, he spoke these famous words.
I grew up during the baby boomer generation. These Apollo missions were always televised by the great newscasters of the day like Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley. These broadcasts where a very big deal and witnessing some of the unexpected circumstances these guys were hurled into during a mission was at times spine tingling.
You have to keep in mind that the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon took place shortly after most people were making the switch from black and white TV to color….you know - analog TV! Yep, nobody had residential cable or satellite TV yet. We’re talking rabbit ears on top of the TV or a rooftop antenna baby!
Little More History
Twenty-four astronauts have been on or near the Moon. Twelve of these actually landed on the moon and walked on its surface.
Nobody has walked on the Moon since December 1972.
Most people have forgotten the significance of the NASA space program. A lot of conveniences now enjoyed by many are directly related to things accomplished through these programs. Since the inception of the agency in 1958, technologies developed for space missions have been integrated into commercial products and services for use on Earth.
To date, NASA has documented nearly 1,800 spinoff technologies which have improved the lives of millions.
Here are just a few:
Artificial limb, Baby formula, Cell phone cameras, Computer mouse, Cordless tools, Ear thermometer, Firefighter gear, Freeze-dried foods, Long distance communication, MRI and CAT scans, Memory foam, Solar panels, Ski Boots, UV-blocking sunglasses
Attribution
Even though it has been nearly 46 years since man first walked on the Moon, I think we should take a moment to honor the following twelve Astronauts for their historic contributions to the advancement of mankind and acknowledge they are the only heroes of men to walk on the Moon:
Neil Armstrong – Apollo 11 – July 1969
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin – Apollo 11 – July 1969
Charles “Pete” Conrad - Apollo 12 - November 1969
Alan Bean - Apollo 12 - November 1969
Alan Shepard - Apollo 14 - February 1971
Edgar Mitchell - Apollo 14 - February 1971
David Scott - Apollo 15 - July 1971
James Irwin - Apollo 15 - July 1971
John Young - Apollo 16 - April 1972
Charles Duke - Apollo 16 - April 1972
Eugene Cernan - Apollo 17 - December 1972
Harrison Schmitt - Apollo 17 - December 1972
Do you think these guys experienced a little expect the unexpected?
You betcha!
The Takeaway
Unexpected stuff is going to happen. It’s not so much the “why” as it is about the “how”.
How are you going to deal with the unexpected?
It’s always tough, can be extremely emotional and is a difficult discipline to master….but it does build character!
Recent Comments
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I'm a baby boomer, so thank you for the nostalgia Andy. It brought all the old memories back, good and not so good.
I was surprised to find my life was surprisingly full of interesting activities.
Born when WWII stopped, then my country was in the throes of communism takeover, after that I survived a civil and racial strife.
Then went through the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, born again Christian, all the fun and games of church life through to 2013...still going through some excitement.
But now, and this is not the end yet, I'm actively participating with the WA community! Wonder what next? God bless you,
Shirley
Thanks for taking the time to read the blog Shirley! I'm glad you found something personal to takeaway the article.
I will never forget Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. I was 10 years old and was recovering from the unexpected.
I rode my bicycle thru an intersection near my home like I had a thousand times before. It was unexpected that a car wouldn't stop at the stop sign. I was dealing with it by laying on the couch watching the "man on the moon".
Sunday night and I got to stay home from church to see it. Also unexpected.
Yes it did make me stronger (and wiser).
It sure does build character! haha. Which is why, though it's not fun, the unexpected often is the best thing for us!
Yeah, the many things that came from the space program, like our food code today, basically researched and wrote to make sure there was no possibility of one of those fine men getting sick from the food at least.
Yeah, the list of stuff generated by this program is really amazing. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog.
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I remember when our whole school was brought into the one assembly room to watch the Apollo transmissions (this is in England, too). I was totally thrilled. Thank you for bringing me back to these memories. Glyn
My pleasure Glyn! Hope your situation has improved.
Thanks. I can say my situation is improving, fortunately. Glyn