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!