On July 20, 1969, exactly 52 years ago from today, Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Lunar Module Eagle and onto the barren surface of the Moon. The next words he spoke made history; “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Man had set foot on the moon for the first time.
Now, with technologies like self-driving cars, satellite internet, drone delivery, and quantum computers coming into existence, travelling to the moon might not seem like a big deal, but let’s take a look at how big of a deal it actually was.
In 1962, president John F. Kennedy announced NASA’s goal to put a man on the moon before 1970. At the time, the US had sent several satellites into orbit, but sending a rocket to the moon? That would be something. To put it into perspective, Explorer 1, the first US satellite put into orbit had a maximum height of 1,594 miles. The moon, on the other hand, was 238,900 miles away, or 150 times further!
Despite the enormity of the task, man set foot on the moon just 7 years after Kennedy’s speech.
What was it that made this and other amazing technological advances possible in America? What is it that allowed America to go from 13 divided rural colonies to one of the wealthiest, most advanced nations in the world in a mere 200 years? Is it the people that live here? That’s part of it, but there are great people everywhere. Is it the abundant natural resources found in America? That definitely helped, but natural resources aren’t isolated to the US.
There’s only one answer: Freedom.
Only under freedom can people unlock their full potential. Only when people are free to have their own opinions, whether right or wrong, can new discoveries be made. Only under freedom are people motivated to work their hardest to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of those around them.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the landing on the moon, let’s remember what made this great achievement possible. Let’s not forget the reason we are able to make new amazing discoveries every day; what makes it so we can accomplish anything we choose. Who says the sky’s the limit when we’ve already been to the moon?
Only under Freedom.
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Calvin Coolidge agreed. Decades before the moon landing, he said “It is true that we have had the advantage of great natural resources, but these have not been exclusively ours. Others have been equally fortunate in that direction. The progress of America has been due to the spirit of its people.” America needs a spirit of Freedom!
Calvin Coolidge goes on to tell us what we need to do to maintain that spirit of freedom in America’s people: “If coming generations are to maintain a like spirit, it will be because they continue to study the lives and times of the great men who have been the leaders in our history, and continue to support the principles which those men represented.” (https://coolidgefoundation.org/resources/speech-at-mount-rushmore/)