Posted on 05/24/2012 11:40:28 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
As the first person to walk on the moon, he is a man whose name will be remembered for generations to come. But one of the other well-known things about Neil Armstrong is that he hardly ever gives interviews.
It was therefore something of a coup for Alex Malley, chief executive of Certified Practicing Accountants of Australia, to secure almost an hour of Armstrong’s time to discuss the astronaut’s trip to the moon.
In the illuminating conversation posted online on the CPA Australia website, Armstrong revealed how he thought his mission, Apollo 11, only had a 50% chance of landing safely on the moon’s surface and said it was “sad” that the current US government’s ambitions for Nasa were so reduced compared with the achievements of the 1960s.
“Nasa has been one of the most successful public investments in motivating students to do well and achieve all they can achieve,” said Armstrong. “It’s sad that we are turning the programme in a direction where it will reduce the amount of motivation and stimulation it provides to young people.”
As a child, Armstrong said he had “become fascinated with the world of flight...
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Ping.
“said it was “sad” that the current US government’s ambitions for Nasa were so reduced compared with the achievements of the 1960s.”
All the fault of those darn Russians. If they had kept making progress and headed towards Mars, we would have spent whatever it took to get there first. Once it was clear we had them beat, the money and the interest dried up (in that order).
Guy’s a rock.
-Rex
Kennedy’s vision: To go to the moon
Obama’s vision: To take down “millionaires and billionaires” and America along with them
It’s a damn shame that Armstrong and America must witness Obama gutting our space program, abolishing the Space Shuttle and outsourcing our space travel to the Russians.
And a foreigner from Kenya ended Nasa.
It’s a damn shame that Armstrong and America must witness Obama .......period!
Meanwhile, Dragon is scheduled to rendezvous with the ISS tomorrow. So much for abandoning our future in space to the Russians.
A true American hero, but I am glad that we are getting out of the space business, it isn’t in the US Constitution for us to do this, so it needs to be turned over to the free market to explore space.
We’ve also got a craft near Vesta, and soon to be heading off to get a close look at Ceres — a minor planet (or dwarf or asteroid if you please) which may have more water than Earth has, and which can get as warm as forty below! That’s as warm as winter in Russia :)
Its a far cry from the capability we had. The only way we can put people into space is through the russians.
I watched him give a speech, I think it was at the Smithsonian, a couple of years ago. Aldrin and Collins also spoke. One of the coolest things I’ve seen.
The free market might do it better,faster and cheaper without all of the red tape.
...and his favorite aircraft to fly?
Bearcat.
F8F. Too cool.
Without red tape???
Just wait till the EPA and OSHA get geared up to start “inspecting” private space missions.
I hope I'm wrong. But I doubt it.
Temporarily, yes. By 2015 we’ll be putting men in space, not only via space X but with a number of other companies as well. Meanwhile, the manned program at NASA is broke. Not monetarily broke but totally lacking the capability to design and build the architecture for manned space flight. Today’s NASA ain’t the NASA that existed in Neil’s day.
I don’t like hero worship. Too much of it these days.
But, this guy is an American hero and icon.
It took someone like Obama to make this guy speak out.
If the EPA and OSHA pull too much cr*p these private funded missions can be built and launched from anywhere.
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