Forty years ago today, a Saturn V rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and started a three day journey to the moon. The mission’s sole objective was to land a human on the moon. That objective was met on July 20th, 1969 when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar surface. Buzz Aldrin later followed Neil and the two of them performed multiple activities on the surface during their two hour and 46 minute spacewalk.

The astronauts left a plaque at the landing site that read: “Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind.”

This event ended what was known as the Space Race between the U.S. and the then called Soviet Union. It also accomplished the challenge set by former President John F. Kennedy: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

This event had a huge significance in the political world, showing in a time of great turmoil, that the U.S. had outstanding technological capabilities and a superior power in space. The significance in science and technology is beyond definition. Spin-offs of all sorts were produced in the development of the Apollo vehicles and countless discoveries have been made following the lunar surface experiments conducted throughout the program.

To celebrate the anniversary, NASA has created a number of interactive features on their website to explore the landing site, look through vintage photographs, and listen to real-time mission audio to name a few. They have even released newly reformatted video and photos from the mission. The JFK library has also produced a website for the anniversary that allows you to follow along in real-time with the mission as if it were 1969.

The importance and significance of the Apollo 11 mission cannot be fully grasp by this article. I encourage you to check out these links, read more, and relive the excitement of this monumental mission.

NASA – Apollo 11 40th Anniversary

JFK Presidential Library – Apollo 11 Site

Boston Globe – Apollo Photos

NASA – Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal

The 2009 astronaut class has been announced by NASA and among the nine individuals is Air Force Lt. Colonel Michael S. Hopkins,  an aerospace engineering graduate from the University of Illinois.

Michael S. Hopkins, Lt. Colonel U.S. Air Force, 40, of Alexandria, Va.; special assistant to the Vice Chairman (Joint Chiefs of Staff) at the Pentagon; born in Lebanon, Mo. Hopkins holds degrees from the University of Illinois and Stanford University.

“This is a very talented and diverse group we’ve selected,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations. “They will join our current astronauts and play very important roles for NASA in the future. In addition to flying in space, astronauts participate in every aspect of human spaceflight, sharing their expertise with engineers and managers across the country. We look forward to working with them as we transcend from the shuttle to our future exploration of space, and continue the important engineering and scientific discoveries aboard the International Space Station.”

Congratulations to Mr. Hopkins and the rest of the class! Go Illini!

2009 Astronaut Class – NASA

Before NASA begins manned missions to the moon, they will first send the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to scout out particular features on the surface. The LRO is scheduled to launch later this year, but NASA has invited people of all ages to take part in the mission now. You can visit the LRO website to submit your name to be brought aboard the spacecraft. The collected names will be stored in a database on a microchip inside the LRO. Participants are encouraged to submit their information at http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/, print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008.

“Everyone who sends their name to the moon, like I’m doing, becomes part of the next wave of lunar explorers,” said Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for LRO at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “The LRO mission is the first step in NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon by 2020, and your name can reach there first. How cool is that?”

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Once again, University researchers have helped to detest the existence of life on one of Saturn’s moons. On behalf of these University researchers, let me apologize to the alien faithful for destroying your dream of visiting Martian friends on Enceladus. But seriously, geologist at the University of Illinois have used images from NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft, that has been orbiting Saturn for over three years, to create a model of the moon to examine the existence of life.

A new model of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may quell hopes of finding life there. Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois, the model explains the most salient observations on Enceladus without requiring the presence of liquid water.

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Is Unlikely To Harbor Life