Today is the first day of class  :(  Where did the summer go?

In this space, I could write something about what to do on the first day of class, or how exciting it is to start a new year… but I don’t want to take that away from the Daily Illini.

Instead, I am going to inform you about the special anniversary today. It has been exactly 3 years ago today that Pluto lost its planetary status. You remember those days…”My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” (at least that’s what I learned). Either way, Pluto was a planet from February 18, 1930 to August 24, 2006. Our solar system consisted of 9 planets and literally all was right with the world. Then all of a sudden, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to define a planet and little old Pluto didn’t meet the qualifications. Conspiracy? Maybe.

For now, there are only 8 planets.  There are also over 1,700,000 members in the “When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.”  Facebook group. 

Happy demotion day, Pluto. Students, enjoy the first day of class!

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