General Discussion

My parents told me I watched Apollo 11 on TV, but I was a month away from turning 2 at the time, so I don't remember.

I do, however, remember the later missions. Mom would plunk me down in front of a TV, and I'd watch the men in puffy white suits bouncing on the moon or driving the moon buggy.

It was a huge inspiration. To this day, I feel nothing but reverence for the astronauts who flew those missions. I even had the privilege of meeting one of them - Harrison Schmitt (lunar module pilot, Apollo 17).

(Yes, I know Schmitt served in the Senate as a Republican and that he publicly denies the reality of climate change. But he walked on the moon. That's way cooler than anything I'll ever do.)

This is why I have such mixed feelings about manned spaceflight. There are very few things an astronaut can do that a robotic probe cannot. Unmanned missions are cheaper and safer. We really should be pushing for more of that. But I became a scientist because I watched astronauts walk on the moon, and I can't forget that.