The Man in the Moon

Bonnie Gress

December 10, 2012

Even as a small child I knew there wasn't really a man looking back at me from the moon. But I thought that if we worked at it hard enough, there could be, and that would be the coolest thing ever! Then, in 1969, there on my TV was Neil Armstrong hopping off that lander ladder and sending up a puff of dust as his boots landed right on the face of the man in the moon. I was hooked on space- the science, the technology, the exploration, and the dream for life. I was already enthralled by all the great authors and their visions of a future where space travel was commonplace, as well as their visions of other worlds. I was fascinated that Asimov could invent entire societies, postulate the difficulties of integrating robots into human civilization, and write textbooks at the same time. Star Trek gave us a vision of a future where mankind learned to overlook their (and others') differences and work together for the benefit of all. Carl Sagan gave us an understanding of our place in the Cosmos. And the determination to keep all of the progress we had made on working toward that wonderful future of space exploration and unity of purpose alive. The Planetary Society is that hope for the future, and I have lived my dreams of contributing to it in my own way by being a charter member. My heartfelt thanks to all who keep the dream alive!