ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the greatest achievement of mankind. I refer of course to the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins rode a Saturn Five rocket into space, taking the hopes and dreams, along with the pride of America with them.

No feat in the history of man has done more for mankind than the landing of men on the moon and returning them safely to earth. Because of the space program, specifically the moon program, we have CAT scans, laser surgery, MRI machines, VCR technology, improved uses of plastic and thousands of other innovations, not to mention something as mundane as Velcro and of course Tang.

They lifted the spirit of America as we were divided with the Viet-Nam war. Our innovations and resolve were second to none. We had that "can do" mentality and hard work ethic. We were driven to succeed and to lead the world, not just in space, but in every facet of life. In less than a decade, we went from John F Kennedy saying "We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard," to two men planting the symbol of this great country in the Sea of Tranquility.

The three men on that mission remained humble and unassuming. They went back to work, not resting on their laurels and their fame. They used their training and experience to become teachers and writers, inspiring a new generation of explorers to reach beyond the horizon and reach for the seemingly unattainable. They had their problems, but they overcame them and they served as example of American Ingenuity.

They became ambassadors for America's peaceful exploration of space and blazed a path for international cooperation and study of our solar system.

It is time that we go back to our roots in the space program. We made a grave error in abandoning planet exploration in favor of the space shuttle. While that program widened our knowledge of space, it should have been in conjunction with planet exploration. Who knows, perhaps we would already have set foot on another planet. We are now headed back to the moon and from there, well the possibilities are endless. Perhaps my children in their lifetime will see man walk on Mars. This is a country that can accomplish anything.

What happened 40 years ago that kept us up all night watching grainy black and white pictures has inspired more than a generation. It has inspired mankind to reach for the unreachable and to strive for the unattainable, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.