I Wanted To Be An Astronaut

I am loving the History Channel today.

The date is July 20, 1969. I am sitting on the living room floor of my father's townhouse and we are watching history unfold on his old black & white console television. I am mesmerized, rapt, awestruck, and I can. NOT. tear my eyes away.

For the next few years, I was spacestruck. I read everything I could get my hands on about the space program. I wanted to go to Purdue University because that's where Neil Armstrong went to college. I wanted to work for NASA. A 13 year old girl so fascinated with space? Hmmmm, how to convince you?

Ooh ooh, I know. I'll show you some of my toys, none of which I have been able to get rid of. BS will have to do it after I'm dead, because these will stay with me as long as I breathe.

I saved Cheerios box tops until I had enough to send away for this totally awesome moon globe (which, by the way, currently resides in my living room) . . .

I saved my meager allowance until I had enough to send away for this 4 foot moon map (which BS is holding up for scale & to show you I still have that too). It lived on my bedroom wall for several years, but now I really need to do something to preseve it . . .

I read this book (copyright 1969) until it was dog-eared and whole pages practically memorized. It still lives in my bookcase . . .

And this Saturn V rocket model? It's my 2nd one. The first one was glued together & painted about 39 years ago and has long since disappeared. I'll show you this one when I'm done with it . . .

When I think about the computer class I took in 1975, when the computer took up a whole room and we wrote programs on IBM punch cards, I feel nothing but awe for the engineers & pilots who orchestrated the space program using the technology of the 1960's. Even more amazing is the fact that NASA didn't lose a single astronaut during any of its missions. I know, all 3 Apollo 1 astronauts died, but that was during a routine test while still on the ground.

Would you have trusted the technology of the time to put yourself in space? Before anyone even had a pocket calculator?

And today, the History Channel is chock full of specials about the space program. I am reeeeeeally glad I don't work on Mondays. I'm not leaving my couch all day!

Please leave a comment and tell me where you were when you watched the moon landing. And yes, I know I may get some sarcastic comments about still being in utero, or not even a twinkle in your dad's eye yet. Tough. What did the space program mean to you?