Let's
take a trip to the future. Imagine
that you're in a classroom on a planet 25 light years from the Earth.
The year is 2733. The instructor has just asked you to identify the original
solar system of the human race. A
holographic map of the galaxy appears in the air.
Using a joystick attached to the arm of your chair, you move a
"flying pointer" through the stars of the galaxy to identify the
"Sol System."
The
instructor nods her approval and, as the view zooms in to show the Sol System
alone, she asks, "Can you identify which of these planets is the
Earth?"
You
point to the third planet from the sun, and again the view zooms in.
Before the class is an image of a beautiful jewel of a world...by far
the most beautiful ever seen. A
world with a magnificent single moon, almost a twin planet system.
The
instructor speaks to the class, "It was only a little over seven and a
half centuries ago that humanity first stepped off the Planet Earth onto
another world. That world was the
Earth's only moon, and looking back that step seems to be a small one, only
200,000 plus miles, about the time it takes light to travel one second.
That moment was the most important moment in our history...the time
when it became possible to explore beyond the surface of a single planet...the
beginning of bringing life to cold and empty worlds.
What a time to have been alive! Just
think of the adventure, the vision, the sense of destiny that must have
existed..."
The
instructor goes on, but you are lost in a question of your own, "What was
it like to have been alive when humanity first set foot on another
world?"
This
was a moment millions shared... Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael
Collins were physically further from the Earth than only a very few (the
earlier Apollo astronauts) had ever been
before, yet they were in the thoughts and prayers of millions who were holding
their breath and shaking their heads in awe and disbelief...and we all became
partners in that great adventure.
You
may not be old enough to remember when they stepped down upon the Moon for the
first time, but I can tell you that this time is the moment that all future
generations of humanity will celebrate as the defining moment in our history,
the time that man went from Kitty Hawk to the Moon in sixty-six years.
You are here at the very beginning of humanity's greatest adventure,
the exploration of the universe. You
can be sure that your future generations will experience the challenge of
colonizing new worlds.
I'm
committed to fostering this vision. I
believe with all my heart and soul that we were meant to move beyond this
world and into the new frontier of outer space.
That the greatest good will come from our commitment to this vision,
that our civilization will experience centuries of peace and prosperity as we
work together to bring it about. I
share it with all of the passion that I can muster, for it is my passion for
this vision that will convince others of its importance, that will bring
others to my side so that they too can help to bring it about.
I'm
here to tell you that if you want to accomplish great things then you must
first believe. Believe that
anything is possible, that you can have that which is most important to you, that
you can accomplish whatever is needed to bring it about. Then, share your passion with all who will listen.
Great things only happen when others become committed to the
cause...and others only become committed when they too experience the vision.
Buzz
Aldrin's being on the first trip to the Moon wasn't an accident...well it
might have helped that his Mother's maiden name was Moon...but, beyond that,
he dedicated himself to being prepared for that opportunity.
It involved planning, hard work, commitment, a bit of luck, and the
belief that it would happen, that he too could become an astronaut.
He'd
always dreamed about flying. His
Dad was a pilot in World War I,
and he had grown up around airplanes; When he thought about flying, he thought
about the possibility of flying beyond the Earth, to the Moon, or maybe even
to Mars.
Copyright 1999, Brad
Fregger Page 1
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