President John Kennedy announcing the goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.On May 25, 1961. (NASA)
The inverted landing of the $125 million Japan Space Agency lunar probe makes us realize not what can go wrong but how many things must go exactly right for one of these incredibly complicated space missions to succeed.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon facing a US flag during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. (NASA)

My Life as a Space Junkie

I’ve been captivated by humanity’s exploration of the heavens since I was a boy growing up on the plains of western North Dakota.
I was saddened to learn of the death (November 7) of Frank Borman, the American astronaut who commanded the astonishing 1968 Apollo 8 mission to the moon. He was the oldest living astronaut.
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Today, I read in my news feed that India has successfully landed a probe on the south pole of the moon. Chandrayaan-3 touched down at 8:30 a.m. EDT, August, 23, 2023. U.S. news of the event seemed decidedly matter-of-fact.