Last Saturday’s July 4th fireworks extravaganza in the sky, above Lake Gregory, marked the 57th anniversary of the first manned moon landing. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Ground control to Major Tom. Commencing countdown, engines on. Check ignition and may God’s love be with you. Ten, nine, eight
seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, liftoff. This is ground control to Major Tom, you’ve really made the grade, the papers want to know whose shirts you wear, and it’s time to leave the capsule, if you dare. (“Space Oddity” – David Bowie – 1969)
Mission accomplished, but some folks wonder whether the space program has really been worth it. Sure, the invention of Tang has been a real boon to mankind, and landing a man on the moon was pretty cool. So, what’s next – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, the cosmos? These are all lofty goals, but I think they can wait, especially in times of exponentially expanding budget deficits, climate change and an impending world war.
The rivers are getting dirty, the wind is getting bad, war and hate is killing off the only earth we have. But the world all stopped to watch it on that July afternoon, to watch a man named Armstrong walk upon the moon. (“Armstrong” – John Stewart – 1969)
I suspect most anyone who was alive on that July afternoon remembers precisely where they were and what they were doing at the moment Neil Armstrong leaped from the lunar landing module and uttered the first words uttered (by a human) on the moon’s surface: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for man mankind.”
This is Major Tom to ground control. I’m stepping through the door and I’m floating in a most peculiar way, and the stars look different today. (David Bowie)
Like I said in the first paragraph, “I remember this day like it was yesterday.” But who remembers the 4th of July fireworks extravaganza over Lake Gregory back in 2003? Well, believe it or not, during the fireworks show over Lake Gregory, something very unusual happened (and I hadn’t been drinking) – there was a bright object encircling the lake. The object, which was witnessed by over 1,000 persons, traveled its circular route, with a diameter of 12 miles, and did so three times at breakneck speed, in just a few minutes (this is more than supersonic and not yet achievable by any other known aircraft).
So, here’s the rest of the story: It zoomed westward, at a high altitude, then suddenly dropped toward the ground, split into two separate objects, and continued westward like a bat out of heck (scuse me for almost cussin’ Mom).
Keep it flyin,’
Uncle Mott
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