It was on this day; 40 years ago that the Apollo 11 mission would propel Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin into history books as they became the first men to have stepped into the ground of the moon on July 20, 1969. Through M. Armstrong’s iconic words, “A small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind”, the mission has opened the door to numerous space exploration opportunities for NASA and other organization of its kind worldwide such as the construction of International Space Station and a possible human mission to planet Mars. It’s obvious that the goal is to find life in a new planet besides planet Earth.
Is this anniversary important at the moment? The answer is no. In these hard times, how can we celebrate this event when our planet is getting mess up everyday thanks to our carefree way of life? It is shameful that governments are using billions of our taxes to finance ludicrous space project while having complete disregard for us, the people of planet Earth.
This is why the poem Whitey on the Moon by Gil Scott-Heron is so relevant because of its criticism on the US government for spending billions on the space program while ignoring social issues. I hope that President Obama concentrates on social issues than working on financing more wasteful NASA mission.
Here a clip of Gil Scott-Heron’s insightful poem.
