Footprints on the Moon

August 29th, 2012

I was saddened by the passing of Neil Armstrong on August 20th and spent a good part of that day reading everyone’s thoughts about the man when it occurred to me that he was not just one moment. To remember that, following is a short list of books and movies to reflect upon all the moments before he stepped on the moon and many extraordinary moments after, as well as a few to remind us all that we too can be extraordinary: it just takes many moments to get there.

Behold the list:

First on the Moon: A Voyage With Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

The Dream of Spaceflight, Essays

The Right Stuff, the book.

The Right Stuff, the movie.

From Earth to the Moon, the mini-series.

Apollo 13. This is the movie that gave us the phrase, “Failure is not an option.” Gene Kranz is credited with saying it, but it was a creation of the writers. He liked it so much though that he used it for the title of his autobiography. True story!

Space Race, book.

Black Sky, the Race for Space. Winning the X-Prize. Documentary.

IMAX, Hubble 3-D. (This should be required viewing for everyone.)

Doctor Who, Season 6, Episodes 1 & 2. The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon.