There was a time when space exploration excited and inspired the general population. I remember eagerly watching every space launch and as much television coverage as possible. And this was over the three major networks (remember, no cable TV yet), often with prime time coverage.

I certainly remember watching the moon landing on July 20, 1969, when Mission Commander Neil Armstrong said the famous words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” He ad-libbed the ‘Tranquility Base’ call sign, based on the fact that they had just landed on the ‘Sea of Tranquility’—Houston was expecting ‘Eagle’ to be the call sign, but that title represented the lander itself and Armstrong wanted to emphasize the location.

Later, Armstrong became the first human to actually set foot on a body in the solar system other than the Earth. I remember him saying, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” Quite a thrill at the time and still thrilling now. Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin soon followed and together the two spent approximately 2½ hours walking on the surface of the moon. Aldrin also made his iconic reference to “magnificent desolation.”

Here’s a YouTube video I found that recaps some of the events (note the presence of Walter Cronkite who, sadly, made some news of his own recently—RIP):

America is now about to abandon our leadership in space. The Shuttle Program is soon coming to an end, with no immediate programs or goals. I imagine Obama will soon be apologizing for America’s littering on the Moon.

Here is what Charles Krauthammer recently wrote:

America’s manned space program is in shambles. Fourteen months from today, for the first time since 1962, the United States will be incapable not just of sending a man to the moon but of sending anyone into Earth orbit. We’ll be totally grounded. We’ll have to beg a ride from the Russians or perhaps even the Chinese.

Read the full article here. Charles Krauthammer says it well.

So, instead of ‘investing’ in canned ham, turtle tunnels, airports for John Murtha, and countless social programs disguised as ‘stimulus’, let’s invest in space and some real infrastructure. We should be looking to create jobs, and not just using the economic crisis to advance a political agenda.

Kudos to America, NASA, Apollo 11, and especially Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, Jr. You are heroes forever.