Eso es lo que cuenta el resumen de la misión Apolo 17 de la NASA. Hoy, hace 30 años, Eugene A. Cernan y Ronald E. Evans eran los últimos seres humanos que pisaban la luna. Demostrado al mundo que los americanos eran mejores que los soviéticos, el programa Apolo no tenía ya sentido, y para los políticos el interés científico no justificaba el tremendo esfuerzo económico.
Para mi, como amante de la exploración del espacio, es frustrante no haber vivido la llegada del ser humano a la Luna (no había nacido). Hay una bonita canción pop que resume la tristeza de ese olvido: Sleeping Satellite, de Tasmin Archer
I blame you for the moonlit sky
and the dream that died
with the eagle's flight
I blame you for the moonlit nights
when I wonder why
are the seas still dry?
Don't blame this sleeping satellite
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
Did we squander the chance?
In the rush of the race
in the reason we chase is lost in romance
and still we try
to justify the waste
for a taste of mans greatest adventure.
Have we got what it takes to advance?
Did we peak too soon?
If the world is so green
then why does it scream under a blue moon?
We wonder why
the earth's sacrificed
for the price of its greatest treasure
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
Did we squander the chance?
In the rush of the race
in the reason we chase is lost in romance
and still we try
to justify the waste
for a taste of mans greatest adventure.
And when we shoot for the stars
what a giant step
have we got what it takes
to carry the weight of this concept?
Or pass it by
like a shot in the dark
miss the mark with a sense of adventure
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
Did we squander the chance?
In the rush of the race
in the reason we chase is lost in romance
and still we try
to justify the waste
for a taste of mans greatest adventure.
Just watched the new documentary on Apollo 11, with the fresh footage of the 1969 lunar mission. It was with the help of a community of astronomy nerds. I was glad to be there to watch it.