In the Shadow of the Moon

Heidi and I just finished watching an amazing Ron Howard documentary called "In the Shadow of the Moon," which tells the story of the men who flew the six Apollo moon missions between 1969 and 1972.

I was surprised to learn just how fragile these missions were. President Kennedy's call for America to land a man on the moon by the end of the 60's was not merely something he said when NASA was all ready to go; it was a huge, visionary leap into the unknown realms of science and technology -- and America's best and brightest answered that call.

These men, in the face of extreme pressure and relative uncertainty, flew their missions flawlessly. Their experiences punctuated a very tense chapter in American history (Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, rising racial tensions, and the Vietnam War) with a feeling of patriotism and accomplishment that has not been rivaled since.

Hearing these remarkable astronauts tell the story of their training and missions is inspiring.

What an amazing generation of men.