Remembering the Moon Landing

As the 41st anniversary of the 1969 Moon landing approaches, Island Earth invites one and all to stop and remember this momentous event in human history, on the day and time that it happened in 1969.

Some years ago Island Earth’s founder, Kim Peart, suggested that “The Moon landing could be the last great act of human exploration, because as our robot explorers become ever more sophisticated, humans will follow in their wake, whether to Mars or the distant stars.”

At a future time, when humanity lives in cities in space scattered around the Solar System, we may look back on the Moon landing as a highly significant event in human history, our first step onto another world beyond Earth.

Mr Peart suggests that the Moon landing anniversary could be called First Step and be a festival celebrated at the same time as in 1969, where people could stop for a few moments and consider our future, on Earth and among the stars.

In eastern Australia it was 12.56pm.

In the United States the Moon landing fell on the 20th of July, but because of the different time zones, in Australia the first step onto the Moon was on the 21st, when workers downed tools and school children gathered in halls to see this historic event, live on television, when Neil Armstrong uttered those immortal words from the Sea of Tranquility,

“That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

With next year’s Moon landing anniversary Island Earth is looking toward a “Giant Leap” conference, to consider what we must do to secure a sustainable presence beyond Earth and see the wheels toward this irreversibly turning by 2020, so that our survival will never be at risk.

“We are deeply concerned that if dangerous climate change leads to catastrophes and wars that limit our ability to pursue space development, future generations of humanity could find themselves trapped on an island in space, with no lifeboats and no hope.” Mr Peart said.

“We need to stop gambling with the fate of future generations and build a survival insurance policy beyond Earth, while we still can.”

The “Giant Leap” conference can happen in one place, but also be connected via the Internet, making it a truly international event, just as with the Moon landing in 1969.
Kim Peart