Armstrong, Mars and America

There is a hierarchy of Armstrongs in the news this week. One is much more important than the other.

Neil Armstrong died last weekend. He was part of an extraordinary technological and ideological project that might well define America's material and scientific success in the 20th Century.

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into low Earth orbit. The impact was staggering. The free world almost had a collective nervous breakdown. They were shocked at the technological success of the Russian program. And they were frightened; the rockets used were converted military missiles. More, the Americans saw it as a blow to their country's substance, the way the Russians would react to Fischer beating Spassky in 1972.

The Americans mobilized and twelve years later on July 20, 1969, with Michael Collins piloting the main ship above the moon with less computing power than a modern smart phone, Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed a module on the moon below, almost a quarter million miles away from Earth. Armstrong took control of the landing himself during a glitch in the landing program and walked on the moon, the first man ever to do so. He was then joined by Aldrin. The ship and the men were returned safely to Earth. It was a project that combined science, technology, bravery, heroism and civic pride. It is doubtful that any such achievement in any other twelve year period in history is comparable. And the nation glowed with pride. It was the most extraordinary victory/achievement in history--and no one was hurt.

Over the last years the Americans have suffered. Their efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have damaged them economically, the housing market was badly handled and resulted in great loss of national wealth, a natural disaster in New Orleans made them look ordinary. Production is down, debt is up and growth promises to be poor for the next years. Leadership seems diffident at best.

So it was surprising the NASA landing on the planet Mars was as underplayed as it was. One wonders if the current American international and domestic mea culpas have made them too modest.

There have seven landings on Mars, two Viking, one Pathfinder, two Rover, one Phoenix and the most recent, Mars Science Lab Curiosity. All of these landings have been American. The Curiosity landing was high risk involving a four-step process that NASA scientists called "Seven Minutes of Terror," requiring the vessel containing the car-sized, nuclear-powered lab to slow from 13,000 mph to a full stop in a few minutes. The American's recent achievement was considerable and they have dominated the efforts to explore Mars. Several nations including the Russians and the Chinese have made significant efforts to land on Mars with many spectacular and expensive failures. The Americans, down and hurt by error and circumstance in the working world, deserve some respect for their achievements on Mars.

They could start by connecting Armstrong's landing and the Mars landing for the heroic events they were and are. In public. Loudly.