The First Footfalls On Mars Will Mark

I Was Lucky Enough To Have Been Born On This Planet Earth, In This Admirable Country Of The United States Of America.

As Time Goes By, I'm Increasingly Impressed By How Very Special And Timely It Was That We Got The Degree Of National Commitment Needed To Put People On The Moon. For The First Time, This Nation Was United In Trying To Develop An Interplanetary Capability. We've Been Trying To Repeat That Situation Ever Since.

As A Youngster, I Read Of Buck Rogers And Flash Gordon. As A Student, I Wrote English Reports On Science Fiction. And As A Fighter Pilot, I Observed The Selection Of The Mercury Astronauts. All This Was Fascinating, But I Really Didn't Think I Would Ever Be A Part Of It. It Was Only When My Good Friend Ed White Was Selected As A Gemini Astronaut That I Decided To Join Nasa As Part Of The Apollo Program.

I Realize That My Life Is Not The Common Ordinary Person.

I Was Motivated To Improve The U.s. Strategy Of Going Back To The Moon In 1985. That's A Long Time Ago. Going Back To The Moon Would Be A Great Achievement For Tourism Adventure Flights.