Month: July 2019

Celebrating Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary

By Gary Bennett

As seen in the Frederick News-Post Monday, July 15, 2019

As we mark the first trip to the moon 50 years ago on July 20, it is impossible to overstate how exciting this was to a war-torn and rioting country in the summer of 1969. Of course, not everyone was caught up in the excitement, but most were. Many Americans, especially those involved in the civil rights movement, rightfully pointed out the enormous cost they say could have been better spent right here on American soil combating poverty and any number of other social ills.

As a young boy, I was mostly oblivious to America’s troubles but there was no mistaking the real-life heroes we saw almost every month in 1968 and 1969 climbing atop the enormous rockets for their latest adventure. The Saturn V rockets that lifted the astronauts off the earth may have been enormous but commentators enjoyed telling us these men were traveling nearly 500,000 miles round-trip to the moon in darkness in a vehicle the size of a large Buick. The courage needed to do this was and still is breathtaking. All this played out right in front of us on TV – small black and white TVs with only a few channels – but TV nonetheless. For those of you not yet alive in 1969, trust me, you just had to be there.

In the late 1950s it was clear we eventually would have to go to the moon. The arms race with the Soviet Union and the fear of total annihilation was very real. The Soviets were developing larger and stronger rockets that could easily carry a nuclear warhead to the heart of America. When the Soviet Union’s first satellite called Sputnik launched in 1957 without any warning, Americans were shocked and afraid. NASA was founded shortly thereafter in 1958. To keep the Soviets from weaponizing the moon, President Kennedy, in 1962, set us on course to “go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”  Wishing to survive and get ahead of the Soviets, most of the country was with him.

The Mercury and Gemini missions carried on almost uneventfully throughout the early and mid-60’s but then came the tragedy of Apollo 1 in early 1967. The deaths of three astronauts in a fire in their capsule during a training session saddened the nation to its core and almost ended our quest for the moon. But Soviet danger persisted and quitting the moon was never really an option. After pausing for almost a year to figure out what went wrong, the Apollo missions began anew with a vengeance in late 1967. In unbelievably rapid succession, nine successful Apollo flights – five unmanned and four manned — were conducted over 18 months including Apollo 8, which took humans out of earth orbit for the first time. It is not possible for me to forget Frank Borman’s stirring reading of the book of Genesis on Christmas Eve 1968 as he and his crew circled the moon. The photo of the blue earth rising over the stark landscape of the moon was jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring. Most of us felt very small and insignificant when we saw that photo.

The three men selected for the historic Apollo 11 mission were all veteran astronauts, each having flown one Gemini mission, but could not have been more different in temperament. 

Neil Armstrong, as mission commander, was a shy introvert, economic with words, not prone to suffering fools, and as cool under fire as any human could be. He is credited with saving Gemini 8 through his skill, calmness, and preparedness when his craft went into a violent, unexplained end-over-end roll in 1966. The fact that he was a civilian played a large role in him being named commander of Apollo 11. Unlike the Soviets, America wished to signal that they came to the moon in peace and not for military adventure. Armstrong died in 2012 at age 82. 

Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module pilot, was arguably the smartest of NASA’s astronauts. In addition to flying sixty-six combat missions over Korea, Aldrin has a PhD in physics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, specializing in manned orbital rendezvous. More loquacious than Armstrong, Aldrin has gone on to be perhaps the nation’s leading global space statesman and a media darling. Also not one to suffer fools, in retirement he famously punched out a critic who maintained the moon landing was faked. Aldrin is currently 89 years old and still speaking out.

Michael Collins, the command module pilot, is good-humored, thoughtful, lighthearted and loquacious. Of the three, he is the clear extrovert and prime suspect behind any pranks or horseplay. These lighter traits mask a smart and driven man who served in Europe after World War II, was a decorated test pilot, and an expert in pressurized space suits and extra vehicular activity or spacewalks. It also didn’t hurt that Neil Armstrong liked him immensely. As the command module pilot, Collins circled the moon while his compatriots on the lunar surface got all the glory. He didn’t mind, though. He famously said that he was happy to be along for the ride. Was there anyone ever more alone than Michael Collins as he orbited the moon 240,000 miles from home in the darkness of space? Collins is currently 88 years old and in good health.

Apollo 11 departed for the moon on July 16, 1969. Leaving earth orbit and heading for the moon was not news anymore. NASA had successfully done it three previous times with Apollos 8, 9, and 10. But the descent to the moon’s surface was another story. Hidden from most Americans was the fact that we almost didn’t make it. Along with radio problems that made communications with the craft difficult, the astronauts found themselves about three miles off-target. Hovering over boulders and craters, the astronauts disconnected from the computers that wanted to land there as scheduled and flew the craft manually. The extra maneuvering caused fuel supplies to dwindle to almost nothing. The world had little clue that this epic success was almost an unbearable tragedy. But somehow, some way, we soon heard Armstrong coolly mention over a crackled transmission “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” And almost unbelievably, for the first time, there was a banner at the bottom of our TV screen we never thought we would see – “Live from the surface of the moon.”  The rest, as they say, is history.

Someday, maybe even right now, many people will see this foray to the moon as quaint and even worthless. I can assure you this was not the case at the time and is not the case now. Whether right or wrong, the very existence of America was thought to be at stake. And, it’s important to remember that we didn’t come back empty handed from the moon, and I’m not talking just about rocks and soil samples. The technological advances needed to pull off this enormous endeavor led to things like microwave ovens, compact cameras, stronger fabrics for clothing, protective coatings for our vehicles, improvements to firefighter suits, intruder detection systems, solar panels, seismologic advances, heart monitors and pacemaker systems, and quartz crystals used in clocks for precise timekeeping. This list can figuratively go to the moon and back. One can argue that these items would have come along anyway but assuredly not with the speed and rigor caused by the space missions.

So, what’s next?  The Trump Administration has recently announced plans for an orbiting lunar station, which is supposed to begin construction is 2020. Whether this actually happens or not is anyone’s guess. George W. Bush pitched something similar in 2004. New rockets from private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX are in the works. Other nations like China are pursuing their own space agenda. It is not technology that keeps us out of deep space; it is the cost and political will. It may take a national emergency – like a warming planet that can no longer support its entire population – to get us moving again like the national emergency of Soviet menace and adventurism in 1957.

But until then please join me in celebrating this enduring achievement of mankind. The airwaves and book stores are currently packed with information on Apollo 11 and the mission to land on the moon. I’ve watched and read most of them.

I can recommend these TV specials: Apollo: Back to the Moon (National Geographic channel), Apollo’s Moon Shot: Rocket Fever (Smithsonian channel), Chasing the Moon (PBS), Apollo’s Daring Mission (PBS).  Some of these have aired already but DVDs exist for most. Last but certainly not least, you can experience the moon landing in real time like I did in 1969 on July 20 with Moon Landing Live on BBC America. Check your TV listings.

I can recommend these books: First on the Moon by Rod Pyle, First Man by James R. Hansen, Shoot for the Moon by James Donovan, Apollo 11 by Ian Passingham, and Magnificent Desolation by the man himself, Buzz Aldrin.

Who is Better at Pursuing Happiness–Conservatives or Progressives?

By Gary Bennett

As seen in the Frederick News-Post Wednesday, July 3, 2019

With his stirring words in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson (and his committee of Founding Father editors) assures us that we have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But in this time of great political strife, I was wondering who is generally happier – conservatives or progressives?  And, what is it that makes us happy anyway?  I was surprised to learn there is quite a bit of independent research on both counts.

Mr. Jefferson purposely referred to the ambiguous trait of happiness in his document over the more conventional right to pursue property, which many of his editors suggested. That is because the Declaration was not only to be the starting point to create a new nation but was also a call to arms against an oppressive ruler. It was agreed that the wide swath of property-less Americans at the time would be more likely to take up arms for the understandable concepts of life, liberty, and the chance to be happy. In the late 18th century the opportunity to marry, raise a family, practice the religion of your choice, and the chance to one day own property were the key factors to a happy life.

But what about today?  What makes us happy?  For many Americans it is being surrounded by a loving set of friends and family. For others it’s having a warm and welcoming home. For still others it may be the opportunity to pursue riches or the desire to serve others.  You may be surprised that the United Nations pretty much agrees with this assessment. In their World Happiness Report, this body rates lives from the “best possible” to “worst possible” and have found that the most important happiness traits are the presence of a good social support system, income security, and good health. You’ll note that income security does not mean being rich. That is not what most people want.  They want enough money to live securely and have what they need and not necessarily what they want.  One only has to consider the misery of many well heeled celebrities to know that is true.    

Of these three main happiness factors, it is clear that governmental policy can greatly affect the latter two. Of course government policy can vary widely from a progressive stance to a conservative stance, and depending on how well your political and social outlook matches these policies, personal happiness will increase or decrease.

Before deciding which political stance promotes the most happiness for the most people, it would be helpful to revisit what we mean by conservatism and progressivism. In general, conservatism maintains that the free market with little or no interference is best at creating a robust economy that pulls every individual to the level he or she deserves and in turn promotes income security and the means to pursue good health. For many, free market conservative principles do the best job of providing the best hope of attaining both. Progressives believe in “free-ish” markets that must have the safety rails of reasonable regulation to promote equity and justice not just for themselves but for others who are seen as disadvantaged through no fault of their own.

Minimum wage laws provide a good case study in the different outlooks as they pertain to happiness. Conservatives are wary of minimum wage laws and largely believe the free market and personal individual talent drives how much you are paid. This inherent fairness makes them happy. Progressives see flaws in this outlook because of the belief that all workers need the guarantee of a minimum living wage because, after all, we are all human beings and we don’t all start off from the same place. Conservatives want efficient outcomes; progressives favor just ones. There is no doubt that minimum wage laws have cost some jobs but it is also clear that the laws have promoted a more secure standard of living for some and reduced poverty.

So, who is happier – conservatives or progressives?  Like a lot of things today, it depends. There is a lot of research to suggest that conservatives are happier if you simply ask them. The Pew Research Center says that conservatives are 68% more likely to say they are very happy compared to progressives. Life style differences such as marriage and religion are cited as the main reasons. Most conservatives are married; most progressives are not. This is a matter of record.  And believe it or not marriage and happiness have been found to correlate very highly. Further, conservatives who practice a religion outnumber progressives four to one. Religious participants are nearly twice as likely to say they are very happy than nonparticipants. Progressives maintain that conservatives are simply inattentive to the misery of others, and if they were, they wouldn’t be so happy. Progressives are less likely to wash their hands to the perceived inequality present in society. 

But, there is an equal amount of research that says progressives are happier if you actually observe how they behave. One example is from Sean Wojcik, a respected psychological researcher from the University of California, who used linguistic analysis software and facial recognition software to analyze 9 million words in the Congressional Record, 47,000 tweets from 4,000 Twitter users with ties to conservative or progressive agendas, and about 1,000 candid photos of Members of Congress from newspapers, LinkedIn, and other sources throughout 2013 to judge happiness or the lack thereof.  From these findings it was clear that progressives displayed many more genuine smiles and overt happiness than conservatives.  Of course, the recent presidential reelection of Barack Obama may have had a lot to do with all the smiles.

So, how do you think Thomas Jefferson would think we are doing on the happiness scale? I think he would be pleased that the American experiment has largely succeeded and that most Americans are genuinely happy.  But, he would not be thrilled at the inequities and injustices that seem to run rampant in America today and drive so much unhappiness. Mr. Jefferson was a progressive of his time.  He was a republican-democrat battling against those such as Alexander Hamilton and other nationalists who wished to keep the day’s ruling class in power and not yield too much of it to rank and file Americans. Mr. Jefferson was also a pragmatist who did not shy away from compromise or hold his political rivals in bitter contempt. Despite personal loss, he was, without a doubt, a happy man and confident in the idea of America.