As Curiosity Triumphs on, American Hero Neil Armstrong Bids Farewell

This August began triumphantly with the successful landing of the Mars Space Lab/Curiosity rover, and it ends, sadly, with the passing of the first human being to set foot on the Moon: Neil Armstrong.

As our nation mourns his passing we remember the first grainy images of that lunar landing and how it captivated the world. His words became iconic – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – and a bold age of space exploration took flight with the U.S. at its helm.

Neil Armstrong’s footprint, forever impressed in the lunar dust, became a symbol of what America could accomplish. At a time when the United States faced profound challenges, including the Cold War, the threat of nuclear destruction, and the contentious Civil Rights Movement here at home, Neil Armstrong and everyone at NASA answered President Kennedy’s call to deliver a man to the moon and safely back to Earth.

This accomplishment meant more than just inspiration. It meant economic growth, national security, unprecedented technological development that set the stage for many of the innovations we can’t live without today.

Recalling Neil Armstrong and that amazing moonwalk nearly 50 years ago, I can’t help but reflect on the Curiosity landing and marvel at how far we have come from a man on the Moon to a laboratory the size of a car on Mars. Already, the Curiosity landing is helping reinvigorate the spirit of innovation that first led us into outer space. NASA’s Mars Exploration program, headed by Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has the potential to one day send the next Neil Armstrong to Mars. In the meantime, it is creating new technologies and even whole new industries that will help build our economy and our nation’s science and engineering capabilities.

As we celebrate the life of one of humanity’s greatest explorers, the next generation of space frontiersmen and innovators is ready to go even farther. I can think of no greater testament to Neil Armstrong’s lasting impact on this planet than the inspiration he has given us all to continue exploring the universe and add Mars to the realm of our reach.