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June 27, 2005
Look Mommy, an Astronaut!
Hmmm. Those of you who knew Alan Bean's profession, but not the "numbers," pass. The vast majority of people don't even know his profession. His numbers are 12 and 4.
Al Bean was the fourth man to walk on the Moon, as part of the Apollo 12 mission. Poor guy. That's what you get for being fourth, I guess. No one remembers your name!
Yes, we're astronaut geeks. Space geeks.
In the comments, e said that her husband went on and on about why Cpt. Bean was "the coolest" and his favorite. Well, I didn't end up getting to meet him, but I was impressed with the man from afar. "From the Earth to the Moon" (which I cannot recommend highly enough) portrays him as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, always going with the flow; absolutely professional and hard working, but always happy about whatever he was doing. It seems the actor did a pretty good job at capturing the man. He grinned the entire time! He looked absolutely thrilled to be where he was! He was brimming with infectious enthusiasm. And when I walked by the line of autograph seekers an hour later, he was still grinning.
I only heard the first half of his talk, before the three year old needed to go. He talked about the shuttle losses, and about how losses happen when you explore. He talked about how the astronauts accept the risks they take, and about how the rest of us should also accept the losses and move on.
We don't hear this kind of message often enough! We have, instead, taken the idea that life is precious to some ridiculous lengths. Yes, life is precious. On the other hand, in order to do great things, you have to be willing to face great risks. Sometimes you have to be willing to die. Great things do not come out of overcaution. They come out of taking risks and pushing through boundaries. If we instead say that life is too precious to risk even in a great endeavor, and focus on keeping everyone safe, well ... what's the point? Humanity is not meant to be one giant, safe, couch potato.
I grew up wanting to be an astronaut. It was my most precious dream. Somewhere in there, though, I got scared. I didn't have the guts. I am eternally thankful for the ones who did, and do. I hope I can teach my sons to take the risks that are worth taking.
Bill Whittle says this kind of thing better, as he always does. If you haven't before, pop on over and read his essay on astronauts and courage.
So yes, e, Tim is right. Al Bean was cool. I'd love to get to talk with him one day ... some time when I don't have small children who are averse to standing in long lines, and who are not nearly as impressed with the astronaut as Mommy ;-)
I don't have pictures uploaded yet, but Jeff does.
Posted by lynx at June 27, 2005 9:33 AM
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Comments
Informed consent certainly comes into play. Not one astronaut steps into a shuttle without knowing every possible angle. I'd love to have heard this guy.
There are risks I don't mind taking when I know what I'm going into. But today's mindset is that we have somehow magically accrued the things we have without struggle or sacrifice and it's our "right" to just sit back in safety and suck it all in.
Posted by: Dy at June 29, 2005 11:36 PM