What is progress?

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I cannot resist a small step away from blogging “Italian”


A few days ago we marked the passing of the last man who walked on the moon.  Gene Cernan was the commander of Apollo XVII was the last man to leave footprints on the moon’s surface.  That was back in 1972.  I was just past the legal drinking age, with a grandmother who knew real cowboys in Dodge City and another one who was in Cherokee Land Rush in Oklahoma.  It was an amazing time.  Progress reaching across time.  It was a great moment for mankind, something America can be proud of.   
Now I am old, what happened?  

Is it a question of money?  We certainly have enough to bomb 7 countries at the same time.  So many bombs that we run out of them!  Jets that release mini drones, illegal cluster bombs, and more.  We have an economy captured and ruled by the military industrial complex, and has great influence in the direction of NASA. 










In these past years I have thought about NASA and the direction the United States have taken in space exploration.  45 years have gone by and I would have thought we would have seen more exploration of the moon and also Mars.  I believe that the direction taken has led to many spy satellites in order to keep control of other countries.  Billions of tax dollars spent and wasted into contraptions that in a few years are out of date due to techno updating into how to overcome attempts to spy, etc. 


 When I talk to Italians they are perplexed about the choices made by Americans.   I do not have good answers.

In a slightly different direction, but enlightening.   Considering the hold the insurance industry has on politics and the economy of the United States.    Here is a quote from a website which clearly highlights the current problem in America from a completely different angle.

“You would expect that when NASA asks you to be the first man to walk on the Moon that they would consider the possibility of things going wrong. Well for Neil Armstrong he couldn’t afford the life insurance policy for an astronaut. However, along with Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin he wasn’t alone. All three astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission decided to create a plan of their own to support their families if something bad was to happen. Before the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 when all three astronauts were in pre-launch quarantine, they signed hundred of autographs and sent them to a friend. If anything was to happen to the astronauts during their mission, the entrusted friend was to send the autographed memorabilia to each of the astronaut’s families. This way they could make some money by selling the signatures of the Apollo 11 crew.”  taken from this interesting website:  http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/11-strange-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-first-moon-landing.html

Armstrong couldn’t afford his own life insurance!   OMG!
Did you know that when they landed back on earth they were asked to fill out a customs form on what they were declaring?  Only in America!
Go take a look at that website for more facts on the moon landing.  

That is enough for now.  I wish you a happy day.  The next post will return to life in Italy.  

Ciao!

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