The Apollo Moon landings were a tremendous achievement, a triumph of technology and sheer human will ... something well worth celebrating. But just as the view of Earth from space gave the pioneers of Apollo a new sense of perspective and a profound sense of humility, so the 40th anniversary of the landings should giev us occasion for sombre reflection and serious contemplation rather than just smug self-congratulation. Seeing the Earth as a small blue marble must have impressed indelibly upon Apollo's astronauts the vastness of the cosmos and the tinyness of our place in it; our knowledge of this, along with the vast regions and possibilities of space still unexplored even today should spur us on to further questioning, exploration and wonder.
It is heartening to see that NASA's celebration activities have focussed on the future rather than the past, in the true spirit of exploration and science, highlighting the questions and possibilities that have risen from Apollo's accomplishments rather than what has already been done.
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