Anyone who ventured outside into the frigid weather on the night of January 29 most likely couldn’t help but notice the unusually bright full moon overhead. This was no ordinary spectacle, for it was the largest and brightest full moon that will be seen this year. And to make the sight even better, Mars was also clearly visible directly adjacent to it. The Native Americans aptly called this scene that was in view last month the “Full Wolf Moon”. It received this title because it was believed that in the dead of winter, wolves would howl at the moon as a sign of hunger. Wolves these days may no longer be paying a great deal of attention to it, but most Americans certainly are. Since July 20th the moon has generated an abnormally large amount of interest, due to the fact that 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the first man to step on the lunar surface.
Recently, the state of California has voted to include about 100 artifacts left on the moon from the first manned landing at Tranquility Base as a state historical resource. This decision was made in order to protect these objects from a myriad of situations which may be presented in the future. The ruling does not solely offer protection to the items; it also sends a clear message that the moon is not to be exploited. With an intense amount of interest directed toward our natural satellite all over the world, it is possible in the coming years that many other countries will set up programs in order to visit it. California wants to make sure that if this happens “the final frontier” will not be taken advantage of. At the present moment, there is an international law that dictates that no one country can lay claim to the moon, however, this is as far as it goes. In the future it is the hope of many that the landing site will one day be listed as a United Nations World Heritage Site. This state has decided to start a movement to protect the artifacts and the site chiefly because a large percentage of the technology that helped the mission succeed was developed there. Like in the past, California still remains one of the most prestigious technologically driven areas in the U.S., so the state feels inclined to give their unique creations an unrivaled status that will show future generations where it all began.
The most recent time anyone has stepped on the moon was in 1972, when the U.S. last embarked on a manned mission. It is unlikely though that any American will get the chance to do this again for a large time span. President Obama will ask Congress shortly to stop funding NASA’s project that is developing technology that will enable us to return to the moon. Set up by George W. Bush in 2004, the Constellation Program’s main goal is to send men back to the lunar surface by 2020. Since it was first created six years ago over $9 billion has already been spent on it. And much more would be needed over the years in order to make it work. Obama reasons that in this economic period of instability such an exorbitant amount of money devoted to a cause such as this is not a fiscally responsible policy.
While it is true that huge sums of money have to be poured into such a project, what better way to uplift the spirits of Americans than to see us return to our nearest celestial neighbor that we first visited so long ago?
A new space race has begun; right now in India plans are being drafted for a manned mission to the moon by 2016. It would be a pity to see America miss out on this and put its space programs on hold while an incredibly strong interest has been reignited on matters relating to the heavens. Not even a half century ago, we Americans at the height of Cold War, when the country was in fear of nuclear annihilation, created never before seen technology that enabled us to send men to the moon. Instead of devoting this money to military matters, we used it in a scientific and patriotic way not to defend or destroy, but to create something that made us genuinely proud to live in “the land of the free”. The 20th century will be remembered for the first landing on the moon. Why not build off that experience and let us return, and then move on to even greater expeditions, such as a mission to Mars. If we could manage such a mammoth undertaking 40 years ago, we can certainly do even better now.
