Apollo 15 Lunar Module Pilot James B. Irwin salutes while standing beside the fourth American flag planted on the surface of the moon, July 30, 1971. The lunar module that took them to the moon’s surface is seen at right. Hadley Delta is in the background.
Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon. Here is a salute to – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John W. Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the last trip made to the moon. (Last trip: December 11–14, 1972.) As the shuttle program comes to a close we need to look at this as a reminder that trips to space do not need to become history in the same way trips to the moon have. We took one giant leap – we need another one.
