Rep. Chip Roy On Apollo 11
It was at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas, in 1962 when John F. Kennedy stood before the American people and boldly declared, "We choose to go to the moon."
American leadership captivated the world as Apollo 11 expelled beyond our atmosphere some seven years later in 1969. At a time when the Time's "Person of the Year" was the "Middle Americans", outdoor concerts were shaping the future of music, a loaf of bread in the grocery store cost 23 cents and could be purchased with change found between pocket lint, and the news cycle was dominated by war, the United States became the first country to put man on the moon.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong exited the Lunar Module Eagle spacecraft to take "one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind". It is no argument that being the first man to walk on the moon is an exceptional achievement, but beyond the considerable challenge of this mission, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins - along with the hundreds of thousands of people that worked on the Apollo 11 mission - did something else worthy of recognition: inspired the world and highlighted what can happen when the American people rally around a goal or in this case, a mission.
The Apollo 11 mission represents one of the highest-achievements of intelligence and enterprise known to the world. Ten years before the Department of Education was created, NASA's decades worth of work came to fruition as one of the greatest demonstrations of mankind's achievements. Through a showcase of public-private partnership, technological innovation was reborn and the Apollo 11 mission inspired generations of scientists and engineers who have led in developments that will positively impact the world for decades.
Beyond inspiring advancements in science, and from over 200,000 miles away, the Apollo 11 mission unified the country as NASA displayed images of Earth's edges separating the blackness of the galaxy. For but a moment, the chatter of the Vietnam War silenced, the fear of the Cold War ceased, and the anxious push to beat the Soviet Union in a battle of national security paid off while 600 million people united in awe around what humans, and specifically Americans, can do. America won.
The success of the United States invoked patriotism and a beacon of what Americans can achieve when we set our eyes on being the first in the world. During a press conference held before the launch, Neil Armstrong said," I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It's by the nature of his deep inner soul … we're required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream."
This was eloquently said directly ahead of launching and landing a lunar module on the surface of the moon, but overcoming this challenge was so much more than advancing science and technology. I think our founding fathers would have agreed with Armstrong. Our country's short history has been rooted in moments of swimming upstream, but that has never stopped us from pushing forward for a better future.
As we take time to reflect on the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, it is important we remember that every day, we combat challenges and struggles that at face value, seem impossible to overcome, but if the Apollo 11 Mission reinforced anything, there is no barrier to what American's can do when we have a call to action.
The United States is the greatest nation in the history of the world and Apollo 11 is proof of this. If we hold to our grit, and remain resilient in leading our country to greatness, work hard, and work together, there is no mission the United States can't successfully complete.