it was forty years ago today. . .

I'm old enough now to have been young and impressionable at the start of the American Space Program. The school I was going to at the time had televisions in the classrooms so when Alan Shepard took the first 15 minute sub-orbital ride, we got to watch the whole event. By the time the flight was over, I was hooked.

For the next 8 years I followed all the Mercury, Gemini and early Apollo flights as best I could, in spite of excellent distractions like the Beatles, the Stones and my inevitable, adolescent discovery of girls.

40 years ago today, I was working my 4 - 11 shift at a turnpike rest-stop that also had televisions and when the "Eagle" landed, it had my (and everyone else's) undivided attention.

Today I'm having 2 thoughts. . .
Damn, that was a long time ago already and, why on Earth did we ever stop doing such cool things?