We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

Through the unknown, unremembered gate

When the last of earth left to discover

Is that which was the beginning;

T.S. Eliot

I found this beautiful quote at the beginning of a book called Earth Shine by Anne Morrow Lindbergh [the wife of the aviator Charles Lindbergh].

Not too long ago we celebrated the Anniversary of the Apollo 13 Space Mission. We celebrated it because it was nothing short of a miracle. If you are not familiar with what happened on that fateful voyage there are quite a few items that can be explored here at the Orland Free Library. The book Lost Moon  by Jim Lovell & Jerry Kluger is the ultimate insider’s view on what took place on Apollo 13. Lost Moon is also the basis of Apollo 13 the film starring Tom Hanks. We have scores of other materials covering other moon landings and the history of our space program as a whole. I will always remember Walter Cronkite gleefully rubbing his hands together as Neil Armstrong took “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

It is not surprising in this day and time that we are so jaded about space exploration, with Richard Branson soon [in theory] to be offering space trips to anyone with the financial wherewithal to afford it.

Can you even imagine the wonder and excitement of those days in early space exploration? Getting back to the Apollo 13, it was truly a unifying experience. The whole planet was cheering for those men to make it back to earth safely. To just get a feel for what I am talking about check out this video on Youtube:

Apollo 13 Re-Entry/Splashdown (BBC).

It is truly humbling and awe inspiring.

Posted by Estel.