20-07-99

Hello AIG members, SAASTEC members (& a few special others)

Today, July 20th 1999, is a very special day.

On July 20, 1969, the human race accomplished its single greatest technological achievement of all time when a human first set foot on another celestial body.

Six hours after landing at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (with less than 30 seconds of fuel remaining), Neil A. Armstrong took the "Small Step" into our greater future when he stepped off the Lunar Module, named Eagle, onto the surface of the Moon, from which he could look up and see Earth in the heavens as no one had done before him.

He was shortly joined by "Buzz" Aldrin, and the two astronauts spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and returned 21 kg of lunar rocks. After their historic walks on the Moon, they successfully docked with Michael Collins, patiently orbiting the cold but no longer lifeless Moon alone in the Command Module Columbia.

Attached is the official 30th Anniversary logo. 

Today is also special because Space Shuttle Columbia sits ready on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral for its historic launch at 18h36 South Africa time.

It is carrying the space-based Chandra X-Ray observatory (X-Ray equivalent of the Hubble Telescope), and is led by NASA's first female commander, Eileen Collins.

The launch marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. The shuttle will remain in space for 5 days. 

And of course today is also special for me because I leave for my overseas trip where I will be visiting Science Centres and Planetariums in the UK and France.

You are welcome to continue mailing me, as I will be checking my e-mail whenever I can, and hope to keep you all updated on my activities.

Ciao for now....!            :-)