Letter to the editor: Space exploration’s power to unite

OPINION:

In Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis were twin children of Zeus. Their namesake spacecraft are proving to be twins as well (“See Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as Artemis II’s moonbound astronauts leave it behind,” Web, April 4).

In 1968, America launched Apollo 8 on a mission to fly around the moon in preparation for the first lunar landing the following year. The mission captivated and inspired a nation riven by assassinations, war and turmoil. It not only united our country in triumph; it also transformed it.

The stunning technological achievement of Apollo 8’s journey allowed us to indisputably overtake the Soviet Union in the great space race, even as the crew’s iconic “Earthrise” photo brought home Earth’s fragile beauty and forever changed our sense of our place in the universe.

Time magazine named Apollo 8 astronauts Jim Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman its persons of the year.

Today, America again finds itself torn and polarized amid domestic upheaval and international conflict. Once again, a NASA spacecraft on a lonely mission to fly around the moon in preparation for a coming return to the lunar surface is reminding us of our country’s limitless potential and unrivaled scientific genius.

This time, Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are carrying with them our hopes for their safety and success in taking the next “giant leap for mankind,” as they provide us with another well-earned moment of pride, inspiration and unity of purpose.

STEPHEN A. SILVER

San Francisco, California

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