CRONKITE ON THE MOON

[defrog]

I realize I should probably say a few words about Walter Cronkite’s passing, though I’ll be honest with you – while I remember him being on the news, I was too young to pay much attention to him until he was retired. I remember more about the ballyhoo over CBS hiring Dan Rather as his replacement.

So all I really know about him and his career is what I learned in mass comms classes and (later) the Interwub. And while I’d agree he was a legend and an icon, the likes of whom will never exist again (unless you count Jon Stewart – imagine that), I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said by a million other bloggers.

Since I didn’t really get to know Cronkite as a personality until later – and considering today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing – I’ll pay my respects with Cronkite’s coverage of the event.

I was only three and a half when Apollo 11 touched down. But it’s still one of the most inspirational achievements of my lifetime, and one that I wish we hadn’t squandered. Cronkite’s giddy enthusiasm for the whole thing was how I felt when I watched the first space shuttle launch on TV. The Space Age was in full swing and I was proud to be in it. Who knew the shuttle would be relegated to the equivalent of a satellite repair van and we would lose our interest in the final frontier?

Anyway, hats off to both the Apollo 11 team for showing what we were capable of as a species, and to Cronkite for cheering them on.

BONUS MOON PORN: NASA is busy preparing the high-def version of the moon landing footage. Which should keep the landing-hoax conspiracy theorists busy for awhile.

BONUS ANNIVERSARY: It’s trillsie ’s birthday today as well. Hope it’s a happy one with good news. And cake!

Where’s my jet-pack,

This is dF