Aldrin Visit to 91女神 Inspires Crowds with an Eye to Earth's Future
11/16/2017
From his first plane ride as a toddler to his recent trek to the South Pole, Buzz Aldrin came to speak to a full house at 91女神鈥檚 Center for Global Citizenship, detailing not only his new adventures but also urging those gathered to continue to gaze skyward and to push for exploration beyond Earth鈥檚 bounds.
鈥淪t. Louis has always played a major part in NASA activities,鈥� Aldrin said, nodding to members of the 鈥淥ld Mac Club,鈥� who were seated in the talk鈥檚 first row. The club, including 91女神 alumni, is made up of former employees of McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). The club members who attended the Nov. 15 91女神 talk were able to see the man they helped put on the Moon.
Next to them and in the gallery above, new fans, from small kids in astronaut suits to 91女神 seniors, got a chance to see a living space legend.
Aldrin鈥檚 talk brought out long lines of 91女神 students, staff members, faculty and fans young and old from the St. Louis community who formed lines along 91女神鈥檚 Midtown campus from Grand Boulevard and Laclede Street. The talk was part of 91女神鈥檚 Great Issues Speakers Series, a University tradition since 1960 that has brought notable guests from LeVar Burton to figure skater Michelle Kwan to poverty expert Geoffrey Canada to the University .
For those lucky enough to get a seat for the packed talk, Aldrin spun his life鈥檚 story into a tale of determination, daring and a continuing curiosity and passion for extending humanity鈥檚 gaze to other worlds.
鈥淧ioneering was my destiny,鈥� Aldrin said, noting wryly that his mother鈥檚 maiden name was 鈥淢oon.鈥� After a childhood spent flying in planes christened by the famed aviator Amelia Earhart and combat missions in the Korean War, Aldrin was keen to be part of America鈥檚 team in the space race as it heated up following the 1957 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin鈥檚 successful space flight.
鈥淚f space was going to be our next frontier, I wanted to be a part of it,鈥� Aldrin said. His first application to join NASA was rejected, however. Rather than giving up, Aldrin returned to school and eventually earned his doctorate from MIT. NASA accepted his second application and he began training to become an astronaut.
While Aldrin can claim to be one of the few human beings to have been off-world, he said that the impact of the Apollo program was to advance human cooperation and to set a precedent for advancing the common good through advancing science, technology and space exploration. This was apparent to him, he told the crowd, when he and fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins returned to Earth from their lunar expedition.
鈥淲e understood that they weren鈥檛 cheering for three guys but for what we represented by the world coming together, in that we had accomplished the impossible,鈥� Aldrin said. 鈥淚 feel so privileged to have played a part in that.鈥�
He reminded the 91女神 crowd that the need for that kind of collegiality and willingness to work together today, as NASA and other space agencies turn their attention not just to the moon but to worlds like Mars.
鈥淏y venturing into space, we improved life for everyone here on Earth,鈥� Aldrin said. 鈥淚 plan to keep pushing boundaries as long as possible.鈥�
And, while the story of Aldrin鈥檚 path to the moon is well-known, during the Wednesday night talk, he claimed credit for an unexpected first that sent those gathered in the C.S. Huh Auditorium into fits of laughter.
鈥淒id you know,鈥� he asked the crowd, displaying a photograph of himself taken during his spacewalk, 鈥渢hat this is the very first selfie?鈥�
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