Once Upon A Time We Could Do These Things

Astronauts reflect on their experiences, San Diego Union-Tribune
“We’ll march on Washington, if that’s what he wants us to do.” Glynn Lunney, a leader in Mission Control during Apollo 13; he later oversaw the Space Shuttle program in its early years: “I like what they’re doing at the moment with the Space Shuttle. But I gather there’s a major review going on. There’s a sense of being on hold. “We were incredibly fortunate to be personally part of the space program. The more I think about what we did in the ’60s, it’s hard to believe we landed on the moon. It’s wonderful to reflect on. It feels good.”
Museums ready to salute ‘living legends’, San Diego Union-Tribune
“I know we could do it, but we’re not going to,” said Alan Bean, an astronaut aboard Apollo 12 and the fourth man to walk on the moon. “I want to go, but I know I’m in the minority.” The nation was driven in the 1960s by the desire to prove its superiority over the Soviets, Bean said. Without a similar motivation now, returning to the moon will be viewed by most Americans as too expensive. “Future generations will have to find a reason,” he said. “There’s just not a reason now.”