When asked about the importance of beating the Soviet Union to the Moon, then Vice President Lyndon Johnson replied, "What American wants to go to bed by the light of a Communist Moon?"
Of course, unless you are a conspiracy nut, you know the United States landed a dozen men on the Moon, including the first ever. No other nation has stepped foot on our satellite. Winning this race must have placed a Texas-sized smile on Johnson's face. Today, LBJ must be doing cartwheels in his grave thanks to recent comments from NASA administrator Michael Griffin.
At a September 17 luncheon commemorating NASA's upcoming 50th anniversary, Griffin told the audience during a Q&A, "I personally believe that China will be back on the Moon before we are ... I think that when that happens Americans will not like it, but they will just have to not like it."
Another nation — a Communist one, at that — may reach the Moon before we do, this time around. Could Griffin's opinion reawaken American interest in NASA and a lunar mission?
It is doubtful. Public disinterest and skepticism is a hindrance to a return to the Moon. At a glance, why are many Americans apathetic about a lunar mission?
If you were born after the first Moon landing, or were more interested in Lincoln Logs than Apollo missions in 1969, human spaceflight is commonplace. Most likely, a Moon landing isn't that exciting to you and is unnecessary. "Why bother, we've already been there. What's the point of going back?" That completely ignores the scientific value of a lunar return and its implications for a voyage to Mars. It also disregards the importance space exploration and technology play in our economy.
Many citizens believe we should cure the country's or Earth's woes before exploring space. Issues like poverty, famine, war, etc. should be completely obliterated before we launch one capsule into space. Never mind that cures to these issues might rest in spaceflight and a return to the Moon.
Frankly, many just don't care. Think of what we've recently seen from NASA: Stardust returned a comet sample to Earth, two rovers are still exploring the Red Planet, and Cassini has provided the closet views of Saturn and its moons. Amazing feats, but we live in a scandal and celebrity-driven society where an athlete that kills dogs and a pop star lackadaisically stumbling during a televised performance captivate the public more than anything we could ever do in space.
Still, a return to the Moon is years away. Perhaps things will change as Chinese and American launches approach. Attention and news are driven by the here and now. China's emergence as a superpower will inevitably threaten Americans' perceptions of superiority, especially when a Chinese astronaut drives his or her nation's flag into the lunar surface. Perhaps this will reawaken a national appreciation of space exploration. Whether that reinvigorated interest will remain after a landing is another story.