Today on the radio they announced that it is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission. This mission was the first ever to leave earth orbit. There was a 'space race' going on between the two super powers - USA and USSR. The Americans were trying to get to the moon by the end of the decade. One year to go, and they were just about to leave orbit. The challenge was set by president Kennedy, an exiting young president who promised great change, and who seemed to be loved by everyone.
As a young teenager these were indeed exiting times. We believed that we could achieve anything we set our minds to. Our science could do anything and everything. The world was new again, and a refreshing change from the war (WWII), rationing and hardship we kept hearing about. The sky's the limit, except we've even passed that, and are headed on out to the planets and the stars. My heroes were the Astronauts. It was a great time to be growing up, there was genuine exploration happening, even if it was the Americans and not the British. There was hope and expectation of a great future.
Of course I've learned a lot, about a lot of things since then. I'm even beginning to understand how important hope is.
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