It was July 20, 1969. Even though I was only eight years old I could sense the mounting tension in our living room.

Earlier in the week, as Apollo 11 neared the moon, my father had confidently stated it would never land. God would simply not allow it. Dad likened it to the story of the Tower of Babel from Genesis where God said, "If they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan will be impossible for them." God stopped the Babylonians, Dad reasoned, so He would stop Apollo 11. But my older brother challenged him saying not only would man walk on the moon, but future generations would colonize Mars.

That evening my brother and I sat on the floor, as close as possible to our tiny black and white television set, despite our mother’s caution it would ruin our eyes. I watched in amazement as Apollo 11’s lunar module, The Eagle, touched down on the moon’s barren surface. When the hatch opened and Neil Armstrong stepped down the ladder I wondered if he would be struck dead.

With his historical statement, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," I saw my father’s head shaking in stunned disbelief.

Even Walter Cronkite, who recently died at the age of 92, took off his thick glasses and rubbed his hands in awe and anticipation as Armstrong walked across the powdery lunar surface.

Later that night, as I lay peering up at the moon from my bedroom window, my imagination took flight. At that moment, with man traveling in space, anything became possible for me.

The Apollo 11 mission evoked this same feeling in an entire generation; inspiring writers, artists, scientists, astronomers and those who pursued space travel, Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk among them.

Now, 40 years later, people of our generation still remember where they were the day man first walked on the moon. For many, space exploration didn’t live up to our imaginations. We have yet to colonize Mars. Even more sobering is the fact that only 502 men and women have traveled into space. But astronauts like Thirsk are currently making scientific advances by spending months, living and working aboard the International Space Station.

In this issue’s Back to School Directory we have the inspiring story of Alberta’s Palliser Regional Schools ― the little school district that could.

On September 24, 17 students from Palliser will be connecting through a live link with Thirsk to ask him questions relating to his research aboard the space station.

"These kinds of events create a great sense of imagination," said Todd Diakow, a member of the Palliser technology team. "They create a great sense of optimism and motivation for kids, because when you’re young you don’t know what your limitations are. That’s the time to inspire kids to go above and beyond. This is one of those opportunities."

As the next generation continues to reach outside the boundaries of our world, their scientific discoveries may be startling but hopefully their spiritual discoveries will echo Buzz Aldrin’s, who also walked on the moon.

At the end of the Apollo 11 mission, just before splashing down, Aldrin quoted Psalm 8:3-4, "When I consider Thy Heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou has ordained; What is man that Thou art mindful of him? And the Son of Man, that Thou visitest him?"
He expressed awe for the beauty of God’s creation and the incomprehensible immensity of the universe. Hopefully the next generation will discover it anew.