When you were a little kid. You saw a rocket go off and said i want to do that. Is it that simple or that complex . I was interested in rockets in astronomy long before people get spell rocket. I was interested in it way back in high school. I went to try to build some rockets. I wanted to become a rocket engineer, as a matter of fact. Worked at the rocket society. I wanted to become a rocket engineer but essentially they said you have to go to mit or to caltech. I cannot afford either. So i took a secondary goal. I got an rotc appointment to wisconsin. From there i went to the Naval Academy. I got to the flight training. I became a naval air aviator. In 1958, nasa was formed and they were looking for astronauts. I was one of the original 110 people who were selected. Let me go back to the Naval Academy . That is right. This was right after world war ii. I got down to preflight. My mother, when i was at the university of wisconsin, told me to apply to the Naval Academy. 7z3 vi did it,
There i got into flight training. I became a naval aviator, and low and behold in 1958 nasa was formed and they were looking for astronauts. So i was one of the original 110 people selected to go for interviews. Lets go back to your Naval Academy days, you almost didnt go, is that right . That is right. I had two years at wisconsin. I informs a Naval Aviation program after world war ii. Have been the most important project in this century. I became the first alternate that usually doesnt make it, are and i got orders for the physical to be inducted into the academy if you so desired. And then i said should i go to the academy, they said dont do that, you two years of college, you have Naval Aviation, if you go back you have to start all over again, you might not get back in aviation, but there was an old captain there and he said if you want to make the navy your career, get yourself to the academy, that is what hatppened. I term paper, my first term paper, i wrote on the development o
Before, some far worse than we are living today, with the hindsight of history we can see them as Inflection Point in the transitional period between an old system that is broken down in a new one so largely information. Are we added Inflection Point. Absolutely right in the middle. I think to the best example of it in 2016 the republican primary, there was a real civil war and the republican primary that the establishments republicans and john bush and others did not get the nomination, did not get the support of the American People, who got it the revolutionary donald trump, the democrats are doing the same thing right now theyre having a civil war in their party and is it going to be the traditional democrat, is it going to be some outsider, is it going to be a socialist, i think that is indicative of the fact that socialism does not work, to govern the people, it really has not kept up with the country, i guess at the end of this book that i realize after a long period of thoughtfu
Test. Test. Test. Captioning performed by vitac i mean, like it will be really exciting when we can put some robots up on mars, wont it be exciting . Weve already done it, right . Okay. I dont hear now, when you put when you put [ applause ] when you put joe blow and jane doe up on mars, then i think you will see true excitement. That may not be [ applause ] you know, that may not be the way the world should be because charlie points out things that are of more importance than whether it is a machine or whether it is a human being, they each have their place, but the public, i do think, has a special Little Corner in the back of their brain reserved for people who go to these places and i dont think that will change. I mean, you see the reaction you still get 50 years later for having been part of the grand adventure of apollo 11. In my feeling its still something special. There are only 570 humans that have been in orbit, so there is something there that maintains potency and sending
All week. A greater percentage of efforts population followed their flight than any other event in human history. After their flights the astronauts toured. President nixon proclaimed them the best possible am baz dors america could have on the earth. Today were looking back and asking what was the political and Foreign Relations significance of the apollo program, and what is its enduring legacy. Were going to look forward questioning how apollo era space diplomacy should inform Foreign Relations today. Very shortly ill give you Historical Context on the role of project apollo in u. S. Foreign relations and its followed by a one on one conversation between me and Major General Michael Collins. Then well have a larger Panel Discussion that looks at apollo and then also how it can inform the future of space diplomacy. But first, i would like to say thank you for coming to recognize special guests we have here today. The Collins Family and friends. Thank you for joining us. And i would l