THE RACE FOR SPACE!
On the twentieth day of July 1969 three Americans chaps became heroes during their excellent adventure when they nipped off to the moon. The world apparently marvelled at the feat. I remember thinking that in just over three weeks time it would be the first anniversary of the elimination of steam hauled trains on our railways. This latter date (11/8/68) having much greater significance and bearing on everyday life than an awful lot of money being spent so that 'spacemen' could gallivant for eight days basically 'playing amongst the stars' - though not yet Jupiter or Mars!
Thinking about it, though not for longer than necessary, the most iconic 'leftover' were their footprints which I believe are still extant. I knew they left an American flag, but then they would do, they are Americans! What is telling is that whilst scientific equipment remained to continue its work, they left behind tools and bagged rubbish. Today we witness a solar system awash with debris and not just American debris. Every nation involved in heavenly flights has sadly left its mark.
Years on, various successes and failures later and here we are once again, this time The Red Planet, Mars! Perhaps it was the colour pics, perhaps it was due to the subject being on Breakfast TV, or perhaps it was seeing Perseverance land slowly and clearly that caught my attention, who knows...
The crispness of the visual recordings were frankly stunning, much better defined than anything I'd imagine being possible. It was then that the seeds of doubt were sown. I recalled the theories, continuing to this day, that in fact no-one arrived on the moon in 1969 and that it was all filmed in a studio. Talk of shadows not being where they should be, a lack of stars in the background and the flag seemingly waving in an airless environment have all contributed to the idea that it was all shot in Area 51 in Nevada. To be fair, my money goes on the whole episode being true. I just can't see the Russians not making capital of the situation years ago. Mind you, wouldn't it have been satisfying to have learned that it was in fact a hoax, committed in partnership with the British and filmed at either Shepperton Studios or a temporarily revived Ealing. I'm now flying high in my world of fancy. Imagine, cost-conscious Yanks agreeing to and using British actors for the parts in order to save on travel costs! I can see Neil Armstrong being played by Arthur Lowe, Buzz Aldrin by Patrick Macnee and Michael Collins by Leslie Phillips, they just need to dub the accents - or retain them on the grounds of class!
Meanwhile, back in the world of startling reality, the 'Red Planet' did match its description. I was captivated by the NASA website and spent more time than the dog was comfortable with (it was walkies time!). As I scoured the landscape I stopped at one picture that had been mystifying staff back at the US Ground Control. What appeared to be a slip of oblong-shaped paper was declared to be a sliver-thin slice of rock. Oh wouldn't it have been fun if it had turned out to be part of a 1932 Morris or a label from an 18th century apothecary's jar, or better still, a receipt for a Mars Bar? What I was surprised to find, and pleasantly so, was the complete lack of reference on any of the planet's surface to 'Black Lives Mattering' or a banner planted on behalf of the LGBT etc brigade. Mind you, it will probably be mandatory on the first manned flight, hopefully I'll be long gone by then... They do have steam trains in heaven, don't they?
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