There's the lunar landers from 1969 and later, still there. You can see some scientific equipment, still up there. And you can see the footprints from the astronauts, going back and forth between them.

This is the only other place (we could probably call it a planet if it had been by itself and not circling Earth) where we've walked besides good ol' terra firma. I bet it's quiet up there now. So quiet that some say that the footprints could last millions of years before they are eroded away.

So what's the point of this blog? Just to think back a bit. We just had a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. Forty years ago. Wow. I also wanted to think forward a bit too.

But what about now? Well, we have 2 probes there.. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and another probe that is going to slam into a crater at one of the poles? Why? Because there's a lot of reason to believe that there's water up there.

"Where there's water, there's life." Probably not right now. But if the moon has water, then it's a lot easier for us to go too. Water breaks down into hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel and breathing. Plus it's nice to be able to drink something too. People on the moon, though, would have to bring their own bourbon, but that's a different story.

I guess I just wanted to put the big picture out there. We're arguing about health care and a slew of other things. In the big picture, humans can grow and evolve. We can become more just and empathetic. We can learn about the world that we live and other worlds. And I also just wanted to say that it's nice having a government that is again realizing that science education, implementation, and that everyone knowing some basics is important.