55 Years Since Humans First Walked On The Moon
Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. An estimated 650 million people watched Armstrong's televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took "…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969.
In my home state of Ohio, Neil Armstrong and John Glenn (both from Ohio) were true heroes. And I'm still blown away by the sheer awe of the Apollo 11 mission and the tens of thousands of people who contributed – astronauts to mission controllers, contractors to caterers, engineers, scientists, nurses, doctors, mathematicians, programmers and many others. Talk about a team effort. Americans felt pride in the mission. It was a time when our country was joined in support of an ambitious and lofty leap forward – a "moonshot" project.
Though different in scale, there are parallels between the successful moon landing and our work here at EvergreenHealth where we do innovative, awe-inspiring things every day. Our mission? Advancing the health of our community with high quality, safe, compassionate and cost-effective health care.
Our "moon landing" is ongoing as we respond to the deep, personal needs of patients and families – providing science, technology, skill, comfort and confidence that culminates in the best possible outcomes. Every component of the Apollo 11 mission, big and small, was necessary for success. And teamwork was the underpinning of the entire mission. Similarly, each of our colleagues provides their own specialized skills, experience and human touch to provide that ultimate successful objective for our patients.
You'll find photos, video and audio from July 1969 here on the NASA site. Thanks for journeying together.
Resources:
Apollo 11 Mission Overview - NASA
55 Years Ago: Apollo 11's One Small Step, One Giant Leap - NASA
