BEST THING WE’VE SEEN IN A LONG, LONG TIME: In the Shadow of the Moon.

Watched this one late last night and just sorta shivered with pride.

To hear those astronauts talk about the feeling of detachment in space, the extraordinary happenstance of “things workIng long enough” to keep the monumental daisychain of events and maneuvers in check and the overwhelming sense of history was just about enough to bring me to tears. Very moving.

Gigantically recommended. Liftoff.

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Kiss the day good bye, spacenauts:

Apollo Missions logos | Gemini Missions logos | STS Missions logos

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NATIONAL TREASURE: Buzz Aldrin.

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Neil Armstrong, on a stamp.

Neil Armstrong is somewhat reclusive. HIs status as the “first man on the moon” wasn’t something he exploited over the years too much with lavish speaking engagements or monsters endorsements. Sensible and tactful, Mr. Armstrong lived a pretty normal life after his crowning achievement.

And the guy was tougher than hell: “In the fall of 1979, Armstrong was working at his farm near Lebanon, Ohio. As he jumped off of the back of his grain truck, his wedding ring caught in the wheel, tearing off his ring finger. However, he calmly collected the severed digit, packed it in ice, and managed to have it reattached by microsurgeons at the Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.”

Yikes.