James R. Hansen > Quotes

“quoted his commencement address at Ohio State University in June 1971: “My enthusiasm for the future of space travel, I think you’ll grant is understandable. To stand on the surface of the Moon and look at the Earth high overhead leaves an impression not easily forgotten. Although our blue planet is very beautiful, it is very remote and apparently very small. You might suspect in such a situation, the observer might dismiss the Earth as relatively unimportant. “However, exactly the opposite conclusion has been reached by each of the individuals who has had the opportunity to share that view. We have all been struck by the similarity to an oasis or island. More importantly, it is the only island that we know is a suitable home for man.”
― James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong

“No member of the human race stepping out onto another heavenly body could possibly have represented the best of humanity more than Neil Armstrong did.”
― James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong