In Event of Moon Disaster

"In Event of Moon Disaster" was a proposed speech drafted by presidential speechwriter William Safire. It was intended to be read by President Richard Nixon during the Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969 had a catastrophe occurred that would have prevented Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin from leaving the surface of the Moon. It is considered a haunting glimpse of the worst case scenario that could have made the historic landing a much more somber one. As the mission was successful and the astronauts returned safely, the speech was never used. It also never had to be adapted for any of the subsequent landings. The last line of the speech contains an allusion to Rupert Brooke's First World War poem, The Soldier.

The speech was part of a memo from Safire to Nixon's chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman. It detailed Safire's suggestions about how the Administration would react to a disaster that would leave Armstrong and Aldrin stranded on the Moon, including a speech, presidential phone calls to the "widows-to-be," and a religious ceremony for the astronauts.

The text of the memo was as follows:

To: H. R. Haldeman

From: Bill Safire

July 18, 1969.


IN EVENT OF MOON DISASTER:

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by the nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at the stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

PRIOR TO THE PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT:

The President should telephone each of the widows-to-be.

AFTER THE PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT, AT THE POINT WHEN NASA ENDS COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MEN:

A clergyman should adopt the same procedure as a burial at sea, commending their souls to "the deepest of the deep," concluding with the Lord's Prayer.

Why I Left My Great Job at Oregon State University

Without naming names or saying anything more than needs to said, this explains it well enough to my many friends at OSU and elsewhere who have been wondering about this.

Geocaching Song

My friends at Podcacher.com sent this great geocaching song, and I absolutely must pass it along.

World English Institute in Albania

Billions of people in today's world are trying to learn English. Many students enroll in World English Institute to learn English, and as they study God's Word, their interest often shifts from English to the Bible.

Why I Archived "ID V. Ego" (GC14GMJ)

In an effort to avoid more false accusations and rumors, I'm archiving my "ID V. Ego" cache. It's supposed to be fun, but someone who seems unable to solve this puzzle cache sees it differently.

Young Engineers at Work

Early Fall Mountain Biking ROCKS!

I took a bike ride to my Land Navigation 101 cache for a maintenance visit, and shot this pic nearby. Fall is my favorite mountain biking season, for good reason.

No Smoking Bicycles

Yes, we must be told not to bring our smoking bicycles into the building. I'm glad we have someone looking out for us.

This window is just a few dozen feet from my notorious All of the Cool Cachers Log DNFs Here cache. If you haven't seen the video for this cache, watch it here:

The Funniest Joke in the World

Late Summer Biking by the River

I took a ride this morning and hit some trails by the South Santiam River that I haven't ridden in at least 5 or 6 years. I started to head down what looked like a new trail and what I found instead of a rideable trail is in the pic above. When I finally got close to the road, I passed by a "No Trespassing" sign...as in coming out of a restricted area. Bummer. At least I know the direction to take again next time.

World Bible School is Bringing It Home

World Bible School has delivered the Gospel for 35 years via postal mail and email. In 2008, WBS will introduce a new web-based online education program, "Bringing It Home."



A Pablo Mac exclusive video.

River Jeeping with Crazy Joe

Who drives their Jeep across a raging riverbed? Crazy Joe & Pablo Mac, that's who!

We Must BAN Dihydrogen Monoxide!

Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

For more information on this issue, visit this site.

Meanwhile, watch and listen to what Penn & Teller say about this pervasive chemical.

Animator vs. Animation

I wish I could claim credit for this!


Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviantART

From a Forwarded Email...

One of my sons serves in the military. He is stationed stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him and his troops everywhere they go. Telling me how people shake their hands and thank them for being willing to serve and fight, not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them too.

Then he told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that several people were in the line ahead of him, including a woman dressed in a burkha.

He said when she got to the cashier, she made a loud remark about the U.S. Flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin and said, "Yes, I always wear it proudly, because I'm an American."

The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi.

A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son's shoulders and, nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman, "Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen."

"It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq, so you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."

Everyone within hearing distance cheered!

Pablo Mac's 1000th Geocache Find

My son and I Jeeped all around here with some geofriends this afternoon on a great cache adventure. We found my l000th Geocache on the summit of Snow Peak, a mountain I have been wanting to visit for a few years. I got to combine the two most fun aspects of geocaching in one trip: spending time with friends in really cool places!

Time to Give It Up

When you have stared at a puzzle cache for countless hours at home and work, yet have made no progress toward solving it, at some point you should step off, give up, and get on with life.




It's time to give up and get on with life.

Pablo Mac's 1000th Geocache Find

My son and I Jeeped all around here with some geofriends this afternoon on a great cache adventure. We found my l000th Geocache on the summit of Snow Peak, a mountain I have been wanting to visit for a few years. I got to combine the two most fun aspects of geocaching in one trip: spending time with friends in really cool places!

Real Eyes Realize Real Lies

Tampon Chandalier

I don't know which question to ask: "Why?" or "Why not?"