One Giant Loss for Mankind

SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED: Saturday afternoon we were (passively) watching the U.S. championships of the Little League World Series. Christian was in the addition hanging dry wall and when Tennessee seemed to have California creamed, I decided to run over to Fred Meyer for who knows what. Anyway, as I'm crossing the Ballard Bridge, I got a text message from Christian. It read, "Neil Armstrong has died."

Gulp.

Apparently CJ has been watching the LLWS broadcast when they broke in to announce Armstrong's passing. And because he knows all about the Apollo program and the moon landing, he knew that the flash notice was a bad thing. Apparently he went to find Christian and reported, "Something terrible has happened," and said that Neil Armstrong had died.

Because of how I found out about Armstrong's passing, I do believe I will forever think of Neil Armstrong each and every time I cross that bridge. He was - and is - a true American hero.

I think the world 'hero' is over used. I'm a bigger sports fan than most, for sure, and there are phenomenal sports stars, but unless they're carrying someone from a burning building, I don't think I'd call any of them a hero.

But if you want to know what a hero looks like, check THIS out.  It's a video of Armstrong test driving the lunar landing module. Before it crashes into a fiery inferno, watch, for him to eject at about 10 o'clock.


You might have to watch it a couple of times before you pick up his ejection. It's amazing that he's alive, let alone that he was humankind's first moon walker.

TUNE IN: Tomorrow, history will be made. In the history of music here on Earth, countless singles have been released. But never in the history of mankind has a song has its debut broadcast from Mars to our Big Blue Marble.

That's what's going to happen when will.i.am's single "Reach for the Stars" comes out Tuesday at 1 p.m. Pac Coast time. The event will be broadcast here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

I was fortunate enough  to get to meet will.i.am at the Curiosity TweetUp last November when Curiosity launched, and he talked about the single then. Can't wait to finally hear it!