One of the most exciting and abiding memories of my childhood was the Apollo Moon landings. I remember that we were allowed time off lessons at school to crowd round a tiny black-and-white TV set and watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface. Like most nine-year-olds back then I imagined that by the time I was in my teens there’d be permanent bases on the Moon and that once I was in my twenties there’d be regular lunar commercial flights. On reaching my thirties the Moon would probably have come to be considered a bit naff by sophisticated holiday-makers, as the cheapness of package flights had led it to becoming a popular venue for stag weekends and sales conferences. By then Mars would no doubt be the go-to destination of choice for the discerning traveller.. Yet, oddly, none of this came to pass. I am now in my sixties and to date only the original twelve men - the Apollo apostles - have ever walked on the moon.
But now I read that next month the Americans are planning to launch a new Lunar mission - Artemis II - which they say is critical for the U.S. goal of establishing a long-term presence on the Moon and preparing for future human missions to Mars. Yes, but isn’t that exactly what they said about Apollo sixty years ago? And that failed to happen.