We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. – John F. Kennedy On this day, 40 years ago the United States launched Apollo 11 on its historic trip to fulfill John F. Kennedy’s desire to “… commit nation … to achieving the goal, before decade out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Above is the launch photo of Apollo 11. You can see many more photographs here and historical information here, both from NASA. It’s time to revel in the most amazing event in human history, the moment we blasted off for another world and set foot on it. Pity we didn’t opt to stay…