Well it’s been a while and we’re still catching up. In the summer, News in Space went to Starfest, one of the top Star Parties and Astronomy Conventions in North America. Very soon we will have a series of Starfest episodes posted on AstroShorts. I know many of you have been waiting patiently and you will be rewarded. Starfest attracts over 900 astronomy enthusiasts to Southern Ontario, Canada each year. Its diversity of programs means there is something for everyone. I’m impressed by how such a small group of organizers, the North York Astronomical Association produces such a great event.

October 4th, 1957 was a day that changed our perception of the world. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 which orbited the earth while announcing its presence for all to see and hear. The event stirred emotions in the western world. Wonder, fear, anger, awe and a sense of challenge stirred the United States and set it on a path that further changed the globe. In 1957 I wasn’t yet born but I do remember the passion for the Space Race of the 1960’s and how it interested the entire world for a decade. The Space Race embodied the western world’s fears of being dominated by a foreign communist state and it also inspired us to reach for highest achievements we could imagine. With a dark soul as well as a noble purpose, the race to the moon seemed to mirror humanity’s unique quality of being immensely dangerous and at the same time incredibly hopeful.

Fifty years later, we find ourselves in a renewed Space Race. The political landscape is more complicated than ever and I’m too old now to think only of the more noble aspects of going back to the moon and beyond. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment or perhaps explore the subject in a video. I’d like to hear from you.