Already 40 years…already 40 years that what is perhaps the greatest achievement of mankind, led to having the very first earthling fooling around on the moon. It was the ultimate achievement of one entire nation fulfilling J.F Kennedy promise back in 1961. A 3 stage-programs (Mercury, Gemini and Apollo) and billions of dollars spend, led not only to having men on the moon but also great scientific progress and to an extraordinary technological leap forward, skyrocketing the entire world into today’s reality. We can thank the cold war for fuelling a frantic space race between the USA and USSR. But the legacy of such space race is massive and everywhere in our today’s life.  Going to space and to the moon required a handful of technology that we didn’t have. Where to start?  The benefits of the space program are virtually everywhere.  For instance, home insulation, cordless power tools appliances, LED light, laser, lightning protection, shades, robotic, portable breathing system among many others. UNIX is also a spinoff of the space program.

Most of all, the space program and the most of all the lunar explorations by Apollo 11 to 17 (except 13) provides an extraordinary reservoir of dreams for billions of earthlings…for decades. Which kid doesn’t want to be an astronaut as some point? Which one of us didn’t say  ”I wish it was me on that freaking Space shuttle even if I have to throw-up during the 15 days of the mission? right?

As for myself, that brings me to get an airplane pilot license and to apply to the European Space Agency astronaut selection program in June ’08. Luckily, I got selected and I touched for a little bit of what being an astronaut could be while having my butt kicked during the tests in Germany.

Apollo 11 Landing anniversary must remind us that we should not stop investing in great and ambitious programs such as the space exploration. On another level, the Concorde program brought many technical achievement that are not only in use in all nowadays airliners but in all vehicles, computers, etc…. Just as a reminder, at the time of the Concorde program, only very few military aircraft were able to sustain mach 2+. Concorde was able to comfortably cruise at mach 2.02 for 2+ hours at 60.000ft…advanced military aircraft territory.

To realize how great it was, let’s imagine that the mighty SR-71 blackbird was probably the only aircraft able to overtake the Concorde during a transatlantic crossing without refueling. The legend wants that one day somewhere over the Atlantic an SR-71 blackbird flying at mach 3 was overtaking a Concorde cruising below at mach 2. The crew of the blackbird suddenly realized that they were sweaty, tired and strapped in a rather uncomfortable space-suit, breathing cold and dry oxygen while just below, 100 passengers flying at twice the speed of sound, where having foie gras, caviars and delicious Champagne…In a similar manner of the Apollo program France and UK spend billions to make Concorde a reality.

As today’s economy is going side-ways, it is the time to massively invest in very ambitious programs during the coming years. Tomorrow’s world will thank us later.