Growing up in Space Age: We need a moonshot of the first footstep on Mars

Moonshot is necessary not because more flags need to be planted and more footsteps left behind on a distant world, but because of the need to inspire present and future generations

“Hidden Figures” and “First Man” were arguably the most inspirational space-themed movies of the last several years. Both, though, had to reach back to the glory days of John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. The faces of my children after watching these movies was the surest sign of a missed opportunity, of a generation raised without a Moonshot.

Back on July 20, 1969, around the globe, millions sat glued to their black-and-white television sets, waiting for history to be made. “Houston, Tranquility Base here… the Eagle has landed” marked not just a successful Moon landing but