Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Resources
  • Organizations & Blogs
  • Archives
  • Contact

“We went to the moon…and we discovered the Earth”

August 9, 2017

Just 20 miles down the road from us are the Experimental Aircraft Association grounds where EAA AirVenture 2017 just concluded. This year’s special guests were a number of NASA employees and US astronauts. A synopsis of the forum of this Apollo reunion appeared in our local newspapers. Frank Borman, commander of Apollo 8 (1968) “noted that Earth was the only colorful thing in the universe, and it was on the third orbit around the moon they realized its beauty.” And Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and commander of Apollo 13 said: “We went to the moon to discover the moon and we discovered the Earth.”  (Oshkosh Northwestern)

Apollo 8: Earthrise — This is one of the more famous images of the Earth from the Apollo program, taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts as they became the first humans to circumnavigate the Moon. NASA Photo ID: AS08-14-2383

“Lovell said that people think you go to heaven when you die — but really, Earth is a heaven when considering the factors that aligned perfectly to support life here.” (Oshkosh Northwestern) I think this same thing every day as I watch the flowers and grasses bloom, the trees leaf out and the birds sing. We live in an amazing place.

Later in the interview the astronauts talk about Earth’s prospects for the future and how our destiny will be to settle on Mars in order for humanity to survive. Without flowers and trees and birds, that seems like hell.

The article was a walk down memory lane, but it was also a warning of what’s to come. I’ll be ash at our hunting property when that happens, but I feel the heartbreak now for those who will be here when that time comes.

Apollo Veterans Awe EAA Crowd

 

Thank you Kristin Kauth for bringing this article to my attention.

   Send article as PDF   

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Signup button.

Recent Posts

  • OVER-THE-COUNTER NATIVE PLANT SALE MAY 21
  • WOFVA’s NATIVE PLANT SALE MAY 21
  • Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA)
  • Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees
  • Native Landscaping Design

Category Archives

  • Biodiversity
    • Monarchs
    • Pollinators
  • Birds
  • Climate Change
  • Events
  • Fire
  • Funding
  • Garden and Landscape Design
  • Heroes
  • Homestead
    • Recipe
  • Invasive Plants
  • Native plant garden design
  • Native Plants
  • Natural Landscaping
  • Prairie
  • Public Comment Opportunity
  • Railroad
  • The Sky
  • Wellbeing
  • Wetlands
  • Wildflowers
    • Trees & Shrubs
  • Wildlife
    • Wolves
  • Wisconsin
  • Women
  • Woodlands

Copyright 2005-2018
Donna VanBuecken