40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING

OBAMA HOSTS APOLLO 11 CREW TO MARK
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOON LANDING

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - President Barack Obama marks the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing on Monday by hosting the crew of the Apollo 11 at the White House. Obama will meet with the former astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins at the Oval Office at 2:00 pm. They will be joined by NASA Administrator Charles Frank Bolden. The meeting marks the exact day in 1969 when Armstrong stepped off the Lunar Excursion Module and became the first man to walk on the Moon. Footage of his and Aldrin's moonwalk, frequently invoked by Obama during the presidential campaign and after assuming office to push his agenda during an economic crisis, have been restored and released by NASA to commemorate the anniversary.

Obama has long been a fan of the space race and America's victory on the Moon. In an April speech to the National Academy of Sciences, Obama touted the works of NASA's Apollo program. "The Apollo program itself produced technologies that have improved kidney dialysis and water purification systems; sensors to test for hazardous gasses; energy-saving building materials; and fire-resistant fabrics used by firefighters and soldiers," Obama explained. "And, more broadly, the enormous investment of that era - in science and technology, in education and research funding - produced a great outpouring of curiosity and creativity, the benefits of which have been incalculable."

Now, meeting with Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins at the White House, the trio are expected to push the president into funding a clear and decisive mission to Mars. Although they didn't directly criticize NASA's current plans, Aldrin and Collins said the moon is old hat. Aldrin presented an elaborate slide detailing how to make a quick visit to the moon a stepping stone to visits to the Martian moon Phobos, Mars itself, and even some asteroids like Apophis that may someday hit Earth. Aldrin said he and Armstrong landed on the moon 66 years after the Wright brothers first flew an airplane. What he would like would be for humanity to land on Mars 66 years after his flight. That would be 2035.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Material scientists are attempting to go to the moon and other planets, but they cannot imagine going to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, for it is beyond their imagination. By material calculation, traveling at the speed of light it would take forty thousand light-years to reach the topmost planet. By mechanical processes we are unable to reach the topmost planet of this universe, but the process called bhakti-yoga, as executed by Mahārāja Dhruva, can give one the facility not only to reach other planets within this universe, but also to reach beyond this universe to the Viṣṇuloka planets. We have outlined this in our small booklet Easy Journey to Other Planets.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"The Srimad Bhagavatam - Purport in Canto 4 - Chapter 12 - Verse 26"

One may profess a high philosophy, but when one is in need of money, he becomes a cheater. In this material world, so-called scientists, philosophers and economists are nothing but cheaters in one way or another. The scientists are cheaters because they present so many bogus things in the name of science. They propose going to the moon, but actually they end up cheating the entire public of large sums of money for their experiments. They cannot do anything useful. Unless one can find a person transcendental to the four basic defects, one should not accept advice and become a victim of the material condition. The best process is to take the advice and instructions of Śrī Krishna or His bona fide representative. In this way one can be happy in this life and the next.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"The Srimad Bhagavatam - Purport in Canto 5 - Chapter 14 - Verse 26"