The new Cosmos TV series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson has had some great moments. Here's one I especially treasure as a jewel...

Back in 1914, H.G. Wells wrote the book 'The World Set Free' to warn us of the new age of nuclear weapons that humanity was then on the verge of entering. 100 years later, in 2014, the TV series Cosmos took a retrospective look back in an episode titled 'The World Set Free' (aired June 1st), and here's what NdT had to say:

(available to watch at http://www.hulu.com/watch/643055
quote is at ~33min18sec point, with 6m38s remaining)

==================
....
In fact, the most mythic human accomplishments of all came out of our darkest hour.
(commercial break)


The nuclear rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union had another byproduct. The Apollo missions to the Moon were an extension of the arms race that raged between them.

Sending people to orbit the Earth or go to the Moon requires big reliable powerful rockets, precisely the same technology you need to carry a nuclear warhead half way around the planet to destroy your enemy's largest cities.

(JFK)
I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.

President Kennedy's 1961 speech electrified the nation. And it contained much that was remarkably prophetic, but not a word about a scientific objective for going to the Moon. No questions about the Moon's origin or the hope of bringing back samples to analyze. No, the Apollo missions were conceived as a demonstration of the superior power and precision of our strategic missiles. But a funny thing happened to us on our way to the Moon. We looked homeward and discovered another world: our own. For the first time, we inhabitants of Earth could step back and see it as it really is: one world, indivisible. And kind of small in the cosmic context.

Whatever the reason we first mustered the enormous resources required for the Apollo program, however mired it was in Cold War nationalism and the instruments of death, the inescapable recognition of the unity and fragility of the Earth is its clear and luminous dividend. The unexpected gift of Apollo, a project conceived in deadly competition, made us recognize our community.

==================



Thanks to NdT and Cosmos, the 45th Anniversary of Apollo 11 was celebrated with a much more complete understanding than previous years. Writing credit for this episode was Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, but my expectation is that it was NdT himself who penned the above quote, in line with recent speeches he has made on the subject.

Here's a thread from two and a half years ago with a transcript of NdT's interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show:
"Space Race Driven By The Nuclear Threat - Now A Mainstream Understanding"
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...ry/uq7k7SG4z9w

And here's another thread from last year, with a link to NdT's speech where he chides us for our "delusional thinking" and how "we have collectively cleansed our memory" of what actually happened and why:
"Space Race Driven By Nuclear Threat - Shift Toward Understanding"
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...ry/qJYxJhA5wbQ



I expect our future policy decisions to be much smarter given a solid grasp of history. As the old adage goes, those who don't learn history are destined to repeat it. This, along with what H.G. Wells was warning us about a full century ago, is particularly pointed when given new warnings that we're on the brink of a new Cold War.

~ CT