Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the one of the greatest
feats of human exploration, courage and innovation: man’s
setting foot on the surface of the moon. Responding heroically
to the challenges of the “Space Race” (while its arch-nemesis,
the Soviet Union, was clearly in the lead), the United States
stood proud to represent the free and enterprising West. To put
the challenges of victory into perspective, America was running
adrift amid pretty rough waters at the time: two great wars in
Asia had taken their tolls on the government’s treasury; cities
and communities were torn by civil riots; national inflation was
escalating at a record pace; and an irreversible paradigm shift
was occurring in its traditional moral values. Sound
painstakingly familiar? Yet, America loved (and still loves)
challenges and risks. It excels (and still wants to excel) under
pressure. It was the land forged by underdogs, the under-rated,
the under-financed, while driven by an ever-zealous
entrepreneurial optimism and creativity