By Clyde Noel

Neil Armstrong

It was a defining moment in the history of mankind. Nearly 36 years ago, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon’s surface he proclaimed, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Appearing in a gray business suit with a yellow tie, Armstrong spoke about his great respect for science at last Friday’s Foothill Celebrity Forum Speaker Series.

“Science is what is, and engineering is what can be,” Armstrong said. “Science will determine the future of space exploration including a manned mission to Mars.”

Many people think the most famous thing Armstrong left on the moon 35 years ago was a footprint in the Sea of Tranquility. Science differs, because he also left a 2-foot wide panel studded with 100 mirrors pointing at Earth.

“My job was to plant those mirrors.” Armstrong said. “It was a science experiment called the lunar laser ranging retroreflector array … with Mount Hamilton. It’s the only Apollo science experiment still running.”

Armstrong said it works by a laser pulse through the telescope on Earth crossing the Earth-moon divide and hitting an array of mirrors. They send the pulse straight back where it came from.

“If we’re looking for the distance to the moon, the laser beam from Earth can be as accurate as 11 inches,” he said. “A round trip travel time pinpoints the moon’s distance with staggering precision.”

Armstrong also said the Apollo proved humans were not forever a prisoner of Earth’s gravity. We can leave our planet and go to other celestial destinations such as Mars.

“We realize that leaving Earth is easy for space exploration because it’s only 15 minutes away with a decent rocket,” Armstrong said. “However, Mars is difficult because we would need a gigantic load of fuel to slow us down. It’s 7 to 9 months away

with only one-month time to visit. Since Mars and the Earth are not in the same planetary alignment you would then have to stay for another year. We know it won’t be easy.

“From time to time, new exploration plans are announced, only to be shelved because of an inadequate level of public support by elected officials,” Armstrong said. “President Bush has introduced a new initiative with renewed emphasis on exploration of our solar system and expansion of human frontiers. This proposal has substantial merit and promise.”

Responding to questions from the audience, Armstrong said, “The world is not running out of energy, just cheap energy.

“Oil and gas will become more expensive because there haven’t been any new plants constructed, but now more than 60 plants are being constructed around the world and an effective fusion reactor will be available in a few years.”

Armstrong thinks the best move is a to a hydrogen economy and fuel cells.

General Motors has been interested in fuel cells for buses, and Ford has demonstrated testing for the California Fuel Partnership as fuel cell-powered vehicles heat up.

When Armstrong first set foot on the moon in 1969, the electricity that allowed him to signal back to Earth came from hydrogen-fuel-cell power in the Apollo 11 lunar landing module.

Armstrong offered another alternative that included going back to the moon for mining nickel and copper.

“We need to solve this energy problem on Earth as soon as possible,” he said.