MSI Press Blog

🌕 On This Day, July 16, 1969 , Apollo 11 rocketed toward the Moon, carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins into history. It was a moment that stitched awe into the collective memory of humanity—our first step onto another world. But behind the iconic bootprint and the echoes of “one small step,” were three men with bills to pay, lawns to mow, and children to raise. Thirty years later, as I provided consultation to the International Space Station project, I had the rare opportunity to live with the ex-wife of one of the Apollo astronauts. She was charming, kind, and simple delightful to spend time with—and through her, I glimpsed truths that rarely surface in documentaries or museum plaques. These astronauts were heroes, yes, but also husbands, fathers, and neighbors. Their home lives, like those of so many public figures, were deeply affected by the tidal wave of idolization that followed the missions. When we elevate individuals into icons—be they astronauts, prie...

  Raindrops Keep Falling on Her Head Once upon a time Mommy worked at NASA in Houston, Texas for a year. She liked her work, but she did not like the Houston climate. It rained a lot. In fact, it rained off and on nearly every day in the spring. Being from California, Mommy was not used to that much rain. She figured out how to cope, however. She bought a small umbrella that folded up to fit inside her backpack. That way, if it rained, she could quickly pull out the umbrella, and if it did not rain, the umbrella would be out of the way in her backpack. This was especially helpful because Mommy walked back and forth from work. She liked walking, but she often got caught in sur­prise rainstorms. One day it was not raining when Mommy left her house. In fact, it was pretty hot. Mommy had a long walk. She lived more than two miles from NASA. When she walked, she thought a lot. She thought about work, about her family, about lots of things. So, she did not pay a lot of attention to what ...