In the Netherlands it was almost 4 a.m. I was sound asleep, as most 8-year-olds must have been at that early hour.
But my father was aware of the significance of this special occasion. For the first time in my life he got me out of bed to watch TV! My younger sister and 2 brothers were left asleep. So he quietly got just me…that was really something!
It made me feel very special and gave even more cachet to this once in a lifetime event.
In the previous years I had read everything that was printed about the Apollo program. The newspapers were covering every mission, from launch to splashdown and even the planning phase was covered by illustrated articles with the projected trajectory the Saturn rocket was to fly towards the moon. And despite the fact that I already had made up my mind, that later I wanted to become an Air Force pilot, I would fantasize on joining the astronauts in their capsule on their space endeavor. Remember this is all very realistic in the mind of an 8-year-old boy.
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My father was well aware of my keen interest in the NASA space program, and that’s why he made an exception for just this one time. I’m still thankful for that.
In those years he collected memorial-coins for me that were handed out after each fill-up at the gas station. Needless to say I stopped begging him only after I had them all.
All my saved newspaper clippings made an impressive scrapbook. It filled an entire wall from our classroom when I used it for my school-presentation. That turned out to be a great success thanks to my enthusiasm and detailed background information.
Although I made a career in military and civilian aviation - I am a retired airline captain - the enthusiasm and fascination for space exploration never faded.
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