Today, May 25th, there are two interesting Space anniversaries.
One fact.
"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."
— Pres. Kennedy, May 25, 1961
Read the text (PDF) | Listen 
One fiction.
"In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, series creator George
Lucas’ Lucasfilm production company and convention organizer Gen Con
are presenting “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention
Center, which will be open to the public Friday through Monday."
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http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/05/25/kennedy.moon/
Man on the moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream
May 25, 2001 Posted: 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 GMT)
By Richard Stenger
CNN
President Kennedy calls for a mission to send man to the moon during a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961
(CNN) -- Forty years ago on this day, President John F. Kennedy
presented a bold challenge before a joint session of Congress: Send a
man to the moon by the end of the decade.
Some derided the dream as lunacy. Others viewed it as just another
strategic move in the Cold War chess match between the United States
and the Soviet Union.
Kennedy had just been humiliated in the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, a
communist ally of Moscow. In his speech, he called for many measures to
combat communism, requesting billions, for example, to stop red
insurgencies in Southeast Asia.
But in his address, Kennedy chose space as the main Cold War
battleground on which to marshal his forces. The Soviet Union opened
the final frontier when it sent the Sputnik satellite into orbit in
1957.
Four years later, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in
space. The Soviets were beating the Americans to every milestone off
the planet.
Feeling a sense of urgency in finding a way to overtake the Soviets in
the space race, Kennedy had huddled with Vice President Lyndon Johnson
and his science advisers to come up with a plan.
The president determined that safely landing a man on the moon would be
technologically daunting, but it was a goal that the United States
could reach before the Soviet Union.
"No single space project in this period will be more impressive to
mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and
none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish," Kennedy said.
The president cautioned Congress that the cost would be significant,
more than $9 billion in 1960s dollars. Congress accepted the challenge.
Kennedy's vision guided NASA's human space flight program from the
beginning. Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions were designed with his
objective in mind.
Despite skeptics who thought it could not be accomplished, Kennedy's
dream became a reality on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander Neil
Armstrong took a small step for himself and a giant step for humanity,
leaving a dusty trail of footprints on the moon.
A total of 12 Apollo astronauts would reach the lunar surface over the
next three years, collecting rocks, driving buggies and even practicing
a little golf.

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Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set up a U.S. flag on the moon
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Meanwhile, the Soviet Union scrapped its lunar manned mission program
before one cosmonaut reached the moon.
While steeped in Cold War rhetoric, Kennedy's address also noted that
the push to explore space transcended national rivalries.
"But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our
eagerness to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of
others. We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free
men must fully share."
//
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18863675/
‘A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...’
30 years after its release, fans, actors celebrate anniversary of ‘Star Wars’

Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM / AP
Mark Hamill (shown with droid C-3PO in the original film) became a star after playing Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies.
By Carolyn Giardina
Hollywood Reporter
Updated: 4:51 a.m. HT May 25, 2007
LOS ANGELES - More than 20,000 “Star Wars” fans are expected to converge on downtown Los Angeles during the next few days to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
In
recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, series creator George Lucas’
Lucasfilm production company and convention organizer Gen Con are
presenting “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention
Center, which will be open to the public Friday through Monday.
The
event — which kicked off Wednesday with a marathon screening of all six
films — includes live entertainment, cast-member appearances, film and
video presentations and an exhibit of movie props and costumes.
Carrie Fisher (a.k.a. Princess Leia)
will attend, but Lucas is out of the country, said Tom Warner, senior
director of marketing at Lucasfilm.
Warner
said the event will include a preview of a new video game, “The Force
Unleashed,” which will be available on multiple game platforms in early
2008. In the game, the player takes on the role of Darth Vader’s secret
apprentice.
 |
GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/Getty Images
Peter
Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the first three "Star Wars"
films, signs autographs during the opening day of "Star Wars
Celabration IV" in Los Angeles on Thursday. The five-day convention
celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars saga.
|
“Star
Wars” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1978 and won six. In 2005,
the American Film Institute named John Williams’ iconic score the most
memorable of all time. The film has shown up on additional AFI lists,
including the “100 Greatest American Movies” list, where it ranked No.
15.
“Star
Wars” marked a milestone in visual effects. Its makers pioneered
groundbreaking visual effects techniques, and the work inspired many of
today’s VFX talent. Among the weekend program events is a Saturday
session featuring the five visual effects supervisors from the 1977
classic through 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” Scheduled to appear are Richard Edlund, John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Phil Tippett.
//
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The buzz around the planet is New Zealand is still with us. So is Harold Camping.
We sincerely believe he will go on as before. One reason is provided in the AP article "Apocalypse believers await end, skeptics carry on":
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