Apollo 17:
The transmission of the crew of Apollo 17, the last men to set foot on the moon is one of the most beautiful moving things I’ve ever heard. Remember it was 1972. America was in the final gasp of Vietnam. Watergate was on the horizon, the cold war raged. And yet all you hear is curiosity, optimism, and boundless hope for our collective future.
I’m going to be listening this as we move into 2008, a new administration on the horizon, a renewed concern for the future of our planet and a reawakening of the belief, however naive, that we all, as John Kennedy once said, ""We all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal." (via Radio Lab).
"As I take man’s last step from the surface, back home for some time
to come — but we believe not too long into the future — I’d like to
just [say] what I believe history will record — that America’s
challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow. And, as we
leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing,
as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the
crew of Apollo 17."
– Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 17 Commander
"The same rocket technology that delivers nuclear
warheads has also taken us peacefully into space. From that perspective, we
see our Earth as it really is — a small and fragile and beautiful blue globe,
the only home we have. We see no barriers of race or religion or country.
We see the essential unity of our species and our planet; and with faith and
common sense, that bright vision will ultimately prevail."
–President Jimmy Carter