PISCATAWAY, N.J.
– 15 July, 2009 – Forty years
after the United States Apollo 11 astronauts
became the first humans to walk on the moon, IEEE,
the world’s largest technical professional
association, is joining the world’s
citizens to recognize this feat and celebrate the
advances IEEE members have made in space and
aeronautics since that memorable day. Before
that special moment in the world’s history,
and ever since, engineers, scientists, computing
and technology experts, physicists and the like
from around the globe, led by IEEE members, have
worked aggressively to advance space
exploration.
"Forty years ago,
when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, the mission was
driven by international competition, national policy,
and a spirit of exploration," commented David Mindell,
IEEE Member, MIT professor, and space historian. His
most recent book, "Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in
Spaceflight" (MIT Press, 2008) explores the relationship
between humans and computers in the Apollo program.
"Once Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Apollo
became a unique event in human history, our first
physical foray onto another planetary body. There it
stands, by itself forty years later, as a technological
achievement that has not been superseded. But the
Apollo program's vision of technology-enabled human
beings remains embedded in the daily fabric of our world."
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