The Apollo 11 Lunar Module landed on the Moon 51 years ago today, culminating a decade of the greatest technological development in humanity's history: There were more useful inventions made during the 1960's than any similar time interval before or since. In landing astronauts on the Moon, the United States of America not only "won" the "space race" but also created a vast array of benefits everyone has been enjoying since.

Apollo 11 was the first of six successful missions to land a pair of astronauts on the Moon. However, since Apollo 17 Mission Commander Gene Cernan returned to the Lunar Excursion Module on 14 December, 1972, no one has been back to the Moon: NASA abandoned Lunar exploration and development to design and build the Space Shuttle.

It's time to go back to the Moon, and beyond: We need space to grow: There are far more resources available in the asteroids, moons and other planets of our Solar system than here on Earth. We will learn to travel beyond our Sun's reach, to other stellar systems, and find even more - including new habitable planets. Going back to the Moon is the first step on that journey, and it's time for us to take it: We must move beyond low Earth orbit where the International Space Station travels, establish a permanent human presence on all of the significant bodies in the Solar system, and in stations much larger than the ISS, self-sufficient colonies floating in their own independent orbits.

Today is Moon Day 51, an L5 National Holiday, the anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in human history. Let us honor its memory by vowing to re-open the door to deep space, and by realizing that vow with the actions necessary to bring it to fruition.

For more information about the L5 National Holidays, see https://L5Nation.com/supt/holidays.php