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The moon and you
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(AP Photo, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University)
Last month marked the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing; the landing was the culmination of the race for space inspired by President John F. Kennedy's call in May of 1961. Our fascination with the moon dates back further than the 1960 Space Race. Folklore, song, and film all chronicle our love of our closest neighbor in the solar system.
Think back to your childhood, and you'll probably remember an early experience with the moon. "Hey, Diddle, Diddle" is one of the first nursery rhymes most of us learn. The image of the cow jumping over the moon can be seen in all sorts of places. The cow and the moon appear as decorations in nurseries and as pednants on necklace; they also appear on pajamas for adults. Further proof that this little nonsense rhyme sticks with us long beyond our nursery days is the song Frodo Baggins' sings in The Fellowship of the Ring. In addition to the cow jumping over the moon, "There Is an Inn, a Merry Old Inn" imagines the adventures of the Man in the Moon.
The moon also appears in countless songs, like "Moonlight Sonata," "Blue Moon," and "The Dark Side of the Moon." In many songs, the moon creates the appropriate setting for romance. The moon provides the protagonist of the song with the opportunity to connect with his or her true love. For instance, in "Blue Moon," the moon is a confidant and wish granter; the protagonist bemoans his or her loneliness only to have the perfect mate appear after confiding in the moon. In the recent discussions of the lunar landing and NASA's plans to return, "Fly Me to the Moon" provides a way to connect romance and science.
The scientific quest for the moon might not have been explored in song, but it was certainly explored in novels and film. H. G. Wells' novel The First Men in the Moon and Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon both explore the possibilities of lunar travel. These books then inspire what many consider the first science fiction film: A Trip to the Moon (1902) directed by Georges Méliès. One memorable scene from this silent film involves a troupe of lovely ladies in sailor suits who load the scientists in their bullet-shaped spaceship into a cannon and fire it to the moon.
While scientists and politicians debate the efficacy of returning to the moon, the public already knows just how important the moon is to us. It helps us learn to embrace the fantastical as children, frames our romantic ideals as adults, and widens the boundaries of our scientifc thinking.
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