6th Man To Walk On The Moon Dies – Leaves A Message For Politicians As A Lasting Legacy [Video]

As a kid in the late 60's and early 70's I was fascinated by NASA's Apollo Missions. Those were the missions that successfully put an American on the surface of the moon. Many people remember Neil Armstrong who passed away last year. Not as many remember Edgar Mitchell.

Edgar Mitchell passed away on February 4th, the eve of the 45th Anniversary of his flight to the moon on Apollo 14. Apollo 14 was the "comeback" mission for NASA after the near disaster of Apollo 13. Like all the men who traveled to the moon before and after Mitchell he was profoundly changed by his journey.

Mitchell flew to the surface of the moon with America's first man in space, Alan Shepard. While their mission was of a scientific nature these two astronauts captured the fancy of the American public by doing some very not NASA like things on the surface of the moon.

Shepard brought golf balls and hit a drive that might still be circling the moon. Mitchell threw a space tool like a javelin. The world was watching both of these events through the eyes of live TV cameras.

After his retirement from the space program Mitchell became a proponent of extra terrestrial and UFO study. He founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to further explore paranormal phenomenon. He also gave one of the most profound quotes about the human condition. After observing the Earth from so far away Mitchell was so deeply moved by that experience he said.

You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.

Mitchell passed away at the age of 85 from leukemia. He was the lone surviving member of the Apollo 14 crew. Rest in Peace Captain Mitchell. I know that you are exploring another new world with the same curiosity that you explored this one and beyond.