LETTERS

Re “ ‘One small step,’ ” July 19

As a teenager watching the moon landing 40 years ago, I was less amazed that a man had actually walked on the moon (as that was the expectation I held since childhood) than the fact that we were watching it live at home on our TVs.

Russell N. Eagan

Valencia

::

John Johnson Jr.’s skilled retelling of the 1960s space race brings back an era of excitement and wonder, when ingenuity, drive, teamwork, selflessness and hard work multiplied by thousands was capable of overcoming any obstacle.

Though mostly symbolic in its accomplishments, the collateral benefit of the manned lunar landings was immense for America’s prestige and technological and scientific prowess.

Forty years later, the same $25 billion ($180 billion in today’s dollars) only serves to rescue companies that probably should have gone under.

Jonathan D. Kaunitz

Santa Monica