FEBRUARY 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 25
LUNAR MODULE
LI’S MOON MEN
BY TIMOTHY BOLGER
When President John F.
Kennedy gave his famous
“We choose to go to the moon”
speech in 1962, it was Grumman
Corporation workers
on Long Island who made it
happen seven years later.
NASA contracted the company
to design, build, and test
what became known as the
lunar module, the spacecraft
that U.S. astronauts used to
first set foot on Earth’s closest
celestial neighbor on July
20, 1969. The “Lem,” as it was
known for short, was about
twice the size of a standard
sedan.
“The landing of the lunar
module and Neil Armstrong’s
walk on the moon was one of
the most momentous events in
American and world history
that Long Islanders remember
with pride,” says Adam
Sackowitz, a local historian.
“Long Island played a direct
role in landing man on the
moon.”
Grumman built 13 lunar
modules during the course of
NASA’s Apollo program. Of
those, most went to space, but
three are on Earth, including
one at the Cradle of Aviation
Museum in Garden City,
where it is central to the current
“Countdown to Apollo at
50” exhibits, school initiatives,
and community programs celebrating
the mission’s golden
anniversary.
The moon landing redeemed
America’s space race credentials
after Russia became the first nation
to successfully launch an artificial
satellite into Earth’s orbit in 1957.
These days, NASA is busy using rovers
to explore Mars and having The
New Horizons spacecraft snap photos
of the Kuiper belt four billion miles
away. Catching up is China, which
made the surprise announcement in
January that it landed a rover on the
dark side of the moon.
Besides learning about moon
rocks, landing the lunar module on
the moon also reaffirmed the grit of
the nation — and the Long Islanders
who helped land astronauts there.
As Kennedy said, “We choose to
go to the Moon in this decade and do
the other things, not because they are
easy, but because they are hard.”
WHOLLY MOLI
Astronaut John Young leaps from the lunar
surface as he salutes the U.S. flag next to the
lunar module during an Apollo 16 extravehicular
activity, April 21, 1972. (NASA Photo)
I’M READY TO HELP YOU
FIND THE FINANCIN G
THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.
So, before you fall in love with a home, let us help you figure out
how much you can borrow with a prequalification assessment.
We offer a broad range of home financing programs including:
• Condo/co-op financing including non-warrantable condo financing*
• Construction-to-permanent loans with a one-time close
• Jumbo financ ing
• Competitive interest rates
If you have a questions about home financing, call Demetrios today.
Demetrios Jangarathis, Sr. Loan Ofcer
NMLS ID # :657338
demetrios.jangarathis@citizensbank.com
917-975-4439
https://lo.citizensbank.com/djangarathis
*Co-op financing available only in New York City’s five boroughs and the counties of Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk and
Westchester. Non-warrantable condo financing available only in select geographies. Consult your loan officer for details.
Mortgages are offered and originated by Citizens Bank, N.A. Citizens Bank is a brand name of Citizens Bank, N.A.
(NMLS ID# 433960) and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania (NMLS ID# 522615). Citizens Bank, N.A. and Citizens Bank of
Pennsylvania are affiliates. All loans are subject to approval. Equal Housing Lender. CS#802756_Jangarathis_4.566x5.43
Master Independent Certified
Debòrah Ann Villepigue GG-GIA, RMV, AGS-ICGA
1295 NORTHERN BLVD
MANHASSET, NY 11030
PHONE: (516) 3650888
THEJEWELRYAPPRAISER.COM
Happ
Valentines
Da
Gemologist Jewelry Appraiser
/djangarathis
/djangarathis
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
link
/THEJEWELRYAPPRAISER.COM
link
