NASA achieved the unattainable on July 20, 1969, when three American astronauts carried out the greatest exploration mission of them all. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin had the honour of carrying the torch of progress for the whole of humanity. But their efforts would have amounted to nothing if the Apollo programme was not propped up by a 400,000-strong team of scientists and engineers back on Earth. Commander Armstrong, dubbed a reluctant hero by his peers, would often give credit for the success of the mission to those who remained on Earth.
And this spirit of teamwork, of working towards a seemingly-impossible goal, is something the world could use as a whole right now.
Melanie Vandenbrouck, the curator of a lunar-themed exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, believes the spirit of Apollo 11 can be applied to modern problems.
In particular, Ms Vandenbrouck argued environmental threats resulting from the dire effects of climate change can be solved if we pool our talents together.
The lunar expert told Express.co.uk: “When you think about the fact 400,000 people worked on the Apollo project, it was an enormous collective effort.
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NASA Moon landing: The spirit of Apollo 11 can be applied to fighting climate change (Image: NASA)
“It was something that was followed by everyone around the world and if we put the same collective effort into trying to solve the climate crisis, we don’t have to be doomed, we can reverse the tides.”
Ms Vandenbrouck was one of the editors and contributors to The Moon – a book about Earth’s lunar companion published on June 27 this year.
The book serves as a standalone companion to the museum’s exhibition and explores the Moon’s connection to art, science and human history.
One of the goals of the book is to evoke a sense of wonder the Moon has provided to humanity for centuries.
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Another is to remind everyone we are responsible for the world we live on – it is the only one we have.
We don’t have to be doomed, we can reverse the tides
Ms Vandenbrouck said: “I’ve written the epilogue, which follows on from what the astronauts felt when they went to space, looked at the Earth from afar and stepped on the Moon.
“It’s that realisation of the fragility and unicity of how we all have a responsibility to look after the planet.
“This is one word we are likely to be living in the foreseeable future – there’s nowhere else to go.”
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NASA Moon landing: Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969 (Image: GETTY)
NASA Moon landing: Earthrise was the first photo of Earth ever taken by a human (Image: NASA)
We might be going to Mars at some point in the coming years, Ms Vandenbrouck noted, but for the time being the concepts of mass colonisation might seem like a distant dream.
And in her opinion, since the 1960s an the 1970s, astronauts have been great messengers for the growing environmental movement.
Their experiences of our Blue Planet in space served as reminder boundaries and borders are meaningless against the vast expanse of space.
Cosmologist Carl Sagan perfectly summed this up in his Pale Blue Dot speech, itself inspired by a photograph of Earth taken four billion miles away.
NASA Moon landing: The Moon is the Earth’s only natural companion (Image: GETTY)
NASA Moon landing: There is only one planet humans can live on (Image: NASA)
As the astrophysicist put it, that Pale Blue Dot against the pitch black nothingness of space is everything that has ever occurred, everyone you have ever known and loved.
Ahead of the upcoming Apollo 11 anniversary, Ms Vandenbrouck said she is “cautiously optimistic” the climate crisis can be solved through a mutual effort.
She said: “If we can use to some extent the Apollo anniversary as a call to action, I’m all for it.”
The Moon is an official publication of The Royal Observatory Greenwich and is on sale now.