Onwards and upwards
Sir: Andrew Kenny has completely missed the inspirational power of the Apollo land- ings on the moon (Armstrong, Newton and God', 2 July).
Whatever one's thoughts on the existence or absence of God, the view from the moon dramatises vividly the facts that (a) life on Earth is a fragile miracle requiring unusual conditions to survive and grow, and (b) all life of which we know is restricted to an infinitesimal speck within a vast, little- understood and mostly hostile universe.
The response of anyone with any spirit in him is clear: life must rise up and conquer the empty spaces and silent planets of our universe. The purpose of our existence is to spread life as far as we can. The moon is a dead world today, but it need not remain so: we have the power through science and technology to bring it to life. That is why the Sir Walter Raleighs and the Captain James Cooks of the future must return to the moon, and fly to Mars and beyond.
Stephen Ashworth
Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, 49 Princes Street, Oxford
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