the_dengle said:
Yes, "officially" it is recognized that he went into space, but he still never left Earth's atmosphere. It was more the symbolic nature of landing on another object -- we could actually escape Earth's gravity. |
Well yes, but by that measure the ISS isn't in space either. Going by the internationally agreed standard he is the first man in space and the first man to orbit the earth.
For me that is the marginally greater milestone in human history than the first man on the moon.
I assume you feel it is marginally the other way. I suspect the majority of people in the West (possibly the world) would agree with you rather than me. I wonder though, if the US had been first into space and the USSR had landed on the moon would people still feel that the moon was the greater achievement?
We'll never know of course, and I just hope we (the world) push on to new frontiers sooner rather than later.
Anyway, about the US. Definitely the Moon landing (assuming by badass we mean important).
