by Shristi Kafle
KATHMANDU, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Moon worship is not uncommon in Nepal and in fact plays a significant role in society, and while during the first week of September there were no significant moon-related observances, the iridescent orb was still the center of attention for thousands of Nepalese people this week.
The occasion, although not religious, was dubbed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the man who left a human imprint on the moon for the first time alongside Neil Armstrong in July 1969, left his own mark on the country, a nation that still worships the moon as a divine power.
American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first two humans to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission, appeared at the Nepal Academy hall in the capital on Thursday afternoon.
Dressed in a black T-shirt with "Mars" written on it and sporting a pair of blue jeans, the 86-year-old scientist was greeting by rapturous applause as the audience, overcome with pride and respect, could barely believe they were in the same room as a living legend.
Aldrin, who is on a five-day maiden trip to Nepal at the request of the Everest Science Center Nepal, started his presentation by mentioning his "No dream is too high" philosophy, which is also the title of his new book. "When people work together, even the impossible can be accomplished," Aldrin said in his opening remarks.
The moon became his destiny in two ways, the first being that his mother's name was Moon and was born in 1903, the same year the Wright Brothers first took to the skies, the second being that he is currently known around the world as "moon man."
"Determination, courage and confidence are the factors that can accomplish any shared goal," the astronaut said, while mentioning that from rocket scientists to tailors who made the space suits all worked together as a team to make the impossible possible.
Speaking in his twilight years, the legend seized upon every opportunity to encourage the young audience and shared the smallest details of landing on the moon and sometimes cracked jokes.
Aldrin was the first person to take a "selfie" in space, the same kind of photo that has become commonplace in everyday life.
"Why did I ever do that?" he said with a laughter that created a buzz in the hall filled with nearly 1,000 school and college students, as well as science enthusiasts.
At the age of 86, he said that life has been better than ever and things are finally coming together. Stressing the need for teamwork, he also said that his ultimate dream would be to make the Mars mission successful.
"The Mars mission is not only about landing on Mars, saying 'hello' and returning back; its about making a home on the red planet," Aldrin, who has been involved in the project for the last 30 years, said.
His son Andrew Aldrin has also been working on the Mars mission, along with nearly 400,000 other people involved. They are planning to send NASA's unmanned Orion capsule for a space-test mission in 2018 with a message of humanity and prosperity from Earth to Mars.
"It will not be on behalf of the U.S. or any particular country, but whole nations will come together for the sake of humanity for the Mars mission," Andrew said in his brief presentation. The real Mars mission is scheduled to take place in 2028 with humans.
The Lockheed Martin Payload Manager, Joseph Leblanc, and the Orion Configuration Management Specialist, Elizabeth Leblanc, also introduced various aspects of the space mission in the program, encouraging Nepalese students to contribute to future space missions.
The hall exploded into applause several times as some of the participants said that it had their lifetime dream for them to hear first hand accounts and those from experts about the moon, Mars and the universe.
Shrinkhala Regmi, a student at the Premiere International School told Xinhua, "It was amazing actually. I never imagined that I would have this opportunity to listen to the man who reached the moon and hear his experiences. I feel so blessed."
Her sentiments were echoed by many other students who went to the Academy Hall to hear Buzz Aldrin speak. A grade 11 student at Mega College, Saugat Bhattarai, told Xinhua, "I bought the ticket costing Rs 2500 (about 25 U.S. dollars) for the interactive talk program, but no price can compare to being so close to an Apollo 11 astronaut. For me, this is truly a historic moment."
Others maintained that Aldrin, in his hour-long presentation, also provided the keys to achieve success in life as many recalled the conclusion of his speech: "We explore or we expire."
Dilip Adhikari, Director of Everest Science Center and coordinator of the program, said, "Many ask me what is the meaning of talking about space in a country that worships the moon? The answer is simple. It is to change our thoughts and bring about a positive transformation."
