In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, it’s the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landings, and an opportunity to recall a tremendous feat of science, exploration and verve. The achievement has since inspired millions.
It’s easy to forget that the handful of men who visited the moon were sent there by tens of thousands of the best and brightest engineers, scientists, and – of course – mathematicians. One such was Don Eyles, a young maths graduate who ended up programming the software for the computer in the lunar module (BBC Video).
Just shows what you can achieve with a bit of maths. In fact, without a grounding in maths, the astronomers, engineers and scientists who worked on Apollo would have been as incapable of planning the moon missions as if they had been illiterate.
Check out kottke.org’s huge collection of Apollo 11 anniversary links – a feast of information and reminiscences.
If you’ve not yet done so (and what on earth are you waiting for? – excuse the pun) sign up for some online maths tutoring to give your child the best chance to take part in the groundbreaking achievements of the next forty years.