Many people consider the Apollo lunar landings one of the
crowning achievements of human ingenuity. But not so many people
realize that the epochal first steps by human beings on another
world -- which took place 40 years ago next month -- likely
would not have been possible without the technological
experience and capabilities of MIT.  In celebration of that
singular accomplishment and MIT's crucial role in it, the
Institute is holding a three-day symposium and celebration on
June 10-12 that will feature talks by astronauts, engineers, and
others involved in that mission, as well as an examination of
what lies ahead for the U.S. space program in the coming
decades. The event's title, "Giant Leaps," evokes the famous
first words spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong after descending
a ladder to the lunar surface on July 20, 1969: "That's one
small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."  The second
person to walk on the moon just moments after Armstrong's "one
small step" was Buzz Aldrin ScD '63. In the cou