Ranger Quotes (1 quote)
Even though I didn't make it to the moon, my machines did.
As quoted in Myrna Oliver, 'Obituary: Albert Hibbs, 78; JPL Scientist, Voice of Unmanned Missions', Los Angeles Times (27 Feb 2003) repeating the statement previously published in 2001. Hibbs referred to the Ranger and Surveyor spacecrafts for which he was a systems designer. He had passed physical and psychological testing as a candidate to be an astronaut, but the Apollo moon-landing program was canceled before he was placed for a flight.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
