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Travel with Rick Steves · Saturday, July 25, 2026

Astronaut Inspired by Moon Landing to Pursue Impossible Dreams

Chris Hadfield was inspired to become an astronaut after watching the moon landing as a child, realizing that 'impossible things can happen.' He noted that this accomplishment was a human achievement, not solely an American one, which resonated with him profoundly.

personChris HadfieldpersonNeilpersonBuzz

The tape

2 quotes
I watched Neil and Buzz on the surface of the moon and that night walked outside right afterwards and looked up at the moon itself. And it sort of just clicked in my mind that impossible things can happen and they happen when they just barely can.
Chris Hadfield
It occurred to me this is not an American exclusive, exclusively American accomplishment. This is a human accomplishment.
Chris Hadfield
Heard on Travel with Rick Steves — “628a Amtrakistan; Astronaut's View; Renaissance Florence, published Saturday, July 25, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
Transcribed via Gemini audio transcription · $0.06