A World of Progress in One Photo

In 1969, the year Apollo 11 reached the Moon, the idea that the United States would have an African-American President in the lifetimes of the Apollo astronauts would have been laughed at as ridiculous fantasy, or worse. As a photograph, it's just a White House photo opportunity; but as a moment that captures what we are capable of — both technically and sociologically — it's an image of hope in human form.

Now, 40 years after the Apollo 11 lunar landing, President Barack Obama meets with with, from left, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong, on Mon., July 20, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Image courtesy of NASA/Bill Ingalls.