Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of mankind’s first step onto the moon, if you hadn’t heard.

News broadcasts and cable television’s pundits — even the History Channel — covered the day in full. It’s hard to imagine the hoopla that will be had 10 years from now.

But forgetting the fact that 40 years is, traditionally, a fairly uneventful and unremarkable occasion to commemorate, it does give those who were alive that day reason to remember, and it gives us reason to learn and reflect — we, who are probably more familiar with space as a form of entertainment, be that via video games or Hollywood blockbusters.

But, in considering the accomplishment of the centered will of the American people, focused on the mission given to them by the young President Kennedy, it’s admittedly hard to imagine the atmosphere and energy of the event that captured the imaginations and rapt attention of so many.

The event which most resembles what our parents and grandparents may have experienced in witnessing Armstrong’s historic step is President Obama’s election. His appointment — and our vote — represented this generation’s step forward in humanity’s long-waged war against self-centeredness and bigotry.

Most of the other memorable events of our lives have been tragic.

Maybe the triumph of Apollo 11 was a direct result of the times: the war and fear that had preceded it, making a triumph of equal weight impossible for our generation.

But further progress must come, and with it, a debate as to what our next step should be. Universal health care, LGBT rights, and surviving tough economic times seem to top Obama’s list of most pressing to-do’s, and meanwhile, NASA presses the administration for a decision on whether to shoot for a trip to the moon or to Mars.

But whatever we decide, let us not aim low.