These brave men know there is no hope for their recovery.

I keep coming back to this. It’s fascinating. In 1969, William Safire wrote a speech to be read by President Nixon in the event that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were trapped on the moon… forever:

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

Via the fascinating Letters of Note. Well worth the full read.