Every once in a while, political leadership and science come together to advance man’s transportation possibilities, and end up leaving some truly lasting marks.

Forty years ago today, efforts by scientists and astronauts at NASA, coupled with the inspiring will of the late President Kennedy, placed the first men on the moon. That day in 1969 left us with a quote for the ages, an enduring image and a lasting marker (OK, maybe not so lasting, but the sentiment surely is).

More than 300 years ago and across the ocean in England, King Charles II commissioned the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to better chart the night skies as a way to improve navigation. The lasting marks that Charles & Co. left behind: the Prime Meridian (i.e., 0° longitude, the arbitrary place chosen to divide the world vertically); and growing out of the Prime Meridan, Greenwich Mean Time (“GMT”), the world’s “official” time, from which all the world’s time zones are calculated (e.g., my time zone is GMT –5).

Groups traveling on certain EF Educational Tours itineraries to the United Kingdom will visit the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

Although EF offers no tours to the moon (yet), there are domestic itineraries that include the Kenendy Space Center. And, of course, EF offers tours all over the world, any of which are great for seeing the moon—and your world—from new angles!