I remember the when the first space shuttle landed in 1981, John Young walked down the stairs and on to the tarmac and held his fist in the air , stomping around under the shuttle as if he won the battle to get this huge spaceship back to earth and land safely - a real proud moment in his astronaut career RIP John Watts Young !!
My father got into a lift during an overnight in Canberra (he flew for TAA for 30 years). Both Young and Crippen got in the same lift (this was a publicity tour just after STS-1). My father eventually had dinner with both gents and recalls many interesting stories (mostly flying of course).
The giants in our lifetime are disappearing, unfortunately not being replaced by anyone even remotely inspiring (unless you find actors and sports stars inspiring...).
Interesting that we seem to need Elon Musk to inspire a new generation and hopefully get off this polluted rock.
