[m0nty]

"They avoided risk, played it safe and chose someone who wouldn't make a ruckus."

Yes, you really need someone who's prone to making a ruckus when you're flying to the moon in a rocket-propelled tin-can.

Anyway, the final decision about who would go first was decided (to Buzz Aldrin's everlasting disappointment) by a coin-flip. So it could have been Aldrin who is celebrated as the first man on the moon, and Godin would presumably be saying what a dull man he is as well.

What is so inspiring about the Apollo missions is the massive investment (in emotional and financial terms) in a huge, co-operative endeavour which brought together the best scientists, technicians and pilots of the day. They didn't need a flashy front-man: they needed people with brains and nerves of steel. It's an awe-inspiring achievement which (as Arthur C Clarke said) will outlive all of us.

Recommended reading: "A Man on The Moon" by Andrew Chaikin.