Man must understand his universe in order to understand his destiny.

Every flying machine has its own unique characteristics, some good, some not so good. Pilots naturally fly the craft in such a manner as to take advantage of its good characteristics and avoid the areas where it is not so good.

It's a great thing for a man to walk on the moon. But it's a greater thing for God to walk on the earth.

I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.

It's a brilliant surface in that sunlight. The horizon seems quite close to you because the curvature is so much more pronounced than here on earth. It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it.

All in all, for someone who was immersed in, fascinated by, and dedicated to flight, I was disappointed by the wrinkle in history that had brought me along one generation late. I had missed all the great times and adventures in flight.

It doesn't sound like there was time for the word to be there. On the other hand, I didn't intentionally make an inane statement... certainly the 'a' was intended, because that's the only way the statement makes any sense.