Apollo 11 sitting atop a Saturn V rocket lifts off for the moon on July 16, 1969Three guys on quite a ride...
Apollo 11 sitting atop a Saturn V rocket lifts off for the moon on July 16, 1969
MOON DAY is not any official day of recognition or any holiday. I gave July 20 the name Moon Day. I, like millions of others took part in what, for me, was one great adventure, the flight of Apollo 11, a human journey to the moon and back. Moon Day must include the 26,000 people who worked to make Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 the successes they became. And, it was those 26,000 people who worked and sweat to bring Apollo 13 home from its failed mission with all safe. It was a huge team effort, one which has never been reassembled.
I was just 17, and had just completed my junior year in high school. Apollo 11 ignited the dreams, and the hopes, and my aspirations for the future. Every year, since, in one form or another I have taken time on July 20, to revisit Apollo 11.
As, July 20, 2009, is the 40th Anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon I wanted to share with all an article to commemorate Moon Day.
Some parts of this piece come from an article I wrote to celebrate the 39th Anniversary. There are many pictures here.
The Apollo 11 Lift Off Video
I hope this educates some, and brings back memories for others. (thank you to NASA and Wikipedia for the pictures and info) Although part of what Neil Armstrong said was lost in the transmission, here is what he said as he stepped off the LM (the Eagle lander of Apollo 11); “...that's one small step for (a) man, one giant-leap for mankind.” Somehow in the speech-transmission the “a” was lost.
Aldrin & Armstrong on the moon
And, there was no big fanfare as to who would get to walk first. Neil Armstrong went first because his seat was closest to the door.
When the Lunar Module named Eagle finally landed Armstrong notified Earth. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."
For those of us who were alive on July 20, 1969, do you remember where you were? What was on your mind as Neil Armstrong took the first step, followed minutes later by Buzz Aldrin, at Tranquility Base, Moon?
I was hanging out with my buddies at a community center in Castro Valley, California, and listened to the radio transmissions live from the moon on an AM car radio, tuned to KGO radio 810, San Francisco. And, although, I live in Oregon, through the magic of the Internet, as, I write this piece I find myself listening to KGO radio 810 San Francisco.
There was no magic of the Internet in 1969, no home computers, no digital music, no cell phones, no microwave ovens, telephones were changing from the dial to push buttons, a quart of milk cost 26 cents, a loaf of bread 35 cents, half dollars still contained 40% silver, gasoline was 25 cents per gallon, marijuana sold for $10 bag, 8-Track tape decks were the big rage, many folks still had black and white televisions, and with only the basics of technologies, yet, to come, and, yet, unknown, America sent three guys to the moon, and the whole world watched.
The man who invented Television in 1927, Philo (Phil) T. Farnsworth had great hopes his invention would bring the world closer together and allow for peoples of the world to learn about each other. He was appalled by how television was commercialized and became the side show in a box. Near the end of his life his wife, Pem, and he sat on the couch in their living room in Utah and watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take those first steps on the moon. Walter Cronkite, who anchored CBS coverage of the historic event made the comment “the whole world is watching,” as the Apollo 11 event unfolded. It was at that moment Phil squeezed his wife's hand and said (of his invention), knowing the whole world was watching, “this makes it all worthwhile.” Mr. Farnsworth finally realized all his hopes and dreams in the invention of Television. Over one billion people on Earth watched the moon landing.
There are doubters who say Apollo 11 was staged. I think Buzz Aldrin summed it all up when he was confronted one night in Hollywood by a guy coming up to him and screaming that Collins, Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin were fakes. Buzz busted the guy in the mouth with his fist, and knocked him to the ground.
These guys are my heroes and they always will be.
I hope you enjoy what I've put together. Moon Day at 40.
A few years ago I purchased two first-day postal cancellations of the “First Man On The Moon” stamp commemorating Apollo 11.
U.S. Postage stamp issued September 9, 1969 to commemorate the moon landing
I bought both the cancellations for $1 each. They're quite unique because instead of being canceled on an envelope, as, most first-day covers are, the cancellations are affixed to two pictures, one of Neil Armstrong's official pre-flight picture, and one of Buzz Aldrin standing by the deployed Passive Seismic Experiment Package on the moon's surface. Both pictures are official NASA photographs and carry two postmarks, one which says Moon Landing USA July 20, 1969, and the other the stamps first day of issue postmark of September 9, 1969. I photographed them today so they could be included in this celebration of this outstanding event.
President John F. Kennedy had challenged America to put a man-on-the-moon before the end of the sixth decade (1960s) of the Twentieth Century. I, often, think how sad it was that President Kennedy was not with us to see the dream realized.
On May 25, 1961, Kennedy announced his support for the Apollo program as part of a special address to a joint session of Congress: "First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish." --President John F. Kennedy
The JFK Man On The Moon Speech
Neil Alden Armstrong is an Ohio native born August 5, 1930. Neil will be 79 years old in just a couple of weeks. Happy Birthday Neil, and may good health be with you.
13 min 60 Minutes interview with Neil Armstrong
Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin was born January 20, 1930, in Montclair, New Jersey. Two sons, one daughter. Married to the former Lois Driggs Cannon of Phoenix. Their combined family is comprised of six grown children and one grandson.
(On a more lighter note, Buzz Aldrin was the first man to pee on the moon: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090716-moon-landing-buzz-aldrin-pee.html)
Dr. Aldrin continues to voice his opinions about where we should go in space, including using one of Mars' moons as a base for activities on the red planet.
Visit Buzz Aldrin at: http://www.buzzaldrin.com
Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, on October 31, 1930. Married to the former Patricia M. Finnegan of Boston, Massachusetts. Three grown children (two daughters, one son). His hobbies include fishing and handball. Collins remained in the Apollo 11 space capsule as Amstrong and Aldrin desended to the moon's surface.
The famous mission patch of Apollo 11 was the creation of Collins. Jim Lovell, the backup commander, mentioned the idea of eagles, a symbol of the United States. Collins liked the idea and found a photo in a National Geographic magazine, traced it and added the lunar surface below and Earth in the background.
The public's eye is affixed to this 40th Anniversary. So, rather than write a bunch of words I'll let the pictures tell the story of three guys who took quite a ride.
When I celebrate Moon Day, every year, I think its important to remember the crew of the forgotten Apollo 1. Virgil "Gus" Ivan Grissom, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Edward Higgins White, II, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, who conducted America's first spacewalk, and Roger Bruce Chaffee, Lieutenant Commander, USN. While doing test work atop a Saturn rocket on January 27, 1967, a flash-fire occured in the capsule killing all three. The investigation into the fatal accident led to major design changes, making the Apollo spacecraft safer for the coming trips to the moon.
the crew of Apollo 1 - Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffe - killed in on-board flash-fire January 27, 1967
The destroyed capsule - Apollo 1
"We came in peace..." This plaque was left on the moon attached to the piece of the Lunar Module left behind
one of the few photos taken of Armstrong on the moon -- here he works on the Lunar Module
Aldrin at foot of Lunar Module
Apollo 11 insignia designed by crew member Michael Collins
Apollo 1 insigniaRemembering President John F. Kennedy - challenged America to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960's
Research and pictures for this article came from:
Stamp Covers and pictures:
Joseph E. Howard
josephehoward.com
Wikipedia.com
You Tube
NASA
nasa.gov
Human Space Flight
kaigriesbacher.de
CBS News
cbsnews.com
