1969 Moon landing anniversary

| July 20, 2022

 

July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man from Earth to walk on the moon.

This is one of those of-course-I-remember dates to people of a certain age. Ask an old fart where they were November 22 1963, or when we landed on the moon, it’s like “where were you on 9/11?” Some days are just seared into the national consciousness.

When it comes time to set Eagle down in the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong improvises, manually piloting the ship past an area littered with boulders. During the final seconds of descent, Eagle’s computer is sounding alarms.

It turns out to be a simple case of the computer trying to do too many things at once, but as Aldrin will later point out, “unfortunately it came up when we did not want to be trying to solve these particular problems.”

When the lunar module lands at 4:17 p.m EDT, only 30 seconds of fuel remain. Armstrong radios “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Mission control erupts in celebration as the tension breaks, and a controller tells the crew “You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue, we’re breathing again.” (› Play Audio)

Armstrong will later confirm that landing was his biggest concern, saying “the unknowns were rampant,” and “there were just a thousand things to worry about.”

At 10:56 p.m. EDT Armstrong is ready to plant the first human foot on another world. With more than half a billion people watching on television, he climbs down the ladder and proclaims: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (› Play Audio)

Aldrin joins him shortly, and offers a simple but powerful description of the lunar surface: “magnificent desolation.” They explore the surface for two and a half hours, collecting samples and taking photographs.

They leave behind an American flag, a patch honoring the fallen Apollo 1 crew, and a plaque on one of Eagle’s legs. It reads, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

NASA.gov

I won’t dignify the supposed controversy that it was all staged, that Buzz Aldrin supposedly admitted it – I’ll save that for another column on dumb-ass things that people believe in spite of the facts as soon as I cut it down from its current 47-volume length. However, I will also remember the greatest late-night host ever with a line Johnny used, I believe the year after, on his show. Don’t have a copy to hand, but I saw it live and remember it well:

“You want to know who I think should run for President? I’ll tell you who… Neil Armstrong. You want to know why? Integrity. I mean, here’s a guy who could have been the richest guy on the planet. Really. All he had to say was one thing and he would have been swimming in more money than you can imagine, but he didn’t. “One small step for Man, one giant leap for mankind. Man! I sure could use a Coke.”

 

Category: "Teh Stoopid", America, Historical

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Graybeard

Watching on the TV in my folks’ home Houston.
I remember stepping out in the back yard to look up at the moon in awe that at that precise moment there were men walking on it.
I remember, also, the confusion about Armstong’s precise wording.

KoB

Riding out to the lake with my work mate and drummer for our garage band. We both had some rare time off from our day jobs and use of his Dad’s ’67 Fairlane. (yep, it had the 390 4B under the hood). Listened to the landing itself on the hot sh^t STEREO car radio with a group of beach bunny groupies. Later that evening, while making out with Ms Thang on the beach in the moonlight, she pushed me away and said “We can’t do this here, those guys on the moon might be watching.” Yep, she was a blonde. Ended up at her place and watched the capsule exit and the moon walk. The future Gun Bunny did complete his fire mission and blast off before the moon doods did. Good Times!

‘Merica! HELLS TO THE YES!

Roh-Dog

I won’t dignify the supposed controversy that it was all staged

You live your best life, the rest of us know the truth! (is a /s needed?)

When a nation is devoted to a goal, and the right asses in the right seats, we can do just about anything.

I hope to see great feats like this in my life, perhaps.

NDHoosier

> and the right asses in the right seats

We have asses in charge, all right….

A Proud Infidel®™

July 20, 1969? I was sucking on a bottle and shitting in a diaper!

AS TO those who still say that the Lunar Landings were faked, they’re the same ones who will bore the shit out of you trying to explain how “Pro-Wrasslin'” is for real!

Last edited 2 years ago by A Proud Infidel®™
NDHoosier

Of course pro wrasslin is for real. Every couple of weeks or so I pick up Elvis after his shift at Wal-Mart and we go watch.

SFC D

Elvis is tending bar in Bisbee AZ

JustALurkinAround

No doubt feeding Doug Stanhope many, many, drinks.

SFC D

Ok now that’s a funny image right there!

jeff LPH 3 63-66

I heard Elvis is pumping gas in upstate NY

Mick

Roller Derby is also for real.

Everyone knows that.

Anonymous

So is “reality” TV… real housewivez of Hoboken would actually be doing that w/o Bravo network, right.

FuzeVT

Here’s my answer to “it was faked”:
You know what we had in 1969? The technology to go to the moon.
You know what we didn’t have in 1969? The technology to fake it.

Deckie

“Wrestling’s.. not.. FAAAAAAKE!!!!”

– Ready to Rumble

Last edited 2 years ago by Deckie
LC

I posted this in some past year when this came up, but I got to meet Neil back in 2008. For a guy who had a reputation as somewhat reclusive, he was everything but – kind, smart and engaging. The phrase ‘never meet your heroes’ has no applicability here.

rgr769

C’mon, man. Everyone in the know is aware it was all faked in a sound studio. Just ask any of those people that know that 9/11 was staged. Ask Rosie O’donnel, the woman who knows fire can’t melt steel.

SFC D

I saw the movie. OJ was in it.

26Limabeans

I was in the shitter and missed the whole thing.

Mick

Neil Armstrong = Naval Aviator

The Wings of Gold strike again!

Mick

‘First Man on the Moon Was a Combat Naval Aviator’

First Man on the Moon Was a Combat Naval Aviator > U.S. Department of Defense > Story

26Limabeans

Perhaps, but not the first Man “in” the Moon.

Roger in Republic

20 July.1969 Roger separated from the US Army after four years service. After being awake for over 24 hours at the Oakland separation center I awoke from a nap to see the first step of a man on the moon.

rgr769

I watched that first step on a small TV in the Bn. orderly room in Baumholder, Germany. I think I was the Bn’s Staff Duty Officer that night.

Commissioner Wretched

I was 10 years old and my parents allowed me to stay up as late as I wanted, because I didn’t miss a single second of watching Dr. Armstrong’s first step onto the Moon.
They picked the right man to be first, too. He could have had the richest money-filled life just by being first man on the Moon but he had far, far more integrity than that.
A man to be admired forever.

USAFRetired

Folks of my generation have three of those days. 11 Nov 1963, 20 Nov 1969, and 11 Sept 2001.

ninja

Yep.

Also, in 1961, the First American in Space, 1962 for the First American to circle the Earth, the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, 1964 with the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show…

ninja

We also witnessed the building AND the tear down of the Berlin Wall…

26Limabeans

and the killing of those poor desperate souls trying to escape.

Mick

1961 First American in Space: Naval Aviator Alan Shepard

1962 First American to Circle the Earth: Marine Corps Aviator John Glenn

The Wings of Gold strike again!

SFC D

A monkey made the first flight.

ninja

We remember 20 July 1969 very well.

We watched it on CBS with Walter Cronkite.

Graybeard and I have something in common. In 1969, we both lived in Southern cities that were heavily involved with the Space Program and Apollo 11. 😊

We also remember that Ted Kennedy was probably thankful the public took their eyes off of him for a couple of days with the moon landing mission.

Yes, THAT Ted Kennedy. As in 18 July 1969.

Salute to the Apollo 11 crew and everyone behind the scenes as well as the astronauts who came before them, some perishing in January 1967 (I attended a Junior High School named after one of those astronauts).

NO Salute to Ted Kennedy. He got away with Murder. Karma has a way of catching up to folks, i.e. Brain Cancer. May he NEVER Rest In Peace.

26Limabeans

Cronkite is seated next to Ted in Hell.
On his other side is Khrushchev.

A Proud Infidel®™️

I heard that Ted *HICCUP!* Kennedy wasn’t cremated because it would have taken at least three days to burn his corpse!

SFC D

An alcohol-primed greasefire. Holy conflagration, Batman!

rgr769

Well, I don’t think Ted committed murder that night. But it was definitely negligent or vehicular manslaughter, unless he was intending to kill her and deliberately drove off that bridge. He certainly demonstrated he was a coward and was willing to let her drown; and he concealed the situation for over ten hours. He was likely DUI and had to wait to report it, so he wouldn’t get his BA tested.

ninja

rgr769:

Good point reference using the term murder.

Guess we will never really know what happened that night. Only Ted and MJ knew.

Thank You for the clarification! Always learn alot from you and other TAH Members.

Roh-Dog

How about the other guy, Michael Something-or-other* that had the pleasure of getting ~99.999999% of the way there and never getting any dang credit!

*MG Michael Collins RIP Dear Sir.

Martinjmpr

And let’s not forget the SECOND man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin.

https://www.badassoftheweek.com/aldrin

Excerpt regarding the incident where Aldrin (then 72) was accosted by a “moon landing conspiracy” theorist:

OK.  Now this is the United States, and here in America you are free to believe whatever crazy ridiculous nonsense you want to believe.  In fact, guys like Buzz Aldrin have fought wars to defend our right to say whatever the hell we want to say whenever we want to say it, no matter how much it makes us look like complete idiots/toolsheds/jackasses.  But when you go up to a man, especially a hardass like Buzz Aldrin, look him in the eyes, and call him a “liar, a thief, and a coward” to his face, you also have the right to receive what’s rightfully coming to you.  And in this case, what’s coming to you is a fucking punch in the mouth.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Watched it on TV and had the newspaper clippings for a few years. Where was I on November 22, 1963 as asked in the above?? I was at the Great Lakes Navy training center in Boot Camp. GI beans GI Gravy G I’m glad I joined the Navy, hippo hoppo ring out the moppo, You left right left.