July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

[SteveG]

July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

Today is Moon Day!

[SteveG]

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."

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."

[DP]

Today is Moon Day!

Be careful, there! You're handing it right to Newt!

I remember it like it was yesterday...

[Rick-o]

I was eleven. We we're allowed to stay up late to watch. So much excitement!!

[jdc]

Neil deGrasse Tyson @neiltyson
·
Oct 18, 2020
Rumor has it that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin agreed to fake the Moon landinig. But to make the footage look as authentic as possible, they urged NASA to film it on-location. And NASA agreed.

[davester]

Rick-o wrote:
I was eleven. We we're allowed to stay up late to watch. So much excitement!!

I was 15 and staying at my Aunt's house in England at the time. She was browbeating my brother and I to go to bed (the moonwalk happened at about 3 am there) but we refused, screaming "But auntie, it's history happening!" So glad I got to watch it live. It has been the most exciting event to occur during my life so far.

[Don C]

My flight to Vietnam had been called but I was watching a tiny B&W TV someone had set up on a counter pleading with them to get started down those steps. Saw the foot go down and ran to get in the back of the line (which guaranteed a middle seat for the first leg of the long flight(s).

Climbed aboard an Orange Braniff stretch jet to fly into a war zone. (In fact we changed planes at least twice; I don't remember what we flew into Tan San Nhut.)

[raz]

At summer camp, 50 miles or so north of NYC. The black&white picture was mostly static.

[Bizz-Ry]

Follow along “live”! About 24 minutes before the first step!

https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/