One Giant Leap For Mankind

[dad911]

July 20 - 1969

53 years ago today

[stevej37]

I clearly remember watching it on my parents b&w tv on that evening.

The tv was prob only a !7"....but it was great.

[GH85Carrera]

Niel says he actually said "One small step for A man, one giant leap for mankind." The A dropped out from the transmission due to the pause.

We lived in Hawaii, and we ate dinner, then walked into the living room to watch it lives at prime time. I remember it well.



Niel took a piece of the original Wright Flyer's wing material, and a piece of a prop from the first airplane ever with him to the moon. Those two pieces are on display at the Stafford Air and Space museum in Weatherford, OK, just off of Rt-66.

[asphaltgambler]

I saw it while at my grandmother's house, Dad's side. She totally believed it was all on a movie stage, could not comprehend how it be otherwise. Also, she was a college graduate, and a teacher for many years......

[Dantilla]

NASA hired Stanley Kubrick to stage the moon landing.

He was such a stickler for details he insisted it be shot on site.

[stevej37]

^^^ he did a great job!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I was a year and a half old. Sister would be born in month.

It was a great time for the U.S. Turbulent. Simpler. We were reaching out and grabbing the future and making it our own. Great times.

So cool to see it. Thanks for posting!

[stevej37]

There were a lot of anxious people that night...but almost all were confident that it would happen.

When it was done...everything seemed better.

An incredible achievment.

[A930Rocket]

I was about 10 years old and spend the night at Fred Ritner’s house. We were asleep and his dad woke us up to watch. Fred went back to sleep, but his dad, little sister and I watched. It was amazing.

[sc_rufctr]

My mother told me we all watched it live on TV but I was 4 years old when it happened so I don't remember it.

[Steve Carlton]

I think Neil say "one small step for man" instead of "a man" by mistake. Kinda sucks, but it is what it is. I saw it live- it was an incredible moment.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

I think Neil say "one small step for man" instead of "a man" by mistake. Kinda sucks, but it is what it is. I saw it live- it was an incredible moment.

I agree. I knew what he meant once I read it.

I'll take that mistake over that adolescent commentary during "Bob and Doug's" SpaceX trip to the ISS.

More Gene Kranz, please.

[Seahawk]

Thanks for the reminder. I was 12 and watched in glorious black and white at our place in California.

A few years ago I was visiting a friend of mine in the area I grew up in. We decided to take a ride over to the old ranch and take a look. The current owner was outside and I introduced myself.

She invited us in. The place looked great and I told her, pointing to the area where our TV was, this is the spot I watched the first moon landing.

Goofy, I know, but it was cool.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Goofy, I know, but it was cool.

I was 5 at the time and watched it on our black and white TV. Fast forward 20 years (1989) and I was working in a high bay in a building at Marshall Space Flight Center when they brought a tour of dignitaries through. We all stopped and listened to what was going on. Anyway, they told the tour group that the building we were standing in was where they integrated the Lunar Module for that flight.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by IROC

Anyway, they told the tour group that the building we were standing in was where they integrated the Lunar Module for that flight.

Expand on "integrated".

Physically into the rocket?

[Baz]

I had just turned 15 the previous month. 11 months after my father passed away at 48.

I watched the landing at the High's Ice Cream store in Janaf Shopping Center off Virginia Beach Blvd on a small black and white hung in one of the corners of the ceiling inside.

The following year - in fact only 5 months later - we would re-locate to Florida after Mom re-married a Coast Guard officer.

Cape Canaveral was now only a short drive away. So I watched the inaugural Shuttle launch from atop our RV......and took a few pics.....

[Steve Carlton]

They say there was nothing like watching a shuttle launch! I never did. Next best thing is a total solar eclipse, though. Did that up near Portland, OR a few years ago.

[stevej37]

I saw the last shuttle launch from Cocoa Beach...very impressive.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Expand on "integrated".

Physically into the rocket?

I think “assembled” might be a better term. Test, checkout, etc. The Command Module was structurally tested in the building across the street. Final integration onto the Saturn 5 occurred at KSC, I would imagine.

I saw a Shuttle launch once from the VIP stands at KSC. I think they are about as close as you can get at around 3.5 miles (?) away. The most impressive thing was how loud it was. Unbelievable.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I saw the last shuttle launch from Cocoa Beach...very impressive.

I had a piece of hardware on that last launch. I still have a photo of it in the payload bay on my wall at work…