I never knew there was a Moon Day declared.
I do recall the immense pride and excitement I felt as I stood in the living room with my family, and watched the landing on TV. I remain proud of what American engineers proved capable of doing, getting us into orbit, and launching satelites. I remain ‘puzzled’ that we have never gone back, nor has any other country claimed to have touched down on the Lunar surface.
Twelve men have stood on the moon, all Americans. The first lunar module was named the Eagle, the first command module the Columbia.
The span of the mission was the same as "The Nine Days", with the safe return occurring on Tisha B'Av.
The first words spoken from the moon were of celestial origin, literally. The mission and the famous words were all about returning and rectification, transcending earthly business as usual. Tranquility Base calling in from the Sea of Tranquility, the splashdown in Pacific ocean, all the same message as President Nixon's phone call to the moon.
A small step and a giant leap, all in one light step off of an eagle, the symbol of America.
It was an important statement for the entire world to hear and witness.
49 years, going on 50.
The two men in white sure caused everyone on the entire planet to "look up", yet who was actually watching?
One interesting detail (one of many) in the audio just prior to landing, was the statement by Aldrin:
“413 is in”, which told Eagle’s Abort Guidance System to remember the attitude of the vehicle on the surface.
Pronounced "four-thirteen". That was the date the following year when everyone on earth was looking up to the heavens yet again because Apollo 13 had a "problem."
Then there was the matter of the 1201 and 1202 alarms:
"But when they saw the 1202 and 1201 program alarms it was the real thing, which meant the right response was completing the mission objective. They weren’t going to give up on landing on the Moon if they didn’t have to."
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/vintagespace/2018/01/05/apollo-11s-1202-alarm-explained
Rev 12:01 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:02 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The cosmos is a classroom.
I worked at the Manned Spacecraft Center on Apollo 7 thru 12. The splash-down party after the crew was safely on board the recovery ship after 8 was an incredible spontaneous event.
I remember watching the event at my Grandparents house. My Grandfather was 74 at the time. He had flown a JN-4 Jenny in WWI in France. He got to see aviation go from kites with underpowered engines to safely putting a man on the moon and getting him back home.