Posted on 09/30/2006 3:11:28 PM PDT by wagglebee
That's one small word for astronaut Neil Armstrong, one giant revision for grammar sticklers everywhere.
An Australian computer programmer says he found the missing "a" from Armstrong's famous first words from the moon in 1969, when the world heard the phrase, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
The story was reported in Saturday's editions of the Houston Chronicle.
Some historians and critics have dogged Armstrong for not saying the more dramatic and grammatically correct, "One small step for a man . . ." in the version he transmitted to NASA's Mission Control. Without the missing "a," Armstrong essentially said, "One small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind."
The famous astronaut has maintained he intended to say it properly and believes he did. Thanks to some high-tech sound-editing software, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have proved Armstrong right.
Ford said he downloaded the audio recording of Armstrong's words from a NASA Web site and analyzed the statement with software that allows disabled people to communicate through computers using their nerve impulses.
In a graphical representation of the famous phrase, Ford said he found evidence that the missing "a" was spoken and transmitted to NASA.
"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement. "I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate word."
A tragic number of decisions in the late 60's and early 70's ensured our current status as LEO visitors.
It's just that it's rare to agree with them on any sort of philisophical basis, about anything at all.
Years ago, Martin Gardner, the editor of the wonderful "Mathematical Games" column in the old Scientifc American, did a short write-up on all the ways the number "11" had turned up in the Apollo mission. He pointed out that the omitted "a" from Armstrong's famous line resulted in it's being exactly 11 words long. Even though Armstrong said that he had pronounced the "a", so strong was the numerological karma that the crucial sound was edited out of the radio transmission as it winged it's way to earth.
Ah, I understand now. Though they may agree with this one point, I suspect their reasons for agreeing are not in agreement.
Perhaps that should be LEOO - low earth orbit only.
Is that OJ on the sound stage?????
I suspect that these same historians and critics would have been peeing their pants, hyperventilating, and screaming "mommy get me out of here!!!!!" into the microphone if they were in Armstrong's position at the time.
Use Rush's "voice disgronificator" that he uses to translate Teddy Kennedy.
I just found an extra 'is' in Clinton's explanations
It's correct as spoken/written. The "...one small step for man,..." refers to genus man which includes the male and female of the species. The only problem here is that problem with the politically correct crowd and I say, "screw 'em."
I have a colleague from Romania who flew Migs in their Air Force and defected in the 70's. When I asked him why he wanted to be an American his memorable quote was "because the Americans are the only country on Earth who have had men $#!+ on the moon".
I still think there's a meaningful distinction.
.
In this new LIBERTY Century...
praise GOD that...
President BUSH is sending us...
back to Earth's Moon,
permanently, and...
then on to the Planet MARS,
...bringing those still living in the 7th Century AD on the Earth...
...along for the ride...?
.
Armstrong knew he blew the line, and that is why the awkward pause in the second part.
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