'ONE GIANT LEAP' Apollo 11's historic trip to the moon marks its 45th anniversary

FoxNews ^ | 20 Jul 2014

[shove_it]

The year was 1969. The turbulent time in America saw troops fighting in Vietnam, and a nation dealing with the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, killed in 1963, and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., both murdered in 1968.

Then came that one small step.

Forty-five years ago today, 500 million people around the world witnessed American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins as they embarked on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and six hours later Armstrong was the first man to step on the moon's surface, delivering those iconic words: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

[shove_it]

From zero space program to landing a crew on the moon and returning them to earth in a nine year time frame engineered largely with slide-rules - an incomprehensible feat by today's standards.

[fatnotlazy]

And thanks to Obama, we're back to zero space program.

[Eaker]

I saw it and it was awesome!

[SuziQ]

It was my Daddy’s birthday! We were at our family’s Fish Camp for the summer, and didn’t have a TV, so we went over to my sister and b-i-l’s house to watch. I’d never seen my Daddy so excited, and enthralled! He just kept remarking to my Mama about how much they’d seen in their lifetimes; he was born in 1917, she in 1919.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Back in the days of when America was an exceptional nation. Freeloading, slothfulness and mediocrity didn’t play well in this country the way it does today.

[mikrofon]

A monumental feat of Anerican resolve, 45 years ago in the days of vinyl-

Today, in the days of iTunes, we have to depend on comrade Putin just to get into LEO…

[Johnny_cash]

Black and white tv and it was beautiful.

Thanks 0 for ruining a great nation!

[dfwgator]

http://wechoosethemoon.org/

You can follow the entire mission in real time.

[DocJhn]

Our boss brought in a TV so we could see it live! I thought that hatch would never open! But it was quite a sight and it was cool that he knew we would appreciate the gesture as we were all like 16 year old kids!

[RIghtwardHo]

I watched it with my grandfather who lived in Kitty Hawk, NC and helped the Wright Brothers pull their plane back up the dune. Now THAT’S how you watch a moon landing! ; )

[MichaelCorleone]

Scarcely was there a time of greater national pride and honor.

The men of Apollo are/were truly worthy of our utmost respect and admiration. We salute you.

[Rummyfan]

Truly a remarkable achievement, perhaps the greatest of the 20th century (the Manhattan Project being arguably as great). Now the government can’t even build a website despite funds of almost one billion dollars.

[shove_it]

ping

I just returned from KSC for the Special event with Apollo 11 capsule communicator and space shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless. His presentation was way above the level of technical comprehension of the audience, ahmmm, including myself. I asked Bruce privately to tell us what we really wanted to hear, which is - what are a couple juicy stories of what went on in The Mouse Trap? The Mouse Trap, for some who may not know, was THE watering hole in Cocoa Beach for the NASA crowd in the 1950s thru much of the eighties, as I recall, until it closed down.

[cripplecreek]

I remember sitting on my grandparents livingroom floor eating ice cream watching on TV.

[clintonh8r]

I was at a place called Hill 55, I Corps, RVN.

[shove_it]

Oh, I forgot to mention, his NASA handler overheard my request saying that this is a family oriented event. Bruce looked like he wanted to tell a tale or two but caved to the pencil neck.

[FroggyTheGremlim]

I could be wrong, but I think he meant to say:

"One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

He was making the last step off the descent ladder as he said it.

Who could blame him for being a little excited?

[shove_it]

Cool!

[tet68]

Forty five years later and we would STILL have been on
the moon if it wasn’t for LBJ’s “Great Society”.
That program ate the heart out of America.

[SES1066]

Apollo 17 (Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Roland Evans) ocean-landed December 19, 1972, the final Apollo Moon Mission (6 successful, one abort), 41 years and 213 days ago. This was the last time that human beings have been out of near-Earth orbit.

There will be a return to the Moon and beyond BUT there is no guarantee that it will be by a spacecraft bearing the Stars&Stripes! I do remember the protest lines in the 1970s by the poverty pimps, wanting the NASA money spent on welfare and the inner-cities! Instead of investing forward, we ate our seed-corn and the politicians bought votes!

History will look back upon this and equate our failure with the Ming China's naval and trade expeditions of Zheng He (1405-32, Seven voyages.) A great effort squandered in politics and shifted priorities! Interesting coincidence, 7 voyages of Zheng He and 7 Apollo Moon launches!