And it came, and we heard: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
It was at that moment on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong had just stepped off the lunar landing module called "The Eagle", and had become the first human...to walk on the surface of the moon.
This "whole moon thing" had its roots in 1961, May 25th to be exact when President John F. Kennedy made a special appeal before joint sessions of Congress.
Tensions were building between Russia and the U.S. as to the advancement of their space programs. In fact, the U.S. found themselves "chasing after Russia" in reference to space advancement, and couple that with the "Cold War Era" beginning to make itself more known, America was primed for a challenge!
President Kennedy on that day in May then ushered in and declared this announcement: " I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth."
Thus began: "The Apollo Missions"
Named after the mythological god Apollo, its given name was to be a reflection of some of Apollo's "virtues" in Greek mythology including being "god of the sun" and the "god of prophecy", and to accept the challenges of the present age. Also noted Apollo was the "god of poetry", and after the "moon mission" is completed, we would then read and retell the story in various forms of poetry and song.
By 1966, the first unmanned Apollo mission had been conducted, the main purpose being to test the structural integrity of the space vehicle itself.
It was on January 27th, in 1967, that the Apollo Missions soon found out that to get to the moon , it would not come without a severe price. A tragedy occurred at the Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
A fire had broken out (later to be discovered due to faulty design) and 3 men lost their very lives during a manned launch-pad test of the Apollo spacecraft and the Saturn rocket. The 3 astronauts were: Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee.
It was at that point the Apollo missions realized the seriousness and intensity of the accomplishments they were about to do. Grissom and White were buried at Arlington National Cemetery while Chafee was buried at West Point. Their valiant efforts for our country will be remembered...both in our hearts and in the stories of the "Apollo Poetry".
On October 8th, 1968 the Apollo 7 was the first manned mission which orbited the earth and made preparations for the "journey to the moon."
In December of 1968, the Apollo 8 carried 3 astronauts to the dark side of the moon and safely returned.
In March of 1969, the Apollo 9 tested the lunar module for the first time while in earth's orbit.
In May of 1969, the Apollo 10 did a complete "space run" around the moon, a "dry run", in preparation for the "Big One".
On July 16th, 1969 the Apollo 11 left the Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m. (EST). The astronauts on board included Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins. Armstrong, a 38 year old civilian research pilot, was the commander of the mission.
After traveling for approximately 240,000 miles in 76 hours, the Apollo 11 entered the lunar orbit of the moon itself.
On July 20th, 1969 at 1:46 p.m. (EST), the lunar module named the "Eagle" separated from the command module. About 2 hours later, the "Eagle" began its descent to touch down on the moon itself...which it did at 4:18 p.m. (EST).
The "Eagle" landed on the moon at the southwest corner of what was named "The Sea of Tranquility". It was here the famous phrase was radioed to mission control in Houston, Texas: "The Eagle has landed!"
There was a camera attached to the "Eagle", and as Neil Armstrong made his way down the module ladder, the pictures from the camera would beam back to earth...the whole world could see this breath-taking moment! It was now 8:18 p.m. (EST) as Neil Armstrong prepared to set foot...on the moon! As he stepped of the "Eagle" foot pad at 10:56 p.m. (EST), Armstrong began to describe the moon's surface as "fine-grained, almost like a powder". Then came the phrase that will be forever etched in the poetry of the Apollo Missions: " That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
At 11:11 p.m. (EST), "Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the moon's surface and together they took photographs of the moon's terrain, ran scientific tests, drove around in a space vehicle, planted a U.S. flag, and spoke with President Richard Nixon on the phone via Houston.
On the moon's surface was left a plaque that read: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon...July 1969 A.D....we came in peace for all mankind."
On July 22, 1969 the Apollo 11 began its journey home and splashed safely in the Pacific ocean at 12:51 p.m. (EST) on July 24th.
A couple other notes:
1. 5 other lunar landing missions were made, and one un-planned lunar swing with....the Apollo 13.
2. The last men to walk on the moon were Eugene Cernam and Harrison Schmitt on December 14th, 1972 aboard the Apollo 17 mission.
3. The entire "Apollo programs" were both costly and labor intensive. The missions included over 400,000 engineers, techs, and scientists. The cost of these missions were at $24 billion dollars...and yes, we were able to "beat Russia o the moon."
After that, the Apollo missions seemed to lose their viability, and we have not returned....
Just one question...why was it necessary to inscribe on that plaque left on the moon's surface..."Here men from the planet Earth....." Are there men from anywhere else?? Hmmmm.
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