78 replies to this topic

[kayemod]

One thing I do think is true is that Armstrong slightly changed the scripted words of his first step...

I think he just fluffed his lines a little, and he was hardly going to rely on Buzz Aldrin for a prompt, was he?

[E1pix]

Worse yet, enter poor Michael Collins... so close, yet............

[Ray Bell]

Thanks, CSquared, a look at that pic was interesting...

It's good to have myths busted!

[Wirra]

Interesting article in this morning's rag.

http://www.smh.com.a...0827-24ws2.html

[CSquared]

One thing I do think is true is that Armstrong slightly changed the scripted words of his first step... perhaps by accident, perhaps not. Whatever, I loved the guy.

Nothing was scripted. His words were his words. He might have misspoken or a word could have been lost in the transmission.

[E1pix]

Nothing was scripted. His words were his words. He might have misspoken or a word could have been lost in the transmission.

Not going to further argue this in context of this thread, but of course it was scripted and that's well-known.

He was supposed to say, "That's one small step for a man..." and left out the "a" in heat of the moment. That little a changed the meaning entirely.

[CSquared]

Not going to further argue this in context of this thread, but of course it was scripted and that's well-known.

He was supposed to say, "That's one small step for a man..." and left out the "a" in heat of the moment. That little a changed the meaning entirely.

Everyone knows the wonderful site, letmegooglethatforyou.com I think we need a letmewikipediathatforyou.com as well. In a few seconds of research you can find this from Armstrong biographer James Hansen:
"Neil only composed the phrase in his head sometime after the landing and going through all the emergency liftoff procedures, etc. He had no more than two hours from the time he thought it up to the time he uttered it."

[Gary C]

'but of course it was scripted and that's well-known.'
Oh really? I've just watched a full one hour interview with Neil filmed in Australia early last year where he says he made up his little 'speech' only after Lunar touchdown....he hadn't had any time to think of it before.

[E1pix]

Okay Guys, this was reported for decades here, from period books I read, to documentary shows, to a propulsion manager-friend and a project manager-friend at Lockheed — and is on plenty of websites right now.

You needn't be insulting on a Memoriam thread over hearing a different story 40 years on, regardless of source.

[DogEarred]

Don't forget that there is the Neil Armstrong museum in Ohio.

Well worth a look around and will hopefully, but sadly, have even more memorabilia of his amazing life and career.

[Glengavel]

Worse yet, enter poor Michael Collins... so close, yet............

Well, Collins would always have known he was never going to walk on the moon. Lovell and Haise are the two who must have looked on with regret as Apollo 13 swung round the moon.

[wagons46]

Lovell and Haise are the two who must have looked on with regret as Apollo 13 swung round the moon.

I would have thought the last thing they would have wanted to do was land on the moon rather than get back to Earth as quickly as possible.

[ensign14]

Well, Collins would always have known he was never going to walk on the moon. Lovell and Haise are the two who must have looked on with regret as Apollo 13 swung round the moon.

At least they got there; Joe Engle was scheduled to be the pilot of 17 but cos it became the last mission he was bumped in favour of Schmitt, originally tabbed for 18, because a scientist had not trod on the lunar surface yet.

[Hamish Robson]

RIP Neil Armstrong. Hard to believe it was 43 years ago and we've only been puddle-jumping into low orbit (with a couple of exceptions to fix Hubble) since '17. I was 0.5 years old when these brave men touched down but was on my Dad's knee in front of the TV as the whole world watched in awe.

[E1pix]

Well, Collins would always have known he was never going to walk on the moon. Lovell and Haise are the two who must have looked on with regret as Apollo 13 swung round the moon.

That's what I heard all these years also.

Lovell and Haise? Heartbreaking for them like we can't imagine.

[Hamish Robson]

Just in case anyone on thiis thread has missed it, I recommend Jim Lovell's "Lost Moon" about '13. UTTERLY absorbing.

[Nick Savage]

To add a footnote-on-a-footnote about the moon landing. In July 1969, me and three mates had travelled to Spain in a VW beetle on an extended stag night prior to Pete's wedding (won't expose the gory detail, but at one stage we were drinking cheap Spanish gin, called 'Arpon' for which the label showed a shark being stuck through the gizzard with a large spear, and cutting it with bottles of French fizzy orange which went under the brand-name "Pssschitt!"). It did not take much to please us in those days.

We ended up on a (mainly Scandinavian) camping site in a pine forest right by the beach, just north of Sitges. One evening, after drinking ourselves into a time/space distortion with some Swedes, we walked back through the dark forest searching for our tent. Suddenly and unexpectedly we were caught up in a massive, silent crowd on the edge of a small clearing.

In the clearing was a big Airstream trailer (the first one I had seen) with the whole side opened out to make a veranda. Sitting on the veranda were two Americans, sipping frosted beer and watching a tiny TV set up high on a shelf with an elaborate aerial above. They were watching live coverage of the landing. No-one in the crowd said a word. One suddenly realised that the Americans were unaware of the several hundred people behind them. The night sky was so clear above you could see the Milky Way cascading like a waterfall into the sea.

Then the great moment came, Neil Armstrong announcing to Mission Control they had landed.

At that instant, the whole crowd erupted with cheers and hollers. No-one looked more startled than the Americans at this outbreak of pro-American sentiment.

So to Neil Armstrong and all those fabulous engineers who gave us that moment - a very nostalgic feeling. Neil Armstrong, authentic hero, respect and goodbye.
Nick

[Henri Greuter]

An unforgettable moment in history, technology wise: The USA's finest hour.
I've seen the Saturn 5 at Cape Canavaral and I still can't imagine how they made that thing fly with the knowledge of then
The specifications of that hting are mindboggling.
I wonder how many Americans look back on that period of time with pride and self esteem


A special person on this planet has gone. One of the very few who realized an impossible dream.

Rest in peace Neil Armstrong


Henri

[E1pix]

Just in case anyone on thiis thread has missed it, I recommend Jim Lovell's "Lost Moon" about '13. UTTERLY absorbing.

Thanks Hamish, I'll watch for that.

[Tony Matthews]

To add a footnote-on-a-footnote about the moon landing...

Neat!

[Henri Greuter]

Well, Collins would always have known he was never going to walk on the moon. Lovell and Haise are the two who must have looked on with regret as Apollo 13 swung round the moon.

Well: Collins still had a chance on a later flight. but he had decided on retiring after Apollo 11.
But here was a rotation program which meant that crew members on the early Apollo's and did not retire fom active duty were in line for seats for later flights. the non-commanders regularly flew later missions, curiously all of them who flew a second Apollo flight that went to the moon (one of them his first apollo flight was an earth orbital flight) were commanders on their second Apollo flight.

Apollo 7: Schirra, Eisele, Cunningham were barred from flying because of "misbehaving in space"primarilly because Schirra was rather sick and not very cooperative to Mission Control and in that he dragged his team along in retirement.

Apollo 8; Lovell got the 13, Borman and Anders retired,

Apollo 9: McDivitt, Scott Schweikert: Scott got Apollo 15. This was Scott's first flight to the moon, 9 had flewn in earths orbit for 10 days.

Apollo 10: Stafford got the Apollo-Soyuz, Young got Apollo 16 and Cernan Apollo 17.

I lost interest after the moonflights but I recall that from the three men who flew Apollo 12 at least one, if not two of them were aboard the three skylab flights

Henri

[David Lawson]

Patrick Moore talked movingly about Neil Armstrong on The Sky at Night and the BBC have a short tribute to him on their website.

The clip starts with a tribute to Sir Bernard Lovell.

Neil Armstrong-Patrick Moore

David

[Doug Nye]

Indeed. Saw that. Sir Patrick's star remains undimmed, although his physical abilities are now very restricted. A great man: fine programme.

DCN

[kayemod]

Slightly off topic, but this seems as good a place as any, I'm sure Neil Armstrong would have enjoyed this.

http://www.youtube.c...CIzZHpFtY?rel=0

[E1pix]

Thanks Rob, straight to my two friends at Lockheed (though I'd s'pect they've seen it ;) )

[roger.daltrey]

And for those still reading this thread, the best version of the moon landing recordings -



Parental discretion probably advised.....

[Gary C]

no apologies for resurrecting this thread. This is my new t-shirt which arrived this very morning:

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

That was the code for computer overload, wasn't it, Gary? It obliged Neil to take 'er in on the stick.

Thought for a moment is was the call for fuel reserve but no.

Cool T-shirt!

Edit: A moment after posting, it struck me that for many years I've used the simple call of '601' as an overload situation in a whole host of situations. This came from the very fine sci-fi film, The Andromeda Strain, wherein the computers couldn't process the information fast enough and went belly up. If I'm correct in believing that '1201' is largely the same, I'll have to start using it.

Edited by Manfred Cubenoggin, 30 January 2013 - 23:43.

[Gary C]

'If I'm correct in believing that '1201' is largely the same,'
absolutely correct. There was a 1202 which was more of the same, too.