1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Nine Days in July is a production of I Heart 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: Radio and trade Craft Studios in association with High five Content. 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: It's May sixth, nineteen sixty eight Ellington Air Force Base, Texas. 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,240 Speaker 1: Neil Armstrong is sitting behind the controls of the Lunar 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: Landing Research Vehicle. This isn't a simulator like the building 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: bound trainers I described last episode. This one actually flies. 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: The l l r V employs a massive, downward facing 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: turbojet engine to counteract five six of the vehicle's weight 9 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: and better simulate how the lunar module will behave on 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: the mood. Two rockets and sixteen smaller thrusters provide vertical 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: and horizontal motion and allow for fine movements. The l 12 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: r V isn't pretty. It's basically a flat, square body, 13 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: four legs in each corner and an open cockpit. The 14 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: astronauts call it the flying bedstead. According to those who've 15 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: taken the stick, it is notoriously hard to fly, but 16 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: profoundly easy to correct. On this day, several hundred feet 17 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: in the air, Neil is struggling with the controls as 18 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: he tries to bring the machine in for a landing. Suddenly, 19 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: the rockets give out, and the l l RV begins 20 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: to plummet. Neil increases power to the turbojet, but as 21 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: he does, the vehicle makes an uncommanded pitch forward two 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: feet above the ground. Neil hits the jet button, his 23 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: body is instantly accelerated to fourteen g's. He's so low 24 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: that his parachute is open for only four seconds before 25 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: he crashes back to the earth. Across the field from him, 26 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: the ll RV dives into the ground and erupts in 27 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: a giant fireball. If he'd waited even a second longer, 28 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: he'd still have been strapped into the seat when it exploded. 29 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: More than any other piece of equipment NASA had, the 30 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: l l RV was the best analog for what it 31 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: would be like when Neil took the LEMBS controls and 32 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: guided it to the lunar surface. As he rises shakily 33 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: to his feet watching the l l RV burn, how 34 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: could he not be wondering if this is the fate 35 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: that awaits him and Buzz There are no ejection seats 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: in the lamb. It's July, day five of the Apollo 37 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: eleven mission. This is the day humans can make history 38 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: by stepping foot on another world. This is a follow 39 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: control ninety three hours, nine minutes ground and laps time 40 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: the follow eleven. Good morning from the black day. I 41 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: look like you're really sawing away all right. After having breakfast, 42 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: I'm getting all squared away. After the night's rest period, 43 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: the crew will have a rather busy day to day, 44 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: including the first man landing on the Moon. A busy day. Indeed, yesterday, 45 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: four days after they left Earth, the conjoined Command Service 46 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: Module and the Lunar Module arrived in orbit around the Moon. Today, 47 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: Mission commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin 48 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: will attempt to make history by landing a spacecraft on 49 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: the Moon and setting bootprints in its ash. Like service 50 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: members of the White team of flight controllers ended up 51 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: by Eugene krantz Or drifting into the control room now 52 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: to relieve the night watch. One of those White team 53 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: members is guidance Officer Steve Bales, who you might remember 54 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: from a previous episode. You could have cut the tension 55 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: in that room that day with a knife. Some of 56 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: the managers have been into business thirty years said they 57 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: had never seen attention that they had felt in that 58 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: room that day. But you also get this failing that 59 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: this is a place something's going to happen at. I mean, 60 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: this is a place started like the box where Columbus 61 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: last thing you know, and he sailed offer to America 62 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: for Gene Krantz. It's only just now beginning to sink 63 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: in that today is the day they've been working towards 64 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: for the better part of a decade. He's wearing his 65 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: wife's good luck charm, a silver and white vest. She 66 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: makes a new one for each of her husband's, but 67 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: today's is especially beautiful. Elsewhere in Houston, the astronauts families 68 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: are just arriving home after a morning spent at church. 69 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: Each of their homes are surrounded by ravenous press. It 70 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: isn't long before a small army of friends and family, 71 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: most bearing pot like dishes begin showing up to offer 72 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: moral support. Inside TVs and coffee pots are already hard 73 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 1: at work. It's going to be a long day. In 74 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: the corner of each living room is a squawk box, 75 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: which NASA installed shortly before Apollo eleven launched into space. 76 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: The devices allow the families to listen in on the 77 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: communications between mission control and the spacecraft. Basically what you've 78 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: been hearing throughout this podcast. Joan Aldrin finds a spot 79 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: on the couch and lights a cigarette. The nearby ashtray 80 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: is already in desperate need of being emptied. Chain smoking 81 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 1: is an unfortunate side effect of being an astronaut's wife. 82 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: Back aboard Apollo eleven, the crew has donned their bulky 83 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 1: pressure garments, and Neil and Buzz have powered up the 84 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: lunar module. The time has come to separate the two spacecraft. 85 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: Michael seals the hatches and begins depressurizing the airlock. He 86 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,799 Speaker 1: is now alone in the command module. Neil and Buzz 87 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: prepared to deploy the lunar modules for landing legs, which 88 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: until now have been tucked tight against the spacecraft's ungainly body. Okay, 89 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: we're gonna put our gear down the landing here, and 90 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:32,119 Speaker 1: by damn about ain't no doubt about that. Inside the limb, 91 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: Neil and Buzz conduct a series of checks confirming their 92 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: guidance system, thrusters, descent propulsion system, and rendezvous radar are 93 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: all working properly. That last bit sounds innocuous, but it's not. 94 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: Remember the rendezvous radar follow eleven. Then we'll go for 95 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: undocking over Roger understand. As Apollo eleven curls around the 96 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: far side of the Moon, it once again loses radio 97 00:05:56,839 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: contact with Houston, as will happen so often on this 98 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: massive and critical maneuvers are conducted without the comforting tether 99 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: of mission controls. Where are you at? Okay on a maneuver? 100 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,840 Speaker 1: Nap to unlocking at you when you know? An't even 101 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: radarselves that is complete? Let me know and I'll check 102 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: out my fand finding there it is again. Rendezvous radar 103 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: on Buzzes checklist is the command to make sure the 104 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 1: radar is picking up a transponder on board the command module. 105 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: This tells the LAMB where and how far away it is. 106 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,279 Speaker 1: Without the transponder, it will be almost impossible to find 107 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: Michael in the command module once they leave the Moon. 108 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: Thanks man, it checked out. Exagur Ago you guys. The 109 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: two spacecraft separate, Michael has to ensure that he undocks 110 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: without damaging the seals on either module. If the docking 111 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: ports are damnitched, Neil and buzz will have to perform 112 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: a spacewalk tomorrow to get back in. But this is 113 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: Michael we're talking about, and he makes it look easy. 114 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: There is no more Apollo eleven. The Eagle and the 115 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: Columbia are now two separate spacecraft orbiting the Moon. Michael 116 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: allows Columbia to drift a short distance away from the 117 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: lunar module and takes the opportunity to inspect the eagles 118 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: exterior and to ensure the landing gear is properly deployed. 119 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: The MESA is a compartment on the belly of the 120 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: Eagle's descent stage that holds the various equipment and tools 121 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: the crew will need once they land. A moment later, 122 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: the two spacecraft round the Moon and come back into 123 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: contact with mission control. Brock your hen and said, look, 124 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: I can find like a blant upside down. Somebody's upside 125 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: down in space. There is no upside to out. Michael 126 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,119 Speaker 1: fires Columbia's thrusters and moves himself away, ensuring the Eagle 127 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: is free and clear to navigate. The lamb initiates its 128 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: descent orbit insertion burn. This is not the big burn 129 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: that's going to get the Eagle down to the Moon, 130 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: but rather a short one to lower them down to 131 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: about fifty feet in preparation for their final descent. Every 132 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: second of the burn removes nearly two miles from their 133 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: health team from more of it. Michael watches the eagle 134 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: getting smaller and smaller until it disappears from view altogether. 135 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,080 Speaker 1: Once again, the maneuver occurs out of radio contact with Houston. 136 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: Back in mission control, Jean kranslights a new cigarette. He 137 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: can't even count how many he's already had this morning. 138 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: He's been writing furiously in his log book and notices 139 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: that the pages are wet and beginning to curl. He's 140 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: sweating a lot. But at his console, Steve Baale suddenly 141 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: has nothing to do, and we've had about fifteen minutes 142 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: to acquisition, and Jeane says, I want you flight controllers 143 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: to go to this special loop that was private. I 144 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: had to tell these kids how proud I was of 145 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: the work that they had done, and from this stay, 146 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: from the time that they were born, they were destined 147 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,719 Speaker 1: to be here, and they're destined to do this job. 148 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: And it's the best team that has ever been assembled. 149 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: And today, without a doubt, we are going to write 150 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: in the history books and we're going to be the 151 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: team that takes an American to the moon. And do 152 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: you do not know how much that meant? For somebody 153 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: like myself sitting there at with do knowing what we 154 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,839 Speaker 1: were going to have to do in the next few minutes. 155 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: His pep talk concluded, Jean has the doors to mission 156 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: control locked. No one can go in or out. It's 157 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: go time. We should have cut off by this time, 158 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: that should have completed the decent orbit insertion maneuver. Spacecraft 159 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: is now behind the Moon and the control team the 160 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: adrenal one, I mean just really was, no matter how 161 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:05,319 Speaker 1: you tried to hide it. The fact is is that 162 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 1: you are really starting to pump. Might demand complaint. This 163 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: is a follow control of one hours fifty four minutes. 164 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: I believe. Back in the viewing room, we probably have 165 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: one of the largest assemblages of space officials that we've 166 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: ever seen in one place. Mission Control is bursting at 167 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: the seams with dignitaries and v I p s. Basically 168 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: anyone who's anyone in NASA is here. It's growing quite 169 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: quiet here in mission control. A few moments ago, Flight 170 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: Director Jane Kranz requested that everyone sit down, get prepared 171 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 1: for events that are coming, and he closed with very 172 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: remark good luck to all of you. We are now 173 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: coming up on thirty seconds to acquisition of the command module. Well, 174 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: we do get our acquisition, but it is a most 175 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: horrible sounding noise that you've ever heard. Here we're getting 176 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:57,559 Speaker 1: ready to go to the moon and we can't even 177 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: talk to the crew directly. We have to call Mike 178 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,439 Speaker 1: Collins and the command module to relay data down in 179 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: the lunar model. Don't get any hear right here ago 180 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: for a five datement over com fun no and as 181 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: you can hear, the calms are terrible, But that isn't 182 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: stopping buzz from grinning ear to ear. Five seconds after 183 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: the engine ignites, Steve Bales once again loses all data 184 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 1: from the moonship. When it comes back a minute or 185 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: so later, he sees something's not right. We were going 186 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: toward the moon per second fashion than we should have been. 187 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: If we get to thirty five ft per second, I've 188 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: got to stop the desa. I've got to call the board. Well, boy, 189 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: when you haven't even started down to the moon and 190 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 1: some guy comes to you and says, hey, we're halfway 191 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: to our aboard women to share, gets your attention. So 192 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 1: why was the lamb flying so much faster than anyone anticipated? 193 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: Gene explains the crew had not fully pressed the tunnel 194 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: between the two space crafts, so when they blew the bolt, 195 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: there was a little residual air in there at let 196 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 1: start of like pop on a cark on a bottle. 197 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: But of course no one knows this at the time. 198 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: All they know is that for some reason, the spacecraft 199 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: is traveling faster than it should be. Either that or 200 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: something's wrong with the navigational computer. Either way, the tension 201 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 1: in mission control has now reached suffocating levels. Luckily, the 202 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,679 Speaker 1: calms seem to be back, but then to take down 203 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: to dealt long. Neil has just recognized what Steve Bales 204 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,199 Speaker 1: and everyone in mission control already knows. The lamb is 205 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 1: not where it's supposed to be. Neil is watching the 206 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: terrain go by outside his window, and he realizes they 207 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: are going to overshoot their landing zone. Neil rotates the 208 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 1: lamb into a face up, feet forward position. This must 209 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: be done so that when the Eagle is put upright, 210 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: they will be facing forward during the landing. Now he 211 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 1: and Buzz are looking at nothing but the void of 212 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 1: outer space, well not quite nothing. Back in mission control, 213 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: Steve Bales continues to monitor the lemb's progress Thankfully the 214 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: mooncraft has not gained any additional speed. That a word 215 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: danger that everyone feared no longer seems to be an issue, 216 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: and I think my big problem for the day is over. 217 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,319 Speaker 1: Twenty seconds later, we'd get a program alarm, program alarm 218 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:30,840 Speaker 1: about two about and I was frantically scrambling, Oh my guys, 219 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: it's one of those alarms who worked on. I have 220 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: the cheat sheet over in my left side, but before 221 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: I can even see it, Jack Garmin is yelling in 222 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: my air Steve, Steve, Remember it's executive overflowed the program alarm. 223 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: Neil and Buzz don't recognize the alarm, and they are 224 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: too busy to go rummaging through their manuals looking for 225 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: an explanation. Communication dropouts were a nuisance more than a danger, 226 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: but computer problem was a show stopper. I didn't really 227 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: know the consequences of those alarm, but fortunately Stephen oas 228 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: guys on g n N console new I say to 229 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,319 Speaker 1: the flight director, we're going that alarm right here. We 230 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 1: got you. We're going at alarm. Do you recall the 231 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: story from our last episode that I told you to 232 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: remember the final simulation that mission control went through the 233 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: one that would never happen in real life, the one 234 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: that made geene Krants so angry. Well, this is real 235 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: life and the exact same thing is happening right now, 236 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: except this time mission control knows exactly what's going on, 237 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: and they all remember what they were told after the simulation. 238 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: You should not have aboorded some person, and we've never 239 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: been able to identify with The voice loop comes up 240 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: and says, this is just like a simulation. The Eagles 241 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 1: computer is overloaded with tasks. It cannot process them all. 242 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: The alarm is its way of saying, hey, everybody, I've 243 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: got a lot more on my plate than I can handle, 244 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: so I'm going to concentrate on the most critical items 245 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: and leave the rest for later. For nine, the Lembs 246 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: computer is as cutting edge as it gets. It has 247 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: two K of RAM and thirty six K of raw memory. 248 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: If you're not a computer person like me, those numbers 249 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: likely don't mean anything to you, so let me break 250 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: it down for you. The last email you sent was 251 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: likely twice as large as that. The lemb computer had 252 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: less memory than a high school graphing calculator, and yet 253 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: it got us to the mood. NASA was the first 254 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: in the world to use microchips, allowing them to power 255 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: a computer the size of a briefcase rather than a 256 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 1: machine the size of a room. The moon landing didn't 257 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: usher in the space age. It ushered in the digital age. 258 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: And just what is if it's causing the data overflow? 259 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: You probably figured it out by now. The rendezvous radar 260 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: buzz left it on just in case they needed to 261 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: abort and make a quick ascent back to Michael in 262 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 1: the command module. It proved one item too many for 263 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: the computer to handle. Okay, i'll flight controllers and should 264 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: be throttling down. You're looking great. Neil pitches the Eagle 265 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 1: up so that the vehicle is now traveling with its 266 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: legs pointed down towards the Moon. They are over unfamiliar 267 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 1: territory on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility, 268 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 1: more than four miles beyond their target. Below them is 269 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: a deep crater the size of a football field, and 270 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 1: it is strew with massive boulders. Realizing that the autopilot 271 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: is going to try to land the spacecraft in the 272 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: middle of that crater, Neil disengages the computer and takes 273 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: control himself. He needs to find a new landing site. 274 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 1: His heartbeat has skyrocketed from seventy seven beats a minute 275 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: to fifty six. Okay, I'll flight comtrollers go, I'll go 276 00:16:54,080 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: for landing retro. I don't know, sorry, good Go Capcom 277 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,120 Speaker 1: or Gopher landing, Go get the year, go for landing over. 278 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 1: I heard a thank go for landing three thousands three alarm. 279 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: Another alarm, this time twelve o one. It's in the 280 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: same series as the one before, and Steve Bales doesn't 281 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 1: even hesitate this time. Okay, we're going to go. Thank 282 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: I We're go on board the LAMB. Neil is intent 283 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: on landing alarms or no alarms. You're always concerned when 284 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 1: any kind of alarm comes on. But uh my own 285 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 1: heeling was that as long as everything was going well 286 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: and looked right, I would be in favor of continuing, 287 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: no matter what the computers was complaining about it. There 288 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,719 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be anywhere to set down and aboard. 289 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: Suddenly seems very likely to have come this far only 290 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: to abandon their prize. Now, Neil Armstrong. It was far 291 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,880 Speaker 1: and away the most complex part of them, the flight. 292 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: The systems were very heavily loaded at that time. The 293 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: unknowns were rampant. The systems in this mode had only 294 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: been tested on Earth and never in the real environment. 295 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 1: There were just a thousand things to worry about in 296 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: the final descent. Nine and ninety nine of those things 297 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: are boulders the size of cars. It was a fairly 298 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: steep slope and it was covered with very big rocks. 299 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: There were some attractive areas half mile ahead or so, 300 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,880 Speaker 1: so that's where I went. But now there's another even 301 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,159 Speaker 1: more serious problem. They didn't plan for the descent to 302 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: take this long, and they are running out of fuel 303 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,919 Speaker 1: fast level. While normally by the time he calls out 304 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: low level we have landed in training. Then we're not 305 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: even close to landing here. Back at her home in Houston, 306 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:54,080 Speaker 1: Joan Aldrin rises to her feet, sways unsteadily for a moment, 307 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: and collapses onto the floor. She lays there for a 308 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:01,919 Speaker 1: few moments, absolutely overwhelmed. When she rises, she braces herself 309 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 1: against the wall for support. Break that a far feel okay, 310 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: look area. You may not have been able to make 311 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,120 Speaker 1: that last bit out right before. Neil said he found 312 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: an area he likes. Buzz informed him that they are 313 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,880 Speaker 1: down to eight percent of their fuel it's now or never. 314 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:31,680 Speaker 1: A lot before it got about break, I got a 315 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: good Neil just said he's got a good spot. I 316 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 1: part five quantity light. That's how much fuel they have left. Hey, 317 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,959 Speaker 1: that's looking good. Down a half look forward sex day 318 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: saconds sixty seconds. Mission control is telling Neil that if 319 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: he's not on the ground in one minute, he has 320 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: to abort the landing or fade down at above the 321 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: lunar surface, and buzzes noticing that their descent engine is 322 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: starting to disturb the lunar dust. Far forward, Far Forward 323 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:17,360 Speaker 1: dripped into the right level half. Neil must put down 324 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: within thirty seconds or abort the mission. There's a lot 325 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: of concern about coming close to running out a fuel, 326 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: But I didn't know that if I could have my 327 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: speed stabilized and attitude stabilized, I could fall from fairly 328 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: good height Propps, maybe forty feet or more, and in 329 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,639 Speaker 1: the low lunar gravity, the gear would distorb that much fall. 330 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,159 Speaker 1: That was Neil armstrong. Given that the Moon's gravity is 331 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: one six of that on Earth. Neil is planning on 332 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: letting the landers simply dropped to the surface. Here's the 333 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,360 Speaker 1: thing about the lemb's legs. They were designed to get crushed. 334 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: Inside the struts is a honeycomb structure that will compress 335 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,879 Speaker 1: on landing. Neil is that if they run out of 336 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: fuel and aren't too high when it happens, they can 337 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:06,639 Speaker 1: simply fall in the moon significantly lower gravity, and the 338 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: legs will absorb the impact. There are only three options 339 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: that day. Either going to land, You're going to a board. 340 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: You're gonna crash. There's no more what happens. I'm not 341 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: gonna call a boar. The crew is close enough to 342 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 1: the surface. I'm gonna let them give it their best shot. 343 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: Carlton was just ready to say fifteen seconds and anyway 344 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:29,360 Speaker 1: here the crow say contact right. Three of the four 345 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: lamb footpads are equipped with nearly six ft long probes 346 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,680 Speaker 1: to alert the crew in contact with the surfaces made. 347 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: At least one of those probes has made contact with 348 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: a jolt, not unlike a passenger jet touching down on 349 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,120 Speaker 1: a runaway, the lamb comes to a stop. The silence 350 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,119 Speaker 1: is deafening. The two men glance at each other in relief. 351 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: The eagle has only forty five seconds worth of fuel 352 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: remaining because of avoiding hostile terrain, their descent has taken 353 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,400 Speaker 1: your thirteen minutes longer than planned and burned roughly five 354 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty unplanned pounds of fuel. Neil's heart rate 355 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: is a thunderous one and fifty beats per minute, and 356 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,160 Speaker 1: they are approximately four miles from where they planned on landing, 357 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: but they are on the Moon. Outside Neil sees something 358 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 1: that takes his breath away. Was absolutely dumbfounded when I 359 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: shut the rocket engine off and the particles were going 360 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,120 Speaker 1: out radially from the bottom of the engine belt all 361 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: the way all over the horizon and instantaneously disappeared. There 362 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: is so little atmospheric resistance on the Moon that the 363 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:40,840 Speaker 1: lunar dust scattered by the lembs exhaust raced away from 364 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: the spacecraft at the speed of a bullet and traveled 365 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: halfway around the Moon before it finally settled. Buzz grabs 366 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: Neil's hand and whispers, we made it, and here the 367 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: ankle has landed. Rocket crank quiality. We caty on the ground. 368 00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: You gotta fight the guys about the turn blue. We're 369 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: breathing again. So long as the spacecraft is resting on 370 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,359 Speaker 1: the Moon, it will no longer be referred to as 371 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 1: the Eagle. Now it is Tranquility Base. I was so 372 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: excited I couldn't get out Tranquility Base. It came out. 373 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: So I'm like Roger Houston, Tranquility Base, and I believe 374 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,440 Speaker 1: that's true. It was a true statement, was spontaneous, but 375 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:23,720 Speaker 1: it was true. I mean we were I was holding 376 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 1: my breath, you know, because we were close. I don't 377 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: think any of us breathed for that last sixty seconds. 378 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: All across the Earth, time has stopped. Six d and 379 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 1: fifty million people are glued to their televisions, making the 380 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,919 Speaker 1: moon landing the most watched television event in history. It's 381 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: to seventeen PM in Houston, Texas. As her friends and 382 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: family erupt into cheers, Joan Altering excuses herself and sneaks 383 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 1: away into her husband's study, closing the door behind her. 384 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: She wakes up several moments later, having passed out a 385 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,400 Speaker 1: few feet away from her As a fall and matchbook, 386 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:01,640 Speaker 1: the her limbs feel as if they are no longer 387 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: in her control. She claus for the matchbook and curls 388 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 1: her fingers around it, desperate for the feel of something 389 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: real and tangible. She remains in this position for several minutes, 390 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: regaining her composure before rising, smoothing out her dress and 391 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: rejoining the others in the living room. See all smiles. 392 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,400 Speaker 1: She tells them, no more tears. But on CBS News, 393 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: Walter Krunkite is in tears. U S soldiers in Vietnam 394 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: crowd around handheld radios even as mortars fall all around them. 395 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: In New York City, the Yankees are playing the Washington Senators. 396 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: The gathered fans erupt in cheers as they're on The 397 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: Moon flashes on the scoreboard, and the game is paused 398 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: while the crowd spontaneously begins to seeing America the beautiful. 399 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: Ten thousand people gathered in Central Park to watch the 400 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:55,640 Speaker 1: landing on giant screens erupt in ear splitting applause. Thousands 401 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: of travelers and airports and train stations begin applotting, and 402 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:01,640 Speaker 1: then the air airplane passengers began running up and down 403 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 1: the aisles, shaking each other's hands. As a seven year 404 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,199 Speaker 1: old child watching Apollo eleven blast off at Cape Kennedy, 405 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,639 Speaker 1: I was dying to watch the landing on TV, but 406 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 1: my dad wanted to drive back home to Michigan, and 407 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: everybody on the interstate was pulling over to listen to 408 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: the landing on the radio. Was in Vietnam that day 409 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: in July, was airborne in an F one Super Saber 410 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: when someone came up on the emergency perconcide and announced 411 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 1: that the eagle had landed. So the year, in the 412 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: month I was born, butt Nick launched and I was 413 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: nicknamed butt Nick for the first six years of my life. 414 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:47,359 Speaker 1: And then on my twelfth birthday, Apollo eleven launched to 415 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: head to the Moon. Three days later, we were sitting 416 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: in the living room watching Walter Cronkite and watching him 417 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,240 Speaker 1: walk on the Moon. During the week of the landing, 418 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,719 Speaker 1: I was at summer camp and the councilor in our 419 00:25:57,760 --> 00:25:59,880 Speaker 1: cabin was kind of a cool guy. And remember why 420 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 1: changed that on his little black and white TV with 421 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: rabbit ears. I was just a nineteen year old rookie 422 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: protocol officer. My boss said, Werner von Braun needs an 423 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: escort in the controls interviewing room, and as young and 424 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 1: inexperience as I was at nineteen, I realized exactly what 425 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 1: he was doing. I just stayed there until the end 426 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,440 Speaker 1: of the entire moonwalk. My father was an airman station 427 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: at Office Air Force Base in Omaha. The night of Lynn, 428 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 1: He's getting right home from a fellow airman who was 429 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: African American. They pulled up at the bar and my 430 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: dad realized it was an African American bar. And they 431 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: walked in and my dad kind of feel all eyes 432 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: upon him, you know, being a six foot seven white man. 433 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 1: He said, in that moment when they said the words, 434 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:41,439 Speaker 1: you know, the Eagle has landed, cheers erupted, and there 435 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 1: was no race in that bar. It was just this 436 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:47,200 Speaker 1: group of Americans excited and amazed at what had just 437 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,119 Speaker 1: been accomplished. Well, it was the summer of nineteen sixty 438 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:52,399 Speaker 1: nine and he had just graduated from high school and 439 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: was headed to college. I was with my boyfriend who 440 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: would later become my husband, and watch the landing together. 441 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: As a young eighteen year old woman. It made me 442 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,120 Speaker 1: feel anything was possible and then I could do anything. 443 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 1: It created an atmosphere of excitement and promise. And I 444 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: must say that all the negativity in our culture today 445 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: is so hard. And I have six grandchildren and I 446 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 1: want them to be full of hope. We could really 447 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:20,920 Speaker 1: use an Apollo eleven experience today. Remember an episode three 448 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: when we talked about John Hubolt, the engineer who insisted 449 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 1: that lunar orbit rendezvous was the only way to get 450 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 1: us to the Moon. You may remember that one of 451 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: the men who disagreed with him at the time was 452 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,879 Speaker 1: Verna von Braun, the designer of the Saturn five rocket. Well, today, 453 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: von Braun has invited Huboldt to mission control to witness 454 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 1: Apollo Levin's touchdown. As the viewing area erupts and cheers 455 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,880 Speaker 1: and applause, von Braun turns to who Bolton says, thank you, John, 456 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: it is a good idea and UH for the first 457 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: time he had an opportunity within the control team to 458 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,919 Speaker 1: just take a deep breath and say, my God, today 459 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 1: we just landed on the Moon with the UH be 460 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: advised lots of smiling faces in its room and all 461 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 1: over the world. Or threw up my fare There was 462 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 1: a beautiful job, you guys, and don't forget one. In 463 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: the command model. That last voice was Michael Collins in 464 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 1: orbit sixty miles above. You've almost forgotten about him, hadn't you. 465 00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: On the earthword side, he has the chatter of Mission 466 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: Control and Tranquility Base to keep him company. But on 467 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 1: the far side of the Moon. For forty eight minutes 468 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: at a time he has utterly cut off. Michael is 469 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: well aware of what everyone is saying about him back 470 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: on Earth. Michael Collins the loneliest man in the universe, 471 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: but despite the fact that he's experiencing the most profound 472 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:43,480 Speaker 1: solitude of any human being in history, he doesn't feel lonely. 473 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: That It's one of the questions I get asked him 474 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: and God, and you got so close to the moning 475 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: it didn't land. Don't not really bug it. It really 476 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: does not. Uh. I honestly felt really privileged to be 477 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: on Apollo eleven. Uh to have one of those three seats. 478 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,080 Speaker 1: I mean, there are guys in the ast obviously put 479 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: my throat here to hear to have one of those 480 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: three seats. Okay, just keep that averybody days ready for 481 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: us up there. Now. We'll do our recommendation at this 482 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: point is planning it easy, starting at about eight o'clock 483 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 1: the season years some time, stand mine, give us some time. 484 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 1: Things about that quality basic Houston. We thought about it. 485 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: We will support it. We're going at that time over. 486 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: The plan was for Kneel and Buzz to begin a 487 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: sleep period once they landed on the Moon, but the 488 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,160 Speaker 1: astronauts are excited they want to get out onto the 489 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:43,240 Speaker 1: Moon's surface. Now they can sleep later, and Houston concurs. 490 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 1: But first Buzz wants to acknowledge the enormity of the moment. 491 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: I hear that in tran quiality over tranquility used to 492 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 1: go ahead, Roger, this is the lamp pilot. I'd like 493 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: to take this opportunity to every person listening in, whoever 494 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: wherever they may may, to pause for a moment and 495 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 1: contemplate the events of the past you are and to 496 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 1: give thanks in his or her own way. Over Buzz 497 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,480 Speaker 1: switches off the radio and takes a moment in the 498 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,360 Speaker 1: midst of the maelstrom of history to quiet himself. He 499 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: opens two small plastic containers. One contains bread, the other 500 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: contains wine. The last supper is the first meal on 501 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 1: the moon. We are beginning our eav a prip. Neil 502 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 1: and Buzz struggle into their portable life support systems. These 503 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: are the backpacks containing their breathable oxygen, water, coolant, and 504 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: communication systems. Tranquility based, Houston, you are go for a 505 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: cabin deep. As the men equalize the pressure inside their 506 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: cabin to match the lunar environment outside, Neil ponders what 507 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: he's going to say when he first steps on the moon. 508 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: He's had too much to concentrate on in the weeks 509 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 1: and days leading up to the mission to come up 510 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,520 Speaker 1: with anything. He suddenly realizes that whatever he says is 511 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: going to be recorded in every history book for time immemorial. 512 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: No pressure. As the mission commander, Neil will be the 513 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: first one out of the vehicle. The Buzz actually petitioned 514 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: NASA to be the first. The decision came down to 515 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:16,520 Speaker 1: fun hui. The Lamb's hatch swings into the cabin and 516 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 1: to the right, blocking Buzz behind it until Neil climbs 517 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 1: out of the way. Now comatic open slowly, Neil begins 518 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: making his way down the ten foot ladder. His suit 519 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 1: is so cumbersome that he can't even see his own feet. 520 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,760 Speaker 1: On the second rung, he yanks ad ring, deploying the 521 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: MASA equipment and tool bay, as well as a television camera, 522 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 1: which automatically begins broadcasting a signal back to Earth. Well, 523 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 1: I look at pictures. We can see you're coming down 524 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:50,280 Speaker 1: the ladder. Now there's that foot there down the steps. 525 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 1: If you've ever looked at pictures of Neil on the lamb, ladder. 526 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: You've noticed that the rung stop about three and a 527 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 1: half feet before the footbeds, forcing him to jump the 528 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: rest of the disc it's down. This is because everyone 529 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: anticipated that the legs would compress upon landing. Instead, Neil 530 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: set the eagle down so gently that the legs never 531 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: even budged. He's a victim of his own masterful flying. 532 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: At the foot of the ladder, the lamp foot beds 533 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: are only impressed in the surface about one or two 534 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:25,360 Speaker 1: inches brought the lamb mount Neil steps off with his 535 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,800 Speaker 1: left foot, places it on the surface, and bounces slightly 536 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,120 Speaker 1: to test it. So there's a foot on the moon, 537 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:35,240 Speaker 1: stepping down on the moon. If he's testing that first step, 538 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 1: he must be stepping down on the Moon at this point. 539 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: And just like that, for the first time in history, 540 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:44,480 Speaker 1: a human has stepped foot on another world. Armstrong is 541 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: on the Moon. Neil Armstrong, thirty eight year old American, 542 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 1: standing on the surface of the Moon on this July 543 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:57,360 Speaker 1: nineteen and sixty nine. And now the man known for 544 00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: his silences must find the perfect words. In Neil's living 545 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: room back in Houston, his wife Janet tightly clutches their 546 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,440 Speaker 1: two small sons be descriptive now, Neil, she says aloud, 547 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 1: at just shy of ten pm Houston time. Neil Armstrong says, 548 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: that's one man. Neil later admitted to what he'd meant 549 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: to say was the more consistent and grammatically correct. That's 550 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. 551 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,760 Speaker 1: But in all of the excitement he misspoke. Thankfully the 552 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:40,760 Speaker 1: world understood his meaning. Just fine, purpose is fine and powdery. 553 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:46,720 Speaker 1: I can end it up loosely with my toe at here, 554 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 1: and the fine layers like potter and charcoal to the 555 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: side of my fruit. Regular, the fancy word for moon dust, 556 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 1: is as fine as talcum powder, but as abrasive as 557 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:03,040 Speaker 1: sand paper. It is electrically charged by solar radiation, so 558 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: that it sticks to every surface it comes in contact with. 559 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:12,239 Speaker 1: Seems to be no difficulty and moving around the simulations 560 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 1: of one and we performed and various simulations on the 561 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 1: ground on Earth during training. Neil, combined with his suit 562 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 1: and backpack, weighed three hundred and fifty pounds. Here, in 563 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:29,000 Speaker 1: lunar gravity, he weighs less than sixty. Neil is inside 564 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: a wearable spacecraft that cost one thousand dollars to design 565 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:38,319 Speaker 1: and manufacture. It was made by Platex. Yeah, the bra manufacturer. 566 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 1: They know a thing or two about making strong, flexible, 567 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 1: form fitting clothing. The astronauts were protected from the Moon's 568 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,399 Speaker 1: extremes of heat and cold, ultra violet radiation, and micro 569 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 1: meteorites by twenty one layers fitted to knee preme bellows 570 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,479 Speaker 1: and steel aircraft wires, which allowed the men to bend 571 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 1: in all the right places. Such joints are critical given 572 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 1: that each suit is inflated to about three point seven 573 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:05,040 Speaker 1: five pounds per square inch of pure oxygen. Think about 574 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,000 Speaker 1: how firm of football is when it's fully inflated. And 575 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:11,120 Speaker 1: here's the coolest bit of all. Each suit was sown 576 00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:15,360 Speaker 1: by hand buzz lowers a hassle blab camera down to 577 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: Neil via a cable and pulley system rigged to the 578 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: inside of the capsule. The astronauts have dubbed it the 579 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: Brooklyn clothesline. Neil is astonished by the view all around 580 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: him and feels compelled to capture some images of the 581 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: surrounding topography. If you've seen any of the pictures from 582 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 1: the Moon, you know that Neil took some extraordinary images. 583 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 1: All the more impressive since Neil doesn't have a viewfinder 584 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 1: to look through. The camera is mounted to his chest 585 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:49,320 Speaker 1: and at its own it's like much as the United 586 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:53,920 Speaker 1: States Good, but it's very pretty unious. With some pictures 587 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:56,279 Speaker 1: out of the way, Neil begins collecting some of the 588 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: soil at his feet and scooping it into a bag. 589 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,680 Speaker 1: After filling it out, Neil tosses away a ring that 590 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:04,400 Speaker 1: had been keeping the bag open in the one six gravity. 591 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: It sails far from him. Now it's Aldrin's turn. Are 592 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: you ready? Buzz pauses on the ladder to make sure 593 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: that the hatch doesn't close behind him. Even the slightest 594 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:23,520 Speaker 1: pressure difference between the inside and the outside would make 595 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:29,040 Speaker 1: the hatch profoundly difficult, if not impossible, to open again. Thought, 596 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,040 Speaker 1: that's our home for the next couple of hours. And 597 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:39,360 Speaker 1: two Americans on the Moon. Back in Houston, Joan Aldrin's 598 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:43,719 Speaker 1: body shutters as she vacillates between laughter and sobs. As 599 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:46,239 Speaker 1: her husband takes his first steps on the moon, she 600 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 1: begins throwing kisses towards his flickering black and white image. 601 00:36:50,840 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 1: And magnificent desolation is well a perfectly sublime way of 602 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:02,759 Speaker 1: describing the surface of the Moon. But it's about as 603 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 1: close as we're going to get to either of these 604 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,879 Speaker 1: guys getting emotional during their experience. They have a job 605 00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: to do, and philosophical musings aren't on their checklists. The 606 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: first thing that is on Buzzes checklist is to get 607 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:18,200 Speaker 1: used to walking around in the lunar environment, which terrifies 608 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:21,799 Speaker 1: his son Andy. I was convinced that Dad was going 609 00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:23,880 Speaker 1: to trip in, you know, end up flat on his 610 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,280 Speaker 1: back like a dead bug, in front of six million 611 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:31,920 Speaker 1: people and most importantly my two hundred classmates. Those are 612 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,239 Speaker 1: the kind of things that we're going through my head 613 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,960 Speaker 1: because I'm an eleven year old kid. As Buzz continues 614 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,480 Speaker 1: to get used to his new environment, Neil opens the 615 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:43,759 Speaker 1: masa storage bay housing their tools and equipment. Beside it 616 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 1: is a metal plaque bolted to one of the eagles 617 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:51,640 Speaker 1: legs airmen from the planet Earth for except for it, 618 00:37:51,760 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: upon the Moon ninety became in baseball mankind, it's time 619 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,720 Speaker 1: to run some experiments. First off is the solar wind collector, 620 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: basically a small sheet of aluminum foil attached to a 621 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 1: telescoping pole and planted to face the Sun. It will 622 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,840 Speaker 1: spend the duration of the mission soaking up solar wind particles, 623 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 1: which will in turn provide clues for how our solar 624 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:21,319 Speaker 1: system was formed. Per his checklist, Neil takes a number 625 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: of photos of Buzz at work. This is a Paulo 626 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,399 Speaker 1: Levin's only scandal. Well, Buzz was in possession of the camera, 627 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,799 Speaker 1: which admittedly was much less time than Neil. He didn't 628 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: take a single picture of his mission commander. We have 629 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:38,440 Speaker 1: no images of Neil Armstrong on the Moon. That famous bootprint. 630 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: That's Buzz too. Some conspiracy theorists believe that Buzz did 631 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,000 Speaker 1: this in retaliation for not being allowed to be the 632 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,520 Speaker 1: first one down the ladder, though it's far more likely 633 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:51,400 Speaker 1: just in oversight in the excitement of the moment. Next up, 634 00:38:51,719 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: the men withdraw an American flag and erected a short 635 00:38:54,600 --> 00:39:01,040 Speaker 1: distance from the spacecraft say that end up. The top 636 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:04,000 Speaker 1: edge of the flag is braced by a crossbar, ensuring 637 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:06,399 Speaker 1: the stars and stripes are always visible on the Moon. 638 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:09,520 Speaker 1: Without it, the flag would hang limp, as Earth flags 639 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:13,279 Speaker 1: do on windless days. Once the flag is up, Neil 640 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 1: snaps one of the most famous images of the mission, 641 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,480 Speaker 1: Buzz saluting the flag and the camera, just as the 642 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:21,480 Speaker 1: guys are getting ready to move on to their next item, 643 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:26,320 Speaker 1: they get a surprise call. Neil and Buzz. The President 644 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 1: of the United States is in his office now and 645 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: would like to say, over honor, go ahead, Mr President. Hello, 646 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:40,200 Speaker 1: Neil and Buzz. For every American this has to be 647 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:43,279 Speaker 1: the proudest day of our lives. And for people all 648 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:50,040 Speaker 1: over the world. I am sure they too joined with eizing. 649 00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 1: What an immense speed this is because of what you 650 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:59,360 Speaker 1: have done, the heavens have become a part of man Borough. 651 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,759 Speaker 1: Thanking about the President. It's a great honor and privates 652 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:09,160 Speaker 1: for Earth to be here presented, not all in the 653 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:15,520 Speaker 1: United States, but and base of all nations, and with interest, profectualiosity, 654 00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:20,080 Speaker 1: and with the vision for the feature. Time for some 655 00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:24,360 Speaker 1: more experiments. As Neil gathers rocks, Buzz sets up two devices. 656 00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:28,200 Speaker 1: The first is a seismic detector designed to allow scientists 657 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:32,840 Speaker 1: on Earth to monitor for moonquakes, volcanic eruptions, or meteorite impacts. 658 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:39,759 Speaker 1: The fatim had been bed floored manually. Next up is 659 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: the laser ranging retro refractor. Scientists on Earth can bounce 660 00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 1: lasers off of it, gathering precise measurements of the distance 661 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:51,680 Speaker 1: from the Earth to the Moon. LA factor is installed, 662 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:55,359 Speaker 1: and the global level and alignment appears to be good. 663 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,040 Speaker 1: Well Buzz collects some regular Neil ventures a few hundred 664 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:01,800 Speaker 1: feet over to a raader, taking some time to marvel 665 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:05,120 Speaker 1: at his surroundings and snap a couple of pictures. This 666 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,359 Speaker 1: is the furthest that either of the astronauts will travel 667 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:10,759 Speaker 1: during the entire e v A. In our imaginations, we 668 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:15,000 Speaker 1: picture the Apollo eleven astronauts bounding euphorically across the lunar landscape, 669 00:41:15,239 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 1: far from their spacecraft. However, the total area within which 670 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,839 Speaker 1: Neil and Buzz trade would fit roughly within a Major 671 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:27,760 Speaker 1: League Baseball field. The suston you have approximately three minutes 672 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:35,040 Speaker 1: and to you, let's comment a termination activity whatever? Okay, hey, 673 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:40,680 Speaker 1: anything more before I head and I get a head 674 00:41:40,719 --> 00:41:45,799 Speaker 1: on up the ladder heads on him. Well Buzz makes 675 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:48,480 Speaker 1: his way up the ladder. Neil uses the regular around 676 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:50,840 Speaker 1: his feet to fill in the empty spaces in several 677 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:55,120 Speaker 1: cases of moon rocks. Each case is vacuum sealed, ensuring 678 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,319 Speaker 1: that when the boxes are later opened in special clean 679 00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: rooms back on Earth, the atmosphere inside the case is uncontaminated. 680 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,440 Speaker 1: Neil sends two cases up to Buzz via the Brooklyn clothesline. 681 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:10,120 Speaker 1: There's one last thing the men want to do. The 682 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:13,600 Speaker 1: comments you just heard are all that was said about 683 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:16,960 Speaker 1: their final task. They didn't inform the viewing public, nor 684 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,719 Speaker 1: do many admission control know what's going on. From the 685 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:23,040 Speaker 1: open hatch, Buzz throws Neil a pouch, which he places 686 00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:26,560 Speaker 1: on the lunar soil. Inside is an Apollo one patch 687 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:31,240 Speaker 1: honoring the three astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, 688 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:34,239 Speaker 1: who perished in the fire two years earlier, a disc 689 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:38,040 Speaker 1: containing goodwill messages from seventy three nations, and a small 690 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:42,040 Speaker 1: gold olive branch representing their peaceful intent. These items are 691 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:46,040 Speaker 1: not controversial, but the pouch also contains two Soviet medals. 692 00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:49,880 Speaker 1: The first commemorates Uriga Garn, the first man in space, 693 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:53,400 Speaker 1: who died in a plane crash in n The second 694 00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 1: is a medal for Vladimir camarav, a cosmonaut who was 695 00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:59,279 Speaker 1: killed when the parachutes on his Soyu spacecraft failed to 696 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:02,480 Speaker 1: open after a re entry. While these men were on 697 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:04,759 Speaker 1: the other side of the space race, as well as 698 00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:07,360 Speaker 1: on the other side of America's Cold War with Soviet Russia, 699 00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:11,239 Speaker 1: This was Apaul Elevin's way of honoring fallen comrades who 700 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:13,799 Speaker 1: didn't live long enough to see history made on the Moon. 701 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: There's also one other item the public wasn't aware of 702 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:21,000 Speaker 1: inside the Eagle. Beside the astronauts during their flight to 703 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:24,440 Speaker 1: and from the Moon were wooden and cloth fragments from 704 00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:28,600 Speaker 1: the original Right Flyer, the first successful airplane flown by 705 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:33,120 Speaker 1: Wilbur and Orval Wright just sixty years earlier. His job 706 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:35,440 Speaker 1: on the Moon done and his air supply running low, 707 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:39,640 Speaker 1: Neil re enters the lunar module. Once inside, he and 708 00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:42,160 Speaker 1: Buzz take one last look at the lunar surface where 709 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,640 Speaker 1: they spent the better part of three hours, and then 710 00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:53,200 Speaker 1: seal the hat closed and lang. Inside the spacecraft is 711 00:43:53,239 --> 00:43:55,680 Speaker 1: a new smell from all the moon dust covering their gear. 712 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:59,600 Speaker 1: It smells like a spent firecracker. It reminds Buzz of 713 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:03,720 Speaker 1: wet ashes as they struggle out of their bulky backpacks. Houston. 714 00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:07,720 Speaker 1: Let's Michael in on the news, Columbia, Columbia, that is Houston. 715 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:13,800 Speaker 1: The crew of Tranquiality bases back inside their base, repressurized. 716 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:18,400 Speaker 1: They're in a process of adopting the u plusses. Everything 717 00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:22,800 Speaker 1: went beaut to play cover. Oh yeah, with all of 718 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:25,399 Speaker 1: those rocks and soil samples, the eagle is now too 719 00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:28,480 Speaker 1: heavy to lift off the lunar surface. To lighten the vessel, 720 00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,280 Speaker 1: they must now open the hatch and toss out everything 721 00:44:31,360 --> 00:44:34,080 Speaker 1: they no longer need, from their life support backpacks and 722 00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:37,680 Speaker 1: boots to empty food packages, another trash, even a spare 723 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:41,080 Speaker 1: hassle blood camera. Remember that seismometer that Buzz set up 724 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:46,160 Speaker 1: Roger's tranquility. We observe your equipment Jedison on the TV 725 00:44:47,080 --> 00:44:51,239 Speaker 1: and the pactive site and get experiment recorded docs when 726 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:55,239 Speaker 1: each float hit the surface. Over ants get away with 727 00:44:55,280 --> 00:45:02,719 Speaker 1: anything anymore. No, indeed, they'd like to say from all 728 00:45:02,760 --> 00:45:06,719 Speaker 1: of us down here in Arson and early, from all 729 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:09,920 Speaker 1: of us and all that countries and in the entire world, 730 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:12,680 Speaker 1: we think that you've done a magnificent job up there today. 731 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:18,600 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. It's been a long day. Yes, indeed, 732 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:22,600 Speaker 1: get some rest there and have at it tomorrow. Neil 733 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,640 Speaker 1: and Buzz have now been up for twenty one hours. Famished, 734 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:28,239 Speaker 1: they eat some cocktail sausages and try to find a 735 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:32,040 Speaker 1: place to sleep. The eagle doesn't have beds. Neil curls 736 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:34,439 Speaker 1: up on the cover of the ascent tension while Buzz 737 00:45:34,560 --> 00:45:38,080 Speaker 1: chooses the floor, so they pull blinds down over the windows. 738 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:41,080 Speaker 1: A lot of light still streams into the capsule, enough 739 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:42,840 Speaker 1: to allow Buzz to see that one of the circuit 740 00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:46,080 Speaker 1: breaker switches on the control panel was broken off while 741 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:49,520 Speaker 1: they struggled out of their backpacks. The switch sends electrical 742 00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:51,560 Speaker 1: power to the ascent engine that they're gonna need to 743 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:54,040 Speaker 1: get off the Moon in the morning. Without that switch, 744 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:58,359 Speaker 1: they're not going anywhere. That, combined with a far more 745 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:02,200 Speaker 1: frigid spacecraft than either of anticipated, guarantees they will get 746 00:46:02,280 --> 00:46:05,759 Speaker 1: next to no sleep tonight. The race for the Moon 747 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:10,080 Speaker 1: has been one. The exploration of space has just begun. 748 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:15,960 Speaker 1: Day five is over. Day six, July one begins with 749 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:19,640 Speaker 1: our next episode. The day Apollo eleven is to leave 750 00:46:19,719 --> 00:46:22,960 Speaker 1: the Moon, but because the lunar module is crippled, the 751 00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:26,200 Speaker 1: return home is now in doubt. Only one half of 752 00:46:26,239 --> 00:46:30,040 Speaker 1: President Kennedy's pledge has been fulfilled. Yes, the United States 753 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:31,880 Speaker 1: has landed men on the Moon before the end of 754 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:36,080 Speaker 1: the decade, but returning them safely back to Earth maybe impossible. 755 00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 1: This podcast is a production of I Heart Radio and 756 00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:49,960 Speaker 1: trade Craft Studios. Executive producers Ashe Seroia and Scott Bernstein 757 00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:54,680 Speaker 1: in association with High five Content and executive producer Andrew Jacobs. 758 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:59,600 Speaker 1: Amazing research and production assistance by associate producers Brian show 759 00:46:59,680 --> 00:47:04,000 Speaker 1: Saw and Natalie Robomed. Our incredible editor is Bill Lance. 760 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:08,600 Speaker 1: Original music by Henry ben Wah. Special thanks to Andy 761 00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:13,280 Speaker 1: Aldrin and Mission controls Steve Bales. Thanks to Mike Dawson, 762 00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:18,800 Speaker 1: Jeff McCarthy, Terry Guvara, Greg Simpson, Adam Howard, John Rantle, 763 00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:23,600 Speaker 1: Paul Olmstead, and Margaret Roland for sharing their moon landing memories. 764 00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:27,920 Speaker 1: Special thanks to everyone at NASA who made this podcast possible, 765 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:33,280 Speaker 1: especially the incredible technological wizardry of consulting producer Ben Feist, 766 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:37,600 Speaker 1: who's responsible for organizing and cleaning the eleven thousand hours 767 00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:41,120 Speaker 1: of mission audio your hearing selections from in this podcast. 768 00:47:41,680 --> 00:47:46,239 Speaker 1: Special thanks also to consultant Gina Dellback Licensing rights and 769 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:50,160 Speaker 1: clearances by Deborah Correa. This is a brand new podcast 770 00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:52,279 Speaker 1: and we're so excited to be sharing it with you. 771 00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:55,560 Speaker 1: Help us spread it far and wide, tell your friends, 772 00:47:55,960 --> 00:47:59,120 Speaker 1: leave ratings and reviews, and chat about it on social media. 773 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,560 Speaker 1: Our hashtag is nine D I J. We would love 774 00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:05,359 Speaker 1: to hear what you think. New episodes come out each week, 775 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,680 Speaker 1: so be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 776 00:48:09,360 --> 00:48:12,319 Speaker 1: I'm Brandon Phipps. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll 777 00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:13,520 Speaker 1: see you next episode.