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 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: Radio and trade Craft Studios in association with High five Content. Palmdale, California, 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: just outside Los Angeles, a red sob sonnet is racing 4 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: down back streets. Inside are a man and a woman. 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: The mail driver appears angry and out of it. The 6 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: woman looks terrified. The driver is going too fast to 7 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: notice that a stop sign at an upcoming tea intersection 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: is obscured by low hanging tree branches. The car rockets 9 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: through the intersection, hits a ditch, and is suddenly airborne, 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: sailing several car lengths before crashing back to earth. The 11 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: woman's head smashes into the dashboard. She will have two 12 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: black eyes for weeks. The man is tossed about like 13 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: a rag doll, his body bruised. Thankfully, both are wearing 14 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: their seatbelts. The shocked couple stagger out of the mangled 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: are and, recognizing that it isn't going anywhere ever again, 16 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: begin walking to town to find help. The couple is 17 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: Buzz and Joan Aldren and Buzz is drunk. This is 18 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: a follow control at one sixty six hours, eight minutes. 19 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: Follow eleven is one seven thousand four nautical miles from 20 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,960 Speaker 1: the Earth, velocity four thousand, nine hundred seventy five ft 21 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: per second. Crew still sleeping. All systems are still normal. 22 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: All systems of board Apollo eleven may be normal. But 23 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: on Earth there's a bit of a hiccup. NASA has 24 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: set up a number of monitoring stations across the planet 25 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: to ensure that as the Earth rotates, there is at 26 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: least one station constantly in communication with Apollo. One of 27 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: NASA's most critical stations is in Guam, and while the 28 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: astronauts were sleeping, bearings in one of its dishes became 29 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: stuck and the antenna was unable to track the spacecraft. 30 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: There is no way to contact Apollo eleven or for 31 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,919 Speaker 1: them to reach Earth. The director of the tracking station, 32 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: Charles Force, had tried everything, but the hole through which 33 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: he needed to grease the bearing was simply too small. 34 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: Then it hit him. He raced home and grabbed his 35 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: ten year old son Greg and sped back to the station. 36 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: Gregg had no problem at all, reaching through a two 37 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: and a half inch aperture and packing grease around the bearing. 38 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: Soon the antenna was able to slew into position and 39 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: once again began tracking its celestial quarry. Years later, Gregg 40 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: met Neil Armstrong, who thanked him for his pint size 41 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: heroics eleven and I don't think good morning over Okay, 42 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: everything right here yet we've been in at It's July, 43 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: the eighth day of the Apollo eleven mission and the 44 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: cruise penultimate day in space. The object outside the cockpit 45 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,959 Speaker 1: that they've been so captivated by is the Earth looming 46 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: larger than ever before on here flank plan uh item 47 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: of a few updates. First of all, we've canceled a 48 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: mid court number six. I did remain in PPC. This 49 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: is Apollo Control at one seventy three hours eighteen minutes. 50 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: Are virtually no flight plan activities scheduled at this time. 51 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: The spacecraft systems will all continue to perform normally. It's 52 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: going to be another quiet day aboard Apollo eleven. We've 53 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: been jumping back in time a lot during this podcast, 54 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: but today we'll be jumping forward into the future. How 55 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: is the crew of Apollo eleven greeted on their return 56 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: to Earth, and especially how are their lives changed by 57 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: their experience on the Moon. How do you propose to 58 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: restore some normalcy to your private lives and the years ahead. 59 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: I wish I knew the answers to the latter part 60 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: of your question. It kind of depends on you. M 61 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: The months and years immediately following Apollo eleven's return was 62 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: filled with all the pomp and circumstance you might imagine, 63 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: but it also masked a dark lining to this silver cloud. 64 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: Follow eleven, Houston over go ahead. I just wanted to 65 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: make sure you fellas hadn't gone back to sleep again. 66 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: And I also have a little bit of late news 67 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: here if you'd like to find out what's happened in 68 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: the last twelve fourteen hours over Okay, okay. Looking overseas, 69 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: we find South Korea's first super highway linking coal with 70 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: support of in John, has been named the Apollo Highway. 71 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: To commemorate your trip, the West Coast residents all planned 72 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: to make their areas visible to the three of you 73 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: by lighting their lights between nine pm and midnight tonight, 74 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: so that you may be able to see Christmas lights, 75 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: porch light, door lights, and whatever may be turned on. 76 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: Back in Memphis kind of s a young lady who 77 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: was presently tipping the scales at eight pounds two ounces, 78 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: I was named module by her parents Mr. And Mrs 79 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: Eddie Lee McGhee. It wasn't my idea that Mrs McGhee, 80 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: it was my husband. He said, bulk at the lame 81 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: lunar module McGhee because it didn't sound too good. But 82 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,679 Speaker 1: apparently they have compromised on just module over Module McGee, 83 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,840 Speaker 1: a special ed teacher, still lives in Georgia and still 84 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: loves her unusual name. They All Star Game currently being played. 85 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: The present score at the end of the fourth inning 86 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: as the National League leading the American League by nine 87 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: to three, so the hitters are having a good day. 88 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: As you can tell. The National League would go on 89 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: to vanquish the American League nine to three. And rain 90 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: clouds are over the MSc area at the moment. It 91 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: began raining here just about ten minutes ago, and last 92 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: report we were having a pretty heavy delusion. So that's 93 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: it from the news front for the afternoon. Here follow 94 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: eleven over. Thank you very much. I thank my yard 95 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: could do water. That's very true. I've forgotten exactly how 96 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: many days they did go buzz, but something like thirty 97 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: days without rain, and we can't appreciate the rain we're 98 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: getting right now. That was the last time cut. All right, 99 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: you're going what non right now, Buzz, But Janets reports 100 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: the grads is getting pretty high, and I would have 101 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,039 Speaker 1: to make that it's going to make close to your 102 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 1: knees by the time you get out of quarantine over. Neil, 103 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: Buzz and Michael returned to Earth very different men than 104 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: they left just nine days earlier. Not only had they 105 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 1: experienced something transcendent and utterly outside the experience of any 106 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: other human who has ever lived, but they were also 107 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: greeted as conquering heroes. They were not merely American celebrities, 108 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: they were global icons. They would forever be changed by 109 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: their encounter with the Moon. Neil Armstrong's biographer James Hansen. 110 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: Even before the Powell and spacecraft gets back and splashes down, 111 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: Jim Level, who is capcom the capsule communicator, told the 112 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: astronauts as that who were coming back in you know 113 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: now the hard part is going to start, which is, 114 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: you know, coming back to Earth and facing everything you're 115 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: gonna face is the first men who visited the Moon. 116 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: Following their splashdown, which we will cover on our next episode, 117 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: the men were immediately placed into three weeks of quarantine 118 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: just in case they came back with any dangerous lunar 119 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: micro organisms. While in quarantine, Buzz began drinking heavily. No 120 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: one thought much of it, after all, he just done 121 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: something monumentally stressful, and military pilots are known to blow 122 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: off some steam with a couple of drinks. What no 123 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: one knew, including Buzz, was that this would become the 124 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: norm for the next decade. Three days after they were 125 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: released from quarantine, the crew of Apollo eleven hunkerd for 126 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: a relentless victory. And there was one day, you know, 127 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: in August when they started in Houston, they go to 128 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: New York City for a Tigercape parade. In New York, 129 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: people dumped so much confetti that the astronauts writing and 130 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: open convertibles could not even see the sky above them 131 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: way to play for their black of the cars before 132 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: one million New Yorkers lined Wall Street and Broadway for 133 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: a look at the crew. That's more than turned out 134 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: for the festivities celebrating the end of the Second World War. 135 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,319 Speaker 1: That same day, they had to Chicago for another big parade. 136 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,839 Speaker 1: State Street just crowded with push Chicagolan's wishing well to 137 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: the astronauts to follow eleven by Chicago, buzzes face eight. 138 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: With all the smiling he was doing, he was overwhelmed. 139 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:53,559 Speaker 1: Everywhere he went people asked him what it was like 140 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:55,719 Speaker 1: to walk on the moon, but he never had a 141 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 1: good answer. They wanted something philosophical, something spiritual, something profoundly 142 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: poetic that spoke to some deeper meaning of life. But 143 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: he was just an engineer. The words he uttered on 144 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: the Moon's surface, magnificent desolation, slowly began to describe what 145 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: was going on inside of him. In the end of 146 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: the day, out in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, where 147 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: President Nixon has a big black tie dinner for them 148 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: with all kinds of v I P s and uh, 149 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 1: that's just one day. President Nixon presented each of the 150 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: men with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and we are 151 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: therefore awarding them tonight the Medal of Freedom, the highest 152 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: civilian honor that we can present to an American citizen. 153 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: Remember Steve Bales, the flight controller who recognized that the 154 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: Eagle was still go for the moon despite all of 155 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: those alarms. He was there too, and unbeknownst to him, 156 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: was called up to receive the same award from the President. 157 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: On behalf of the entire White team in mission control. 158 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,559 Speaker 1: I told my parents, I'm going to this dinner. I 159 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: don't know, probably you won't see me. That I'll be 160 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: back in the back somewhere. One of the guys on 161 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: whatever network was Karen, said, there's this young guy, Steve 162 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: Bals going to come up and be given this award. 163 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: They about sell off their chairs. I mean, they couldn't 164 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: believe it. This is a young man. When the computers 165 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: seemed to be confused and we when he could have 166 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: said stop, or when he could have said wait, said go. 167 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: Three days later, another parade was thrown for the crew 168 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: back home in Houston, where three thousand people lined the 169 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 1: streets to catch sight of Neil, Buzz and Michael. That evening, 170 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: people packed the Astrodome to see them on stage. Frank 171 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: Sinatra was there too. He sang fly Me to the Moon. 172 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 1: They had an appearance before a joint session of Congress 173 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,559 Speaker 1: where they gave a talk. They brought with them two 174 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: flags that they had carried on the lunar module to 175 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: fly over each House of Congress. Neil wasn't comfortable as 176 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,719 Speaker 1: a public speaker, but by all accounts he always rose 177 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:55,959 Speaker 1: to the challenge and dazzled his listeners. The formality and 178 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:00,559 Speaker 1: pomp of everything terrified Buzz. After parades in their hometowns, 179 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: it was time for Operation Giant Leap, NASA chief historian 180 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: Bill Berry. President Nixon had plans for them. They wanted 181 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: to make sure that everybody knew that we won the 182 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: race of the Moon, and so he sends them off 183 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,559 Speaker 1: on a world tour. One of the wives said, at 184 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: one point, and now it begins, and that was a 185 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,640 Speaker 1: reference to the fact that they were leaving their normal 186 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: lives behind. That was space historian and author of A 187 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 1: Man on the Moon Andrew Chacken, with their wives beside them. 188 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 1: The Apollo eleven astronauts visited twenty eight cities in twenty 189 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: three countries, meeting with twenty heads of state in just 190 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,360 Speaker 1: thirty seven days. Elam Strong, the first man on the Moon, 191 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,559 Speaker 1: led the way on this historic meeting, anesty, her husband 192 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,959 Speaker 1: and family, like the people of Britain, were proud to 193 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:49,719 Speaker 1: greet the space trio. Buzz later confessed that traveling to 194 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: and from the Moon was less exhaustic than jetting between Mexico, England, Iran, India, 195 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,959 Speaker 1: Japan and zaire I always referred to this as the 196 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: mission they never trained for. Right, we come back from 197 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:04,239 Speaker 1: the Moon and suddenly you have to go be public celebrities. 198 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: You have to make speeches at dinners, you have to 199 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:11,079 Speaker 1: be beating heads of steak, and you know, shaking so 200 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:15,439 Speaker 1: many hands, being in one parade after another, having to 201 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: sign autographs. You know, this was not what they had 202 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: originally signed up for as test pilots and fighter pilots, 203 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 1: but it came with the job of being a conquering hero. 204 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: Mike Collins adapted pretty Walter World Tour, and Neil seemed 205 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 1: to do pretty well at it too, but it really 206 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,600 Speaker 1: took its toll on Buzz because they really weren't prepared 207 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: for that. Hundreds of thousands of people came out to 208 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: see them in Berlin, it was more like a million. 209 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 1: But cracks were starting to show in Buzz. His wife 210 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: Joan kept asking her husband to tell her about his 211 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 1: experiences on the moon, but Buzz kept brushing her off, 212 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 1: saying he was so tired of talking about that subject. 213 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: According to Lily Coppell, the author of The Astronaut Wives Club, 214 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 1: he began acting more and more erratic and rome. He 215 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: was out parting all night little j VDA style. Buzz 216 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:07,959 Speaker 1: felt like he had been being a very good boy. 217 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: He had done what NASA asked of him, so he 218 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: sort of allowed himself to sort of start letting luc 219 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 1: a bit. Buzz began to drink, he began to dance, 220 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: He began to show his dissatisfaction with what he saw 221 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: is I think propaganda role that he had placed. Both 222 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: Neil and Michael noticed something was the matter, but they 223 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: didn't know what it was or how to help. At 224 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: one point, Bill Carpenter, the Apollo eleven flight surgeon, pulled 225 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: Buzz aside and asked him if everything was okay. Buzz 226 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: admitted to being overwhelmed and accepted some pills. He was 227 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: having a space age existential crisis. At some point, he 228 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: turns to Joan and she's sort of wondering why he 229 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 1: can't just enjoy this moment of glory, and he just 230 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: said to a very flatly Joan, I've been to the moon. 231 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: Nothing in our lives is ever going to be the 232 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: same again. Things got so bad at one point that 233 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: Joan told her husband that he needed to get control 234 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,120 Speaker 1: of himself or move out. Once they got back to America, 235 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: Buzz righted himself, at least for a little while, as 236 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 1: they finished the tour in d c. At dinner with 237 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 1: the President and spent the night at the White House. 238 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: A few days after they returned to the United States, 239 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: the US Postal Service came out with a new stamp 240 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: on it. Neil Armstrong was shown to sending the ladder 241 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: to the lunar surface. Beneath the image was the text 242 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: first man on the Moon Man singular. He was incredibly 243 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 1: upset over not having been the first man to step 244 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: on the face of the Moon. It still seems absolutely 245 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: incredible to me and many of the lives I spoke to, 246 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: and I think many people, hey, you were up there, 247 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: you were with Neil, But I guess he would have 248 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:57,239 Speaker 1: preferred to be first. Sort of typical as these competitive astronuts, 249 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: we're in deeply speculative territory here. To this day, Buzz 250 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: denies caring about being the first man to step foot 251 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: on the Moon. He's even said he's thankful, given how 252 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: Neil was mobbed all of his life for the honor, 253 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: and yet those closest to him never bought it. Many 254 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: friends and historians think that Buzz was very angry that 255 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: he was not chosen as number one, but there's almost 256 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: always this qualifier. It was not a matter of pride, 257 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: but rather an inability to please his overbearing father. Buzz 258 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: came from a very difficult background in the sense that 259 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: he had a very difficult and demanding father, and he's 260 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: certainly whether or not he was always conscious of it. 261 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 1: I think he felt the impact of that. That was 262 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: almost as if nothing he ever did was good enough 263 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: for his father. In fact, some of the other astronauts 264 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: told me that they even remember his father kind of 265 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: campaigning on Buzz's behalf. You know that maybe Buzz should 266 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: be the first guy out on the moon, and it 267 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 1: must have been very hard on Buzz to have that 268 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 1: kind of father. Neil, Buzz and Michael traveled half a 269 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,080 Speaker 1: million miles to the Moon and back, and another one 270 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: hundred thousand criss crossing the Earth. In all, nearly one 271 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 1: and fifty million people came out to see the crew 272 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: of Apollo eleven, and it was estimated that they shook 273 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: half a million hands. We've all come a long way 274 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: with these three Apollo eleven aspronauts. They've made us proud, 275 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: They've shown us the massive national effort can be mounted 276 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: and carried through to success, whether out into their reaches 277 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: of space or praised me perhaps right here on the 278 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: face of the Earth. Back on Apollo eleven, the crew 279 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: has just finished their breakfast, and as always, Michael is 280 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:02,479 Speaker 1: singing the praises of their re hydrated food. Bo's magnetism 281 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: is usually it's like they got it patty doo, cups 282 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: coffee and I forget all what else, And that does 283 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: sound pretty good. As a matter of fact, I'm way 284 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: overdue for a meal myself here. I could use some 285 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: of that to get milk to give you five minutes 286 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: up Hamburg. I've exacted that a while ago. He was 287 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: pointing out about the weight problem here. I gotta keep 288 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: the calorie is low, so I better stand by without it. 289 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:31,679 Speaker 1: As with yesterday, everyone is a lot more relaxed, cracking 290 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,560 Speaker 1: jokes and goofing around. Speaking of food, Mike has some 291 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 1: advice for a Paul twelve due to launch the following November. 292 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 1: We've been doing a little flight planning for a POB 293 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: twelve up here, Roger go ahead, trying to calculate how 294 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: much spaghetti and mate bills we can get on pork 295 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: for Elbain. I'm not sure the stage craps will take 296 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: that much text your weight? Have you made any antimates 297 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:59,440 Speaker 1: it'll be closed. Last comment came from my colin's referring 298 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: to Al being as the Leno modical pilot to a 299 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 1: Polo twelve. Shortly after this chat, Apollo eleven passes the 300 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 1: midway point on its homeward journey. They are now just 301 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:17,239 Speaker 1: over one hundred thousand nautical miles from splashdown Houston. Are 302 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: you still up there over? Oh? Yeah, but not like 303 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: we were wanting to go for a general informational eleven. 304 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: You're now nine or five thousand, nine hundred and deny 305 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: miles from the areas over trying to come downhill a 306 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: little bit? Now, what velocity is five thousand and nine 307 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: hundred and per second? And you are indeed coming downhill. 308 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: In y one, Citizen Kane opened in theaters. The film 309 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,119 Speaker 1: is considered the greatest American masterpiece ever made. Its director, 310 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 1: co writer, and star Orson Welles was just twenty five 311 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,400 Speaker 1: years old. For the rest of his life, Wells would 312 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: try to make something as good as his very first film. 313 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: The attempt would nearly ruin him. The crew of Apollo 314 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: eleven isn't yet forty years old. They have done something 315 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 1: no one else in human history has ever accomplished. They 316 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: are heroes the world over. So what do they do next? 317 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: NASA's Bill Barry. It became apparent right after the Paulovan 318 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 1: crew came back to Earth that they weren't going to 319 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: fly in space again. The worst fate for pilots and 320 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: astronauts is sorry, you don't get to go in space anymore. 321 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: I don't think I can emphasize it enough that you know, 322 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: their identity was as military aviators and and test pilots, 323 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 1: and so suddenly they're not going to be allowed to 324 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: do that anymore, and they have to find some of 325 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: their meaning in their life. Neil, Buzz and Michael were icons, 326 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: now too important to risk on another flight. It was 327 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: time to reinvent themselves. After the Giant Leap Tour, Neil 328 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: spent a few weeks with Bob Hope entertaining the troops 329 00:19:55,800 --> 00:20:02,320 Speaker 1: in Vietnam. I've had the privilege of meeting some outstanding 330 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: men in our time, but the very quiet and soft 331 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: spoken young man you're about to meet now is a 332 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 1: part of a team that provided this world with a thrill. 333 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: They will not soon forget Armstrong biographer James Hanson, and 334 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 1: Neil showed a lot of good humor and was very 335 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,159 Speaker 1: popular with the troops all across Vietnam. And then he 336 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 1: was invited to go to the Soviet Union and gave 337 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: talks and was met cosmonauts and met the wife of 338 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: Uriga Garin, the first man in space. Neil may have 339 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: fled the country just to get away from the mountains 340 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 1: of mail that was coming in. While he'd planned on 341 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 1: responding to everyone, it quickly became clear that that was impossible. 342 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: For the first couple of months, he received ten thousand 343 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: letters a day. NASA threw a bunch of clerks and 344 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 1: public affairs officers into the mix to help him, but 345 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 1: they couldn't keep up with the tsunami. Even decades later, 346 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 1: he continued to maintain an administrative assistant whose sole job 347 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: was handling his overwhelming correspondence. He was getting all kinds 348 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: of invitations to do this, and do that, and give 349 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: this talk, and give this commencement speech, and come to 350 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,159 Speaker 1: this grand opening, and and Neil, it was sort of 351 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: it was overwhelming. Neil needed some stability, and he found 352 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,360 Speaker 1: it in an offer from NASA. The NASA Administrator Dr. 353 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: Thomas Paine asked Neil to take on a position back 354 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 1: in the NASA's aeronautics programs as Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, 355 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: which would have been a desk job in Washington, and 356 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,719 Speaker 1: Neil accepted it kind of grudgingly. He wasn't that interested 357 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: in staying in Washington. He wasn't interested that much in 358 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: a desk job, but aeronautics was his passion, so he 359 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: accepted the job. Not surprisingly, Neil didn't enjoy flying a 360 00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 1: desk and he remained in the job for only a 361 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,399 Speaker 1: couple of years. I think he would have been happy 362 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: if in the job, if they had just let him 363 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,680 Speaker 1: do it. But being in Washington, d C. It was 364 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: constantly getting calls to come over to have a photo 365 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: shoot with an ambassador or visiting dignitary or congressman or 366 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: something like that. And after a while Neil just got 367 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: tired of that. They wouldn't leave him alone, and and 368 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:07,640 Speaker 1: he chose, well, I'm going to just have to get 369 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: out of I need to find a normal life. Neil 370 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: tried to get back to some sense of normalcy by 371 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: going back to Ohio, having a farm that he lived on. 372 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 1: Even as he was teaching engineering at the University in 373 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: Cincinnati and maintaining a fairly low profile throughout his post 374 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: Apollo years. He was not the recluse that people made 375 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: him out to be. He just didn't seek publicity and 376 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: he was steadfast about meeting the world on his own terms. 377 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: As Andrew Jakin just alluded to, for Neil, it was 378 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 1: never about celebrity or fame, It was only ever about 379 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 1: the flying. He became a favorite professor at Cincinnati's School 380 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,360 Speaker 1: of Engineering from nineteen seventy one to nineteen seventy nine, 381 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,680 Speaker 1: but in the early eighties he decided to try something new. 382 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: I don't think he was really after big money, but 383 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: I think he was in tree by the possibilities of 384 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: what he might be able to do for certain corporations, 385 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: especially those that had a had a technical engineering side 386 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: to it. So, starting you know, around nineteen eighty, really 387 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,120 Speaker 1: until his retirement, Kneels involved with a number of different companies, 388 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: including Lear Jet and Chrysler. Michael Collins retired from NASA 389 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,199 Speaker 1: just a year after the Apollo eleven mission. Having basically 390 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: worked as a US diplomat during the Giant Leap tour, 391 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: Michael took a job he would later describe as plush purgatory. 392 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: He actually volunteers to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary of 393 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: State for Public Affairs, and he does that for a 394 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: year or so, and like his colleagues, after about a 395 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 1: year so and his his alternate career, realizes that there's 396 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: another opportunity I like better. He became the first director 397 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: of National Air and Space Museum, where he supervised the design, 398 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: the development of the exhibits, the construction of the building, 399 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: made sure that it came in on time and under 400 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:02,359 Speaker 1: budget when opened right around the time of the nation's 401 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: bicentennial uh in n j four. After that, he became 402 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: the Undersecretary of the Smithsonian. This beautiful new museum and 403 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,479 Speaker 1: it's exciting exhibits of the mastery of air and space 404 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:20,439 Speaker 1: is a perfect birthday present from the American people to themselves. 405 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,360 Speaker 1: Neil and and Mike I think make a pretty good adjustment. 406 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: Buzz had a harder time with it. Budd came back 407 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 1: from the Moon a changed man, Jones said. After the 408 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 1: world tour, Buzz was emotionally exhausted and physically drained. His 409 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,719 Speaker 1: marriage was coming apart, and he was haunted by an 410 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: all consuming aimlessness. What does a man do for an encore? 411 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: After walking on the moon, He later wrote in one 412 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 1: of his autobiographies, at home, he was moody and dismissive. 413 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: He stopped talking to his kids and would spend hours 414 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: in front of the TV nearly every night. Was fitful 415 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: and sleepless. He was a hero without a sense of purpose. 416 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: About the only thing consistent in his life was his drinking. 417 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: In April of nineteen seventy, less than a year after 418 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: the splashdown of Apollo eleven, Buzz met a woman named 419 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 1: Mary Hann at an Air Force event in New York. 420 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: He was immediately attracted to her, and she to him. 421 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:20,920 Speaker 1: She represented everything he felt his marriage currently lacked life, color, 422 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: and vitality. It wasn't long before he and Mary Anne 423 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 1: began a secret affair. He began taking regular flights to 424 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: New York to see her, under the pretense of needing 425 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: to maintain his flight hours. Mary Anne was about the 426 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: only bright spot in his life. He still needed a job, 427 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:37,720 Speaker 1: and the Air Forces, well, we'll put you in charge 428 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: of the test school, which was not really the assignment 429 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 1: he wanted, and I think was a very good fit there. 430 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: Buzz his son Andy that I know he very much wanted. 431 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: He wanted to run the Air Force Academy. I think 432 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,040 Speaker 1: that's was his real fashion, and I think he was 433 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 1: frustrated that he didn't do that buzz head zero test 434 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: flight or administrative experience. But at least it was a job. 435 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: At least he had purpose again. But it wasn't long 436 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,639 Speaker 1: before the hopelessness returned and Buzz checked himself into a 437 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: San Antonio medical clinic. The official reason for Buzz's day 438 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,880 Speaker 1: was to treat some back and neck pain, but really 439 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: he was there to come to grips with his deteriorating 440 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: mental health. There was great stigma attached to mental illness 441 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:22,200 Speaker 1: in the early nineteen seventies, and Buzz was convinced, not incorrectly, 442 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: that if word got out, his career would be over 443 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,480 Speaker 1: and his status as an American hero severely tarnished. Buzz 444 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: was there for about four weeks, during which time he 445 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,639 Speaker 1: regularly sat down with a psychiatrist. He began opening up 446 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,120 Speaker 1: about his depression, and the doctor learned that Buzz's grandfather 447 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: had ended his life with his own revolver on his 448 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: mother's side a history of depression. In fact, his mother 449 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:50,880 Speaker 1: had committed suicide. Buzz's mother, whose maiden name was poignantly Moon, 450 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,679 Speaker 1: said she didn't think she could handle her son's looming 451 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 1: fame and committed suicide less than a year before Buzz 452 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,159 Speaker 1: walked on the Moon. It was something Buzz blamed himself for. 453 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,359 Speaker 1: Oh my god, what a burden, What a psychic burden 454 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: to carry. While the sessions were enlightening, neither Buzz nor 455 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:09,959 Speaker 1: his doctor was aware of one of the most toxic 456 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 1: elements of Buzz's decline, an example of which was stashed 457 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: beneath his clothes in his suitcase a bottle of Scotch. 458 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: When Buzz checked himself out of treatment, he was feeling better, 459 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:23,200 Speaker 1: though his doctor warned him that he still had a 460 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: long way to go. One of the first things Buzz 461 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,680 Speaker 1: did was fly to New York to see Mary Anne, 462 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:31,159 Speaker 1: but he quickly learned that she had decided to end 463 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:35,360 Speaker 1: their relationship and marry someone else. His self esteem in tatters, 464 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: a dejected Buzz stepped down from the Edward's job just 465 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 1: nine months after he took it, and with it, he 466 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:47,439 Speaker 1: left the military and NASA behind. I wanted to resume 467 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: my duties, but there were no duties to resume. Buzz 468 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 1: later wrote, there was no goal, no sense of calling, 469 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: no project worth pouring myself into. He felt adrift, cut 470 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,520 Speaker 1: off from anything that wants to find and him. Shortly 471 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,120 Speaker 1: before he retired, he wrote an article in the Los 472 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: Angeles Times recounting his post Apollo leven difficulties. Rather than 473 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: being shunned, he received wide acclaim for being bold enough 474 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: to come forward publicly and admit his struggles, especially given 475 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: his straight laced military background. He was asked to serve 476 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: on the board of the National Association for Mental Health 477 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: and soon wrote a book describing his battles in greater detail. 478 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: He didn't hold much back, admitting to nearly all of 479 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 1: his personal struggles and indiscretions. You know, the issues with 480 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:39,040 Speaker 1: depression and alcoholism were really, really difficult. I'm not sure 481 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,480 Speaker 1: my dad being so public about it made it easier 482 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,800 Speaker 1: or harder, but we certainly didn't have to hide the 483 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: fact because he was so public about it. The book 484 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 1: was intended by him to be a cathartic experience, and 485 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: that after the book he was going to get sober 486 00:28:55,400 --> 00:29:00,320 Speaker 1: and you know, kind of rekindle a relation ship with 487 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 1: my mom, And none of that happened. In seventy four, 488 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: shortly after the death of Buzz's overbearing father and twenty 489 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: years of marriage, Buzz and Joan divorced. He was hardly alone. 490 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: Of the thirty astronauts who served at NASA from nineteen 491 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,959 Speaker 1: sixty one to nineteen sixty nine, twenty three of their 492 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: marriages ended in divorce. Buzzes drinking continued to spiral out 493 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 1: of control. His role with a national Association for Mental 494 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: health came with many speaking engagements which Buzz was often 495 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: too drunk to perform. His new girlfriend pleaded with him 496 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,320 Speaker 1: to check into an alcohol rehabilitation center, which he did, 497 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 1: and after a month of treatment, they were married. That 498 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 1: relationship fell apart just a year or so later. Buzz's 499 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: Air Force pension wasn't cutting it, and one of his 500 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: A contacts helped him land a new job selling Cadillacs 501 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:53,840 Speaker 1: in Beverly Hills, but after six months on the job 502 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: and not a single car sold, Buzz quit. It wasn't 503 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,959 Speaker 1: long after that that he kicked in his new girlfriend 504 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: door in a drunken rage and was arrested for disorderly conduct. 505 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:12,440 Speaker 1: Buzz Aldrin had hit rock bottom. Back on Apollo eleven, 506 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: the crew is preparing for their final TV transmission. They 507 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,240 Speaker 1: never wanted cameras to be a part of this mission, 508 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: but NASA hadn't given them a choice. Tonight, however, they're 509 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 1: thankful to have a chance to say a few words 510 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,880 Speaker 1: to the watching world. What follows is a beautiful and 511 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 1: heartfelt acknowledgment of the history they made and the team 512 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: back on Earth that made it possible. Let's settle in 513 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 1: and listen, Glug. We're all set whenever you're ready to 514 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: send the commander of Apollo eleven. A hundred years ago 515 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 1: Jill book about a void spaceship Calabia from Florida and 516 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: landed after compleating and trept of them in the appropriate 517 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: the share with you some of the reflections of the 518 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: crew as the modern day Colombia complete gets rendezvous with 519 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: the planet Earth in the same Pacific Ocean tomorrow. First, 520 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 1: my column, Roger, this trip of ours to the Moon 521 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: may have looked to you simple or easy. I'd like 522 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 1: to share you that that has not been the case. 523 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 1: The battered by a rocket which put us into orbit 524 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: is an incredibly complicated piece of machinery, every piece of 525 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: which works broadly. The SPS engine are large rocket engine 526 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 1: on the FD end of our service module must have 527 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: performed flawlessly, or we would have been stranded in lunar orbit. 528 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: The parachute up above my head must work perfectly tomorrow, 529 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: or we will plumb it into the ocean. All this 530 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: is possible only through the blood, sweat and tears of 531 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: the American workman who put these pieces of the machinery together. 532 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 1: The factory that evaporates him is somewhat like the periscope 533 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: of a deepery. All you see is the three of us, 534 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,719 Speaker 1: but beneath the drivers a thousands of thous the brothers, 535 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:13,880 Speaker 1: and to all of us, I would like to say 536 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: thank you very much. Michael later admits that he has 537 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: a huge lump in his throat and ends very emotionally 538 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: buzzes up next Good evening. As we've been discussing the 539 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 1: events that have taken place in the past two or 540 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: three days here on Boordars Big Craft, we've come to 541 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: the conclusion that this has been far more than three 542 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: men on a voyage to the moment, more still than 543 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:45,480 Speaker 1: the efforts of our government and industry teams, or even 544 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: than the efforts of one nation. We feel that this 545 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 1: stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all 546 00:32:54,440 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: mankind to explore the unknown. We've been particularly pleased with 547 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: the emblem of our plight depicting the U. S. Eagle 548 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:09,360 Speaker 1: bringing the universal symbol of peace from the planet Earth 549 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 1: to the Moon, that symbol being the olive branch. Personally 550 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 1: and reflecting the events of the past several days of 551 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: hearths from the thomps comes to mind to me where 552 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:24,440 Speaker 1: I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the 553 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: moan and the stars which thou hast ordained. What is 554 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:33,040 Speaker 1: man if thou art mindful of him? Last, but not 555 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 1: least is nil. Responsibility for the plight lies first with history, 556 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: with a giant of science who have preceded deservers. Next 557 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 1: to the American people who have through their will indicated 558 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 1: their desire. Next to four administrations in their congresses for 559 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: implementing the will. And then to the agency and industry 560 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:58,720 Speaker 1: teams that built our space past the Saturn, the Colombia, 561 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: the Eagle, and the little gam you the space. The 562 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: fact that that was our all space prayers out on 563 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,280 Speaker 1: the Learner Service. We'd like to give a special thanks 564 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,800 Speaker 1: to all those Americans who have built those space prams. 565 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 1: We did the constructions, design the death and put their 566 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:20,239 Speaker 1: hearts and all their abilities and into those prayers. To 567 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:24,000 Speaker 1: those people tonight we give a special thanking and to 568 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 1: all the other people that are listening and watching tonight, 569 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 1: God U good night from all follow all over. I 570 00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:34,080 Speaker 1: can think a few better ways to begin winding this 571 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,880 Speaker 1: podcast down than to let these men gush about the 572 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: very people whose voices we've been hearing over the past 573 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,520 Speaker 1: eight episodes. Those who designed, built, and tested the spacecraft 574 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 1: in which they've been traveling, the flight controllers in mission 575 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:49,800 Speaker 1: control watching over them every step of their journey, the 576 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,000 Speaker 1: political machine that gave birth to such an audacious feat, 577 00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: and the American public who cheered them on and in 578 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,320 Speaker 1: the end footed the bill and given the act that 579 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 1: this extraordinary accomplishment was carried out as part of a 580 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 1: titanic struggle between two global titans. There's something meaningful in 581 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: the crew's insistence that the winner of the space race 582 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: was not a government or a single nation, but rather 583 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 1: the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown. 584 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,360 Speaker 1: Apollo eleven was a small step for the United States, 585 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 1: but a giant leap for human kind in while on 586 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:34,920 Speaker 1: a ski trip, Neil Armstrong suffered a heart attack. It 587 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: was the same day he'd begun the process of separating 588 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:41,760 Speaker 1: from Janet, his wife of thirty eight years. Lily Coppel 589 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:46,800 Speaker 1: and James Hanson explained, has been a very guarded, playing 590 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,640 Speaker 1: his cards posted his chest kind of guy. I think 591 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:55,880 Speaker 1: jan felt sort of an emotional coldness from Neal. I 592 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:59,759 Speaker 1: think Janet had hoped all along that the Neil might 593 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:05,800 Speaker 1: change in in important ways and their relationship, that Neil 594 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 1: could be more present for her. And I think, you know, 595 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:11,280 Speaker 1: she was hoping that when he left the Astronaut Corps 596 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:13,600 Speaker 1: and then and then left NASA and they went back 597 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:15,920 Speaker 1: to Ohio and he got this teaching position and they 598 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,399 Speaker 1: got this farm, uh, that that would all be enough 599 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,759 Speaker 1: for things to change in ways, it would make the 600 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:26,880 Speaker 1: relationship healthier, in the whole situation of the family better. 601 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:29,040 Speaker 1: And so I think she just kept hoping that that 602 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:34,600 Speaker 1: would happen um and it didn't. It just didn't change. 603 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:38,799 Speaker 1: And she came to the realization, obviously over many many years, 604 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,839 Speaker 1: very slowly, that you know, he's just not He's never 605 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: going to change. This is never going to be any different. 606 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:46,840 Speaker 1: What she said to me was I got tired of 607 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:50,360 Speaker 1: being missed. Neil Armstrong. Neil recovered from his heart attack 608 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,640 Speaker 1: around nine four when Neil was a member of a 609 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:58,759 Speaker 1: golf club and a friend of his who had a 610 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:03,280 Speaker 1: friend that had just lost her husband a few years 611 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:07,440 Speaker 1: back in a flying accident. Carol Knight was her name. 612 00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: Neil was introduced to her at the golf club and 613 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: they hit it off. Neil and Carol married and stayed 614 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:18,960 Speaker 1: married until Neil's death in and some people think that 615 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: Carol really turned out to be the love is of 616 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: his life, a better match. Neil continued to fly right 617 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,680 Speaker 1: up until the day he died. He was having some 618 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:33,000 Speaker 1: symptoms uh that he called into his doctor UH and 619 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:36,200 Speaker 1: the doctor wanted him to come in immediately UH. And 620 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: they gave him a stress test and realized he had 621 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 1: some blockages that needed to be fixed, and so they 622 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:46,520 Speaker 1: immediately gave him a quadruple bypass surgery. Just a few 623 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:49,480 Speaker 1: days later, Neil was up and walking and it looked 624 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: like he'd be heading home soon, but he developed complications 625 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 1: that his small local hospital was not equipped to handle 626 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,680 Speaker 1: a man who could have died a zillion different ways. 627 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: As a pilot, you know, in combat and Korea, and 628 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:06,239 Speaker 1: you know, flying airplanes at Edwards Uh as an astronaut. 629 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:08,719 Speaker 1: For him to die in the way that he did, 630 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: you know, I feel as extraordinarily tragic, and it sort 631 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:15,839 Speaker 1: of makes a very unfortunate ending to what had been 632 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:21,640 Speaker 1: a really remarkable life. Neo Armstrong, the first man to 633 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,839 Speaker 1: walk on the Moon, becoming a hero to generations, has 634 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:28,359 Speaker 1: died back on Earth. The former Navy fighter pilot never 635 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:30,719 Speaker 1: allowed himself to be caught up in the celebrity and 636 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 1: glamor of the space program, calling himself a white Sox 637 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:40,920 Speaker 1: pocket protector nerdy engineer. Neil Armstrong was eight two. His 638 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:44,239 Speaker 1: family was offered a state funeral, something usually reserved only 639 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:48,080 Speaker 1: for presidents and high ranking members of Congress, but they declined. 640 00:38:48,800 --> 00:39:01,799 Speaker 1: He was buried at sea with full naval honors. Pat 641 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,320 Speaker 1: Collins died in two thousand and fourteen after suffering a stroke. 642 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 1: She and Michael were happily married until the very end. 643 00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:12,560 Speaker 1: Pat and Michael Collins were one of just a handful 644 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:16,200 Speaker 1: of space couples that stayed together. Pat was a very 645 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:20,360 Speaker 1: liberated woman and Michael Collins perhaps this was one of 646 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 1: the trades of any good marriage. Let her be herself 647 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,719 Speaker 1: According to Andrew Chacken, Michael was the most successful at 648 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:32,440 Speaker 1: maintaining a sense of normalcy after Apollo Levin's return. Mike was, 649 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: of the three of them, the most user friendly. Mike 650 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:43,520 Speaker 1: was the most approachable, relatable. He talked easily, he smiled, 651 00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: he made jokes. You saw that this was a three 652 00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:51,200 Speaker 1: dimensional human being, much more so than the public side 653 00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:54,640 Speaker 1: of Neil or Buzz. Um. I would say, it's it's 654 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,239 Speaker 1: fair to say that in public you had the sense 655 00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:00,399 Speaker 1: that both Neil and Buz were wound pretty tight. Um 656 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:06,120 Speaker 1: not so with Mike. When we left off with Buzz, 657 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:10,200 Speaker 1: he'd hit rock bottom. As a result, he quit drinking 658 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:14,000 Speaker 1: and he never looked back. He married again, to a 659 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: woman named Lois. Every superman needs his Lois, he joked. 660 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:20,880 Speaker 1: She was the love of his life, he told everyone, 661 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:25,080 Speaker 1: and indeed they seemed very happy, more than anyone else, 662 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:28,520 Speaker 1: he wrote in his autobiography. She rebuilt him from the 663 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: inside out, and she had a talent for making money, 664 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:36,640 Speaker 1: transforming herself into his manager and biggest promoter. She booked 665 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:40,320 Speaker 1: Buzz on countless television shows, everything from the Simpsons and 666 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 1: The Big Bang Theory to Thirty Rock and Dancing with 667 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 1: the stars. She organized speeches, greased the skids on nearly 668 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:50,480 Speaker 1: a dozen books, and got him endorsement deals with Apple, Nike, 669 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:55,560 Speaker 1: and Louis Vuitton. Together they made millions, and finally Buzz 670 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:59,560 Speaker 1: was no longer destitute or buried in darkness, and once 671 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:05,120 Speaker 1: again he found his passion for space. He was a 672 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:09,000 Speaker 1: pioneer at heart and still is. It's not an accident 673 00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:13,000 Speaker 1: that he's spent most of his energies since leaving NASA 674 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 1: on forwarding the cause of space exploration. He began advocating 675 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:21,880 Speaker 1: for NASA to take the next logical step, placing American 676 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:25,360 Speaker 1: bootprints in the scarlet soil of the Red planet. He 677 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:28,759 Speaker 1: wants to see humanity become a two planet species with 678 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:33,560 Speaker 1: a colony on Mars by twenty forty. Tragically, this Twilight 679 00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:36,880 Speaker 1: renaissance did not last, and Buzz and Lowis divorced in 680 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:39,800 Speaker 1: two thousand and twelve after twenty three years of marriage. 681 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 1: Most recently, Buzz was in the news as part of 682 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 1: a legal dispute in which he filed a lawsuit against 683 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:48,920 Speaker 1: two of his children and his former business partner, accusing 684 00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:51,399 Speaker 1: them of trying to exploit him and steal his money. 685 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 1: They contended that several of his friends were taking advantage 686 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,960 Speaker 1: of his dementia and Alzheimer's, alienating him from his family 687 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:01,920 Speaker 1: and draining his life savings. He later dropped the lawsuit, 688 00:42:02,239 --> 00:42:05,040 Speaker 1: but has been largely out of the public eye ever since. 689 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:09,400 Speaker 1: Many have asked why was Buzz the only one whose 690 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:12,200 Speaker 1: life was torn apart once he returned to Earth? And 691 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:15,919 Speaker 1: there are no easier pad answers. Neil was number one. 692 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:19,040 Speaker 1: He didn't have anything to prove, while he was far 693 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:21,040 Speaker 1: from the hermit many made him out to be. After 694 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:25,359 Speaker 1: his return, he wisely rationed himself. He spoke seldom about 695 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,439 Speaker 1: his public life and almost never about his private life. 696 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:32,359 Speaker 1: Michael said in his autobiography that the moon changed him, 697 00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:36,040 Speaker 1: gave him a cosmic perspective. He no longer got upset 698 00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:38,920 Speaker 1: over the little things in life, no matter the accolades 699 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,400 Speaker 1: he received or the challenges he faced. The Earth continued 700 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:45,520 Speaker 1: to rotate just the same the Moon continued in its 701 00:42:45,600 --> 00:42:51,040 Speaker 1: path unchanged. Buzz was Apollo's middle child, always trying to 702 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:54,080 Speaker 1: prove himself to his father, to all of us, an 703 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:58,400 Speaker 1: artist of all, to himself. Years after their return, he 704 00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:00,919 Speaker 1: admitted that the crew of Apollo even didn't really stay 705 00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:04,239 Speaker 1: all that connected. They took their very different personalities and 706 00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:07,279 Speaker 1: went their separate ways, only glancing into each other at 707 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:11,000 Speaker 1: special events every half decade or so. And perhaps in 708 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,759 Speaker 1: the end we shouldn't ask why Buzz cracked, but rather 709 00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:16,600 Speaker 1: how could he not have? Given all the pressure he 710 00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,800 Speaker 1: was under before, during, and even after the mission. We 711 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:24,960 Speaker 1: idolized these men. We made them international icons. We dubbed 712 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:30,479 Speaker 1: them heroes, and indeed they are, but they're also just human. 713 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:41,440 Speaker 1: Follow eleven. You're a friendly Green team going off for 714 00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:44,239 Speaker 1: the night and going off for the last time. When 715 00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:50,040 Speaker 1: video a good night back on Apollo eleven, Bruce McCandless 716 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:53,400 Speaker 1: is saying his goodbyes, the Green Team's rotation won't come 717 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:55,880 Speaker 1: up again during the remainder of the mission. Than you, 718 00:43:56,040 --> 00:44:03,640 Speaker 1: We appreciate all that. Man. Uh, we'll be thanking him back. 719 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:07,560 Speaker 1: I really enjoyed working with Thank you very much, Thank 720 00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:12,920 Speaker 1: you very much working with him. Charlie Duke is the 721 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:15,279 Speaker 1: next one in the capcom seat, and he has some 722 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:19,160 Speaker 1: bad news. The weather reports have been predicting beautiful skies 723 00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:22,440 Speaker 1: over their landing zone tomorrow, but things have changed. A 724 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,080 Speaker 1: typhoon is brewing in the South Pacific, where they are 725 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:28,960 Speaker 1: expected to splash down. The weather is clobbering in at 726 00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:34,840 Speaker 1: our targeted landing point due to uh scattered sun and storm. 727 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:41,719 Speaker 1: We're gonna move there. The new coordinates are thirty degrees 728 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:48,400 Speaker 1: nineteen minutes north one minutes with the weather in that 729 00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:53,759 Speaker 1: area is super le When Houston Miken get your chance 730 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:57,040 Speaker 1: to landing tomorrow, no go around, right, You're gonna let 731 00:44:57,040 --> 00:45:01,520 Speaker 1: me land all right? That's right there. As with their 732 00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:04,120 Speaker 1: moon landing, they're going to have to land down range 733 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:07,760 Speaker 1: of their intended target two hundred and fifteen nautical miles 734 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:11,640 Speaker 1: to be exact. This gives Michael pause. It's a very 735 00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:14,600 Speaker 1: different kind of entry, and not one Michael has trained for. 736 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,120 Speaker 1: Assuming the computer keeps working and guides them in, there 737 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,280 Speaker 1: will be no issues. But if something happens and Michael 738 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:27,319 Speaker 1: has to take control, they're in trouble. All good nights 739 00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 1: having been said, the crew of Follow eleven is now 740 00:45:30,719 --> 00:45:35,319 Speaker 1: preparing to get their ten hours rest their last night 741 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:39,440 Speaker 1: in space. As they prepare for sleep, Michael finds himself 742 00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:42,600 Speaker 1: thinking about the men in the spacecraft with him. The 743 00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:46,279 Speaker 1: astronauts began as competitors, and Michael assumed that once they 744 00:45:46,320 --> 00:45:49,200 Speaker 1: became a crew, that would fall away and they dropped 745 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:53,239 Speaker 1: their guards, but they haven't. Michael realizes that they never 746 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:56,200 Speaker 1: share their thoughts or feelings. They only ever talk about 747 00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:59,040 Speaker 1: the mission. Michael wants to get to know Neil better, 748 00:45:59,560 --> 00:46:02,879 Speaker 1: but Neil seems to hold him and everyone at arms length, 749 00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:06,360 Speaker 1: and oddly enough, Michael is the one keeping Buzz at 750 00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:10,000 Speaker 1: arm's length. Buzz is the more approachable, but Michael feels 751 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,840 Speaker 1: as if Buzz is always trying to probe him for weaknesses. 752 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:16,240 Speaker 1: Michael realizes that if they get home in one piece, 753 00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:19,640 Speaker 1: their lives are going to change, and there will doubtless 754 00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:22,880 Speaker 1: be challenges none of them can anticipate or are prepared for. 755 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:26,680 Speaker 1: Michael wishes they were closer and could draw on each 756 00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:29,640 Speaker 1: other for strength. He would later write in his autobiography, 757 00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:32,200 Speaker 1: I don't have any idea what Neil and Buzz intend 758 00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:34,959 Speaker 1: to do after the flight, or me, for that matter, 759 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:38,719 Speaker 1: but whatever it is, we should support each other, and 760 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:41,760 Speaker 1: I'm not sure we've yet built the basis for that support. 761 00:46:44,239 --> 00:46:48,359 Speaker 1: Day eight is over. Day nine July begins with our 762 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:52,840 Speaker 1: next and final episode. Apollo eleven is nearly home, but 763 00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:56,000 Speaker 1: first it has to fall through a veil of fire, 764 00:46:56,719 --> 00:46:58,600 Speaker 1: and we'll take a look at what the future holds 765 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:01,960 Speaker 1: for our space fairing culture as NASA and private industry 766 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:04,960 Speaker 1: prepared to return to the Moon and from there make 767 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:12,480 Speaker 1: history again by setting their sights on Mars. This podcast 768 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:15,800 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio and trade Craft Studios, 769 00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:21,080 Speaker 1: Executive producers Ashe Serohia and Scott Bernstein, in association with 770 00:47:21,239 --> 00:47:26,200 Speaker 1: High Five Content and executive producer Andrew Jacobs. Amazing research 771 00:47:26,280 --> 00:47:31,200 Speaker 1: and production assistance by associate producers Brian Schosau and Natalie Robomed. 772 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:36,040 Speaker 1: Our incredible editor is Bill Lance. Original music by Henry 773 00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:41,120 Speaker 1: ben Wah. Licensing rights and clearances by Deborah Correa. Special 774 00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:45,480 Speaker 1: thanks to James Hansen, the author of First Man, Lilly Coppel, 775 00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:49,719 Speaker 1: the author of The Astronaut Wives Club, Andrew Chaykin, the 776 00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:53,560 Speaker 1: author of A Man on the Moon, NASA Chief Historian 777 00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:58,640 Speaker 1: Bill Barry, ad Mission Controls Steve Bales. Special thanks to 778 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:02,920 Speaker 1: everyone at NASA who made this podcast possible, especially the 779 00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:08,200 Speaker 1: incredible technological wizardry of consulting producer Ben Feist, who's responsible 780 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:12,120 Speaker 1: for organizing and cleaning the eleven thousand hours of mission 781 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:16,000 Speaker 1: audio you're hearing selections from in this podcast. Special thanks 782 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:20,160 Speaker 1: also to consultant Gina Delvac. This is a brand new 783 00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:22,840 Speaker 1: podcast and we're so excited to be sharing it with you. 784 00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: Help us spread it far and wide, tell your friends, 785 00:48:26,520 --> 00:48:29,680 Speaker 1: leave ratings and reviews, and chat about it on social media. 786 00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:33,080 Speaker 1: Our hashtag is nine D I J. We would love 787 00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:35,919 Speaker 1: to hear what you think. New episodes come out each week, 788 00:48:36,239 --> 00:48:39,200 Speaker 1: so be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 789 00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:42,879 Speaker 1: I'm Brandon Phipps. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll 790 00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:44,080 Speaker 1: see you next episode.