The 40th Anniversary Of Man's First Moon Landing: Where Were You?

[onedef92]

1969: Man takes first steps on the Moon

American Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon.

The astronaut stepped onto the Moon's surface, in the Sea of Tranquility, at 0256 GMT, nearly 20 minutes after first opening the hatch on the Eagle landing craft.

Armstrong had earlier reported the lunar module's safe landing at 2017 GMT with the words: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

As he put his left foot down first Armstrong declared: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

He described the surface as being like powdered charcoal and the landing craft left a crater about a foot deep.

'We came in peace'

The historic moments were captured on television cameras installed on the Eagle and turned on by Armstrong.

Armstrong spent his first few minutes on the Moon taking photographs and soil samples in case the mission had to be aborted suddenly.

He was joined by colleague Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin at 0315 GMT and the two collected data and performed various exercises - including jumping across the landscape - before planting the Stars and Stripes flag at 0341 GMT.

They also unveiled a plaque bearing President Nixon's signature and an inscription reading: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

After filming their experience with a portable television camera the astronauts received a message from the US President.

President Nixon, in the White House, spoke of the pride of the American people and said: "This certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made."

Many other nations - including the UK - sent messages of congratulation.

Moscow Radio announced the news solemnly in its 1030 GMT broadcast.

As Aldrin and Armstrong collected samples, Michael Collins told mission control in Houston he had successfully orbited the Moon in the mother ship Columbia, and take-off was on schedule for 1750 GMT this evening.

[island14]

I was at summer camp the week it happened, I remember we all sat in the chow hall and watched it on black & white TV

It was something I will never forget.

[onedef92]

I was at my cousin's house watching it on TV and playing with our Major Matt Mason action figures. I loved that mofo coming up.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd88/Caitlyn_87/298782608_29253a06f5.jpg

http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/rr53/Jpzank/Battery%20Operated%20Toys/MMMMoonCrawler.jpg

[GentleBen]

Serving aboard the USS Independence CVA-62 somewhere in the Mediterranean.

[Ol Timer]

I was taking summer classes for my undergrad degree, sitting in my apartment eating pizza and drinking cheap beer (just like most other nights).

[Bucwheat]

Working I-20 looking for speeders. :seeya:

[G8rDMD]

I was 5 years from being born :leaving:

[Norm]

Ocean City, MD with my then first wife (fiance') in the hotel room having some fun. Of course, the TV was on. :D

[ConstantChange]

I wasn't born yet. :leaving:

[Barn Babe]

I actually have a cool story for this one...

As my family was gathered to watch the telecast, I took my first steps from my mom's chair to my uncle Jack's chair. After the famous "One giant step..." phrase my uncle rephrased it using "Michelle" instead of "mankind."

[DukeAllen]

Crapping in my diaper. I was 1 year old.:D

[LATB]

I was in the downstairs TV room at mom & dad's house...

watchin' on a small black & white...

Grand mom sitting in the corner denying the whole affair...

Me, thinking it was cool...

but really preoccupied with September...because that was my birthday and it's when I was getting my new minibike.

Yeah, the moon landing was historic and cool and all...

But this young lad was more interested in 50cc's of raw power soon to be at my controll. :D

:cheers:

[Datawiz]

I was 5 years from being born :leaving:

I wasn't quite 3. :leaving:

[Yerf Dog]

I don't really recall. I was only four.

[khblair]

I wasnt born yet

[jaxgator]

I was 7 and watched it on an old Zenith console TV in my parents house in Columbia, SC.

I still watch and read about all of the Apollo missions here: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/frame.html)

[LATB]

I was 7 and watched it on an old Zenith console TV in my parents house in Columbia, SC.

I still watch and read about all of the Apollo missions here: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/frame.html)

pretty sure the black & white I watched it on was a Zenith

my dad probably still has it :rofl:

[BuckyThreadkiller]

I was 8 and thought it was the most amazing thing ever. (come to think of it I still do) Stayed up really late IIRC and watched whole thing on the old B&W Zenith.

http://www.pdrap.org/images/holyshitmoon.jpg

[Mike Mercury]

http://static.twoday.net/zitate6/images/A-girl-reads-Apollo-11-moon-landing-report-in-The-Washington-Post-July-21-1969.jpg

Armstrong musta had major sized nads... to have switched off the landing computer and finish it manually.

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00203/Pg-2-lunar-landing-_203686t.jpg

[Uncle Pervey]

I was 18, working unloading grain trucks at the Wood-Hi Co-Op, I got off work in time to get home and see them walking around in those crappy black and white TV images from the Moon.
My sister was dating a guy that worked at NASA, he got me some cool photos from Apollo, I still have them somewhere.

BTW, wasn't the 40th anniversary 2 years ago?? :confused5:

[BuckyThreadkiller]

http://static.twoday.net/zitate6/images/A-girl-reads-Apollo-11-moon-landing-report-in-The-Washington-Post-July-21-1969.jpg

Armstrong musta had major sized nads... to have switched off the landing computer and finish it manually.


With 13 seconds of fuel to spare.

[LATB]

I was 18, working unloading grain trucks at the Wood-Hi Co-Op, I got off work in time to get home and see them walking around in those crappy black and white TV images from the Moon.
My sister was dating a guy that worked at NASA, he got me some cool photos from Apollo, I still have them somewhere.

BTW, wasn't the 40th anniversary 2 years ago?? :confused5:

:yesnod:

I thought somethin was off

[Blademaker]

I was 8 and thought it was the most amazing thing ever. (come to think of it I still do) Stayed up really late IIRC and watched whole thing on the old B&W Zenith.

http://www.pdrap.org/images/holyshitmoon.jpg

:rofl::rofl:

I was 13 and don't remember where I was or what I was doing.
I blew out a lotta my memory in the 70's.

[Iron Chef]

I was 9, spending the night at my grandma's in Santa Monica.

[LATB]

I was 9, spending the night at my grandma's in Santa Monica.

did you watch the sun come up over the boulevard? :D

[HeatherO]

I was born a month later.

[Wathen1955]

And here we are 42 years later, and Bart Sibrel is following Buzz Aldrin and pestering him, until the former astronaut explodes. Buzz hits the guy with a great left.

‪Bart Sibrel Being Hooked by Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)‬‏ - YouTube

Bravo Buzz!

[Uncle Pervey]

I was born a month later.

I'm old enough to be your Dad! :D :leaving:

[C5SilverBullet]

40 years ago today, my mom was 7 years old.

[Olustee bus]

I actually have a cool story for this one...

As my family was gathered to watch the telecast, I took my first steps from my mom's chair to my uncle Jack's chair. After the famous "One giant step..." phrase my uncle rephrased it using "Michelle" instead of "mankind."

good story

I was walking into the em club at Fort Monmouth, NJ when it was televised. I watched it as I was passing the tv room, headed for a cold 3.2 beer.

[themonk]

I was along side my dad in a sound studio recreating a moon landing.

[erickpl]

http://static.twoday.net/zitate6/images/A-girl-reads-Apollo-11-moon-landing-report-in-The-Washington-Post-July-21-1969.jpg

Armstrong musta had major sized nads... to have switched off the landing computer and finish it manually.

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00203/Pg-2-lunar-landing-_203686t.jpg

Not necessarily, but he sure is cocky/arrogant. I guess being the first on the moon (or the first to walk on any surface other than terra firma) he has reason to be.

I was 1 day away from being born. And it was 42 years ago today, not 40. :)

[CP]

Actually, it was 42 years ago. I watched it on TV. I even took some pics of the TV showing the action. It was the middle of the night on the east coast.

[Z06David]

I had just retired from 30 years at US Steel

[RedLS1GTO]

And here we are 42 years later, and Bart Sibrel is following Buzz Aldrin and pestering him, until the former astronaut explodes. Buzz hits the guy with a great left.

‪Bart Sibrel Being Hooked by Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)‬‏ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUFO8AGMwic&feature=player_embedded)

Bravo Buzz!

What a fkn douchebag.



... and I was -12 years old at the time.

[Kevin_73]

I was a month shy of 4 years old. I remember the only TV we had was a small (~15") black and white TV that didn't work very well. We had to turn it on at least 10 minutes ahead of time so it could warm up. The picture started as a little tiny dot in the middle of the screen and gradually got bigger as the tubes warmed up, but even then the picture only got to be about 70% as big as the actual screen size.

Anyway, we sat on the end of my parents bed and watched the whole thing on that tiny little TV.
Later that night I remember going outside with my dad, looking up at the moon and telling him that I could see the astronauts walking around up there. :rofl:

[carlton_fritz]

Dunno about then, but was picking on someone on FB that doesn't believe it happened just because they didn't take a telescope.:rofl:

[BuckyThreadkiller]

Not necessarily, but he sure is cocky/arrogant. I guess being the first on the moon (or the first to walk on any surface other than terra firma) he has reason to be.

I was 1 day away from being born. And it was 42 years ago today, not 40. :)

At the time he was one of the top 2 or 3 test pilots on Earth and the very best one on the moon. I'd say confident rather than cocky.

[Kevin_73]

With 13 seconds of fuel to spare.

:yesnod:

Do you remember the program alarms they kept getting during the final stage of the decent to the moon?
Did you ever hear what they determined was the reason for that happening?

Apparently Buzz Aldrin was something of an expert on rendezvous. He would figure out rendezvous problems in his head just for fun. His nickname around NASA was "Dr Rendezvous".
Since he was such an aficionado of rendezvous he wanted to be prepared in case they had to abort the landing and re-dock with the command module, so he left the rendezvous radar turned on. That was fine until they turned on their landing radar. The computer couldn't handle the input from both the radars at the same time. :yesnod:

[Defib1961]

I was 8, all of the kids on the block were outside playing Hide and Seek, (remember we were 8). I remember my dad walking outside and yelling, "They are about to walk on the moon!" It was like every hiding place on the block suddenly ejected kids ranging from 8 years old to 13 years old. We all went inside to watch. One kid named Mike Stapp went outside and looked up at the moon and said he didn't believe it because he couldn't see them.

[jaxgator]

At the time he was one of the top 2 or 3 test pilots on Earth and the very best one on the moon. I'd say confident rather than cocky.

:iagree: Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Blue Demon]

Blair, Oklahoma visiting my brother who was stationed at Altus AFB. It was 116* there that day.

[beadist]

I was playing miniature golf when they landed and back home to watch the walk on TV till very late. It was very cool. Loved those evenings with the family watching the one TV, rather than scattered around the house.

[bradc6]

10 years old and watching on the Zenith console tv.

[jda67gta]

I was 8, all of the kids on the block were outside playing Hide and Seek, (remember we were 8). I remember my dad walking outside and yelling, "They are about to walk on the moon!" It was like every hiding place on the block suddenly ejected kids ranging from 8 years old to 13 years old. We all went inside to watch. One kid named Mike Stapp went outside and looked up at the moon and said he didn't believe it because he couldn't see them.

8 here too. Playing in the back yard with my dogs, Dad comes to the back glass sliding door and yells "get your ass in here right now". As I run up to the porch the glow of the old Zenith lights up the room as he had turned the house lights off. I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but that memory sticks like a knife. :yesnod:

[Petew1971]

I was inside my fathers testicle

[Joecooool]

I had just retired from 30 years at US SteelYou must be in your 90's.

I was 2 at the time. I have no recollection of watching any of the Moon landings when I was a kid.

[Mike Mercury]

You must be in your 90's.

I was 2 at the time. I have no recollection of watching any of the Moon landings when I was a kid.

I was 13 1/2, watched the space walk at my grandfathers house. Among our family in the area... he had the largest screen TV.

[LATB]

You must be in your 90's.

I was 2 at the time. I have no recollection of watching any of the Moon landings when I was a kid.

no wonder you are a left wing commie...

you don't understand American Exceptionalism.

serious.

[JRD77VET]

I was 9 and at camp. They had everybody in the mess hall watching it on a console TV.

Pretty cool

[MattW]

I was born a month later.

Me too. August 23rd.

:cheers:

[themonk]

Ummmm, we all do know that it's been 42 years now.

[dwjz06]

Glued to the TV at my grand parents house. :cheers:

[HeatherO]

Me too. August 23rd.

:cheers:

me too :lol::lol:

[erickpl]

:yesnod:

Do you remember the program alarms they kept getting during the final stage of the decent to the moon?
Did you ever hear what they determined was the reason for that happening?

Apparently Buzz Aldrin was something of an expert on rendezvous. He would figure out rendezvous problems in his head just for fun. His nickname around NASA was "Dr Rendezvous".
Since he was such an aficionado of rendezvous he wanted to be prepared in case they had to abort the landing and re-dock with the command module, so he left the rendezvous radar turned on. That was fine until they turned on their landing radar. The computer couldn't handle the input from both the radars at the same time. :yesnod:

And today's smart phones have more computing power than the entire Saturn V + CM + LM systems combined. :)

[erickpl]

me too :lol::lol:

My mom was watching from the hospital bed. I was born right after they left the moon's surface.

Rather strange now that I work with them daily. Had the honor of watching the final landing of the shuttle this morning at Marshall Space Flight Center among many who helped design, build, and test the main engines. More than a few of them worked on the Apollo engines with Dr. von Braun.

42 years to almost the day that Armstrong landed on the moon, the shuttle system is now history. May Apollo and the Shuttle inspire today's kids to reach out beyond Earth's orbit to explore space.

[VatorMan]

http://static.twoday.net/zitate6/images/A-girl-reads-Apollo-11-moon-landing-report-in-The-Washington-Post-July-21-1969.jpg

Armstrong musta had major sized nads... to have switched off the landing computer and finish it manually.

http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00203/Pg-2-lunar-landing-_203686t.jpg

Of course. He is an Armstrong after all. :hurray:

[Z06David]

You must be in your 90's.

I was 2 at the time. I have no recollection of watching any of the Moon landings when I was a kid.

Yeah, Im closing in on 100 now

Actually this was 12 years before I was born.

[onedef92]

And here we are 42 years later, and Bart Sibrel is following Buzz Aldrin and pestering him, until the former astronaut explodes. Buzz hits the guy with a great left.

‪Bart Sibrel Being Hooked by Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)‬‏ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUFO8AGMwic&feature=player_embedded)

Bravo Buzz!

Nice right cross! Slim in the yellow top gotta great rack, too. :D

[GS Ragtop]

I was 16 and home sick with mono. Good news was that I could watch everything they broadcast about the flight and lunar landing. :cheers:

[mrvette]

I remember me and some g/f went out to my folks house to watch with them, they had a color TV, not that it mattered...one of them with the round tube and the top/bottom flattened off in the frame....

and so I thought to take their 8mm camera and film the TV as it happened, I remember looking at it through the viewfinder....

we viewed the film later on sometime, and it came out fine....

but was not thought of when cleaning out mom/dad's last house, I dunno if sis kept any of them films or not.....

I know my cousin tossed all them old films from his father....

:confused5::leaving: