Fifty-one years ago, I stayed up all night to watch the moon landing ... and that memory still remains clear to this day.
On 12th September 1963, the late President John F Kennedy made a speech in Dallas in which he said:
This feeling was encapsulated in the words spoken by Neil Armstrong as he stepped off the ladder of the Apollo 11 mission’s lunar excursion module, Eagle:
If only we could regain that optimism, and do the things that would make our world a better place for all its inhabitants, and not just an often self-selecting few.
The ‘a’ in squared brackets in the quote from Neil Armstrong reflects the fact that he thought that he had said it, although the recording shows that he did not.
On 12th September 1963, the late President John F Kennedy made a speech in Dallas in which he said:
We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.In many ways, this summed up the optimism so many people shared at the time. The world was not a perfect place by any means, but we felt that it could be if we worked to make it so.
This feeling was encapsulated in the words spoken by Neil Armstrong as he stepped off the ladder of the Apollo 11 mission’s lunar excursion module, Eagle:
That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.On this anniversary, I wonder what happened to change that feeling of optimism, and why – some fifty-one years later – the world feels as if it is a more fractured, inward-looking place.
If only we could regain that optimism, and do the things that would make our world a better place for all its inhabitants, and not just an often self-selecting few.
The ‘a’ in squared brackets in the quote from Neil Armstrong reflects the fact that he thought that he had said it, although the recording shows that he did not.
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I have vivid memories of watching this, particularly of the view of the ground as the lander skimmed across the surface. I don't remember having to stay up late though - I guess I need to Google the landing time.
ReplyDeleteAlso what stuck in my mind was not the "small step" but what were, at least as I recall, the first words after they touched down: "Tranquility Base Here. The Eagle has Landed"
Mike Hall,
DeleteThe famous step took place at 10.56pm Eastern Daylight Time, which was 2.56am GMT/3.56am BST.
I watched the whole thing on TV from 11.30pm until Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. I then went to bed as I had to go to work next morning.
Jack Higgins used part of the quote you remember for the title of his first bestseller.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteWe were at High School watching a small B&W TV that the Science Master had placed onto a Veranda- there must have been a hundred of us Students - couldn't see much at the time nor hear anything...though I cought up with what had happened via the Sydney Newspaper. I remember an Iron-ON Transfer from the Newspaper which Mum put onto my 'T' Shirt celebrating the American Landing on the Moon. Hard to believe it was all 50 Years ago. Thanks for reminding us. Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteIt must have happened during the day in Australia, whereas it was the middle of the night in the UK.
I watched the whole thing with my parents and my brother, and it barely feels that it all took place over fifty years ago.
All the best,
Bob
I remember staying up all night to watch it on the family black and white television, or maybe it was a colour TV but the transmission was mostly in black and white.
ReplyDeleteI would have been 19 years old working as a computer operator on a shift schedule so it was easy to stay awake, even the next day as the work required that.
Nowadays I think I would tape it and watch it later probably while painting figures.
Jim Duncan,
DeleteWe watched it in black and white as we didn’t get a colour TV until the 1970 Football World Cup.
I think that a lot of people in our age group had a similar experience. You were lucky to be able to stay awake the next day. I certainly felt tired all day, and slept like a log that night.
If it was going to happen again tomorrow, I think I’d still try to watch it live ... but would no doubt fall asleep!
All the best,
Bob
I'm sad to say I know I watched it, but memory is very fuzzy and probably colored more by later viewings of clips.
ReplyDeleteWhat you wrote about optimism resonated with me, too. In the US I think a lot may be riding on the upcoming election in November. There does seem to be some hope when it comes to vaccines at least.
Fitz-Badger,
DeleteI would count is as one of the most memorable events of my life, and my memory of it is very clear indeed.
I despair of events in the US, and hope that once the forthcoming election is over, the country can begin to heal itself, although I suspect that it is going to take a long time to repair the damage caused over the past three and a half years. If the current POTUS were to be re-elected, I suspect that things will become even more fractured than they are already.
I understand that the antivaxers are already beginning to campaign against any COVID-19 vaccines being used. They are citing it as another example of the ‘Dark State’ attempting to manipulate and control them. Edward Jenner must be spinning in his grave!
All the best,
Bob
G'Day Bob, I remember going to the local cinema in Bahrain to see it. On reflection, I can't remember much outside the general "Hype" of beating the Russians to the moon. Cheers Greg.
ReplyDeleteDelta Coy (Greg),
DeleteWell, that is the most unusual place yet that I've heard about someone watching the moon landings!
The interesting thing is that the Americans actually invited the Russians to take part in a joint moon landing project before they began the Apollo mission, but the Russians refused, and it became a 'race' thereafter.
All the best,
Bob
I remember the night more than the event. Down in the country watching a small, grainy b&w tv with iffy reception and the pizza we ordered was late then I ate too much too fast...but I was there! Somehow it didn't seem possible then that everything wouldn't be changed and for the better. Well, many things have changed.....
ReplyDelete
DeleteRoss Mac,
It was quite some night, although it probably wasn’t as late in Canada as it was in the UK.
From what I can remember, we had a few sandwiches, some sausage rolls, several bags of crisps, and many pots of tea to sustain us until the famous step took place.
It was a more optimistic age ... but as time has gone on, that optimism seems to have been replaced by a desire for ‘celebrity’, money, power, and self-importance. The concept of ‘us’ seems to have gone, to be replaced by one centred around ‘me’. We now have a society that assumes that it has rights, but that the responsibilities devolve onto someone else.
All the best,
Bob
And just to reinforce the old bromide that it's a small world indeed, my mother-in-law grew up in Armstrong's home town, and when he took her to a high school prom, she showed him the "elevator dance", where the girl rises up on her toes and kisses her partner. And knowing what I know of the old battleaxe, I can well imagine why Armstrong was glad to go to the moon--even though he then realized it still wasn't far enough away from her. (Snarky, I admit...)
ReplyDeleteChris Johnson,
DeleteNow that is a story to dine out on!
The nearest I can get to matching it revolves around a photograph that my mother had taken when she worked for Warner Brothers in the early 1950s. She was a graphic artist, and designed film posters that were used in the UK. She got to meet lots of film stars, including Ronald Reagan.
Many years later, when Reagan was President of the USA, my brother was working in New York on contract for three years. He mentioned that his (our) mother had met the President, and that he had a photo of them together. When he produced it, he was inundated with invitations to dinner!
All the best,
Bob