'HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED"

AMERICANS LAND ON THE MOON

Houston, Texas (JFK+50) On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong* and Buzz Aldrin** touched down on the lunar surface.  With Michael Collins*** at the controls of the mother ship Columbia in lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface of the moon aboard Eagle.

At 3:17 p.m., Houston time, Armstrong reported...

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 

This response came from Charles Duke, Capsule Communicator based here in Houston...

"Roger, Tranquility.  We copy you on the ground.  You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.  We're breathing again."

Later, at 9:39 p.m (CDT), Armstrong opened the hatch and descended the ladder.   He turned on a black & white TV camera and set his left foot on the moon's surface.

Five hundred million people were watching as he stepped down from the ladder and said...

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

The first part of President John F. Kennedy's goal set in 1961 to land a man on the moon by decade's end had been accomplished.  The second part was a safe return to Earth.

Neil Armstrong Steps onto the Moon

NASA Photo from TV Image

July 20, 1969

"LIFTOFF ON APOLLO 11"

APOLLO 11 LAUNCH 50 YEARS AGO

Cape Kennedy, Florida  (JFK+50) On July 16, 1969, "the engines ignited and (a) massive 2840-ton rocket rose into the blue sky" here at the Cape.  Liftoff came at 9:32 a.m. (E.D.T.)  The capsule communicator announced..."Liftoff on Apollo 11 at 32 minutes past the hour."  

Former president Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Spiro Agnew were on hand to witness the launch while 700,000 observed from the around around the Space Center.  On board Apollo 11 were astronauts Neil Armstrong*, Buzz

Aldrin** and Michael Collins***. 

Attached to the Apollo 11 spacecraft was the Lunar Module, Eagle.  Apollo was designated the Command Service Module.  Mike Collins would stay aboard the CSM orbiting the Moon while Neil and Buzz descended to the lunar surface aboard Eagle.

The three Americans were destined to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's vision of landing a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s.

*Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He served in the US Navy in the Korean War. NA was a graduate of Purdue University and later after becoming a test pilot joined the astronaut corps in 1962. His 1st space flight was on Gemini 8 in 1966. 

**Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was born in Montclair, NJ on Jan 20, 1930. He is a graduate of West Point where he majored in mechanical engineering. 

Buzz served in Korea and flew 66 combat missions.  He joined the astronaut program in 1963.

***Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, the son of a US military officer, on October 31, 1930.  He attended West Point and joined the US Air Force.

MC was accepted to the astronaut program in 1963 and his 1st space flight came on Gemini 10.

SOURCES

"One Small Step:  Celebrating the First Men on the Moon," by Jerry Stone, Templar Publishing, Great Britain, 2009.

"The Eagle Has Landed: Happy Anniversary, Apollo 11," by Nate Rawlings, July 20, 2011,  www.newsfeed.time.com/

Apollo 11 Saturn Liftoff

July 16 1969

Space Complex 39A

Cape Kennedy

NASA Photo

     

THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND

WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON

Houston, Texas (JFK+50) In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade.  Later in September 1962 he said...

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade...because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills..."

On July 20, 1969, JFK's vision was achieved when Neil Armstrong* and Buzz Aldrin** touched down on the lunar surface.  With Michael Collins*** at the controls of Columbia in lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface of the moon aboard Eagle.

At 3:17 p.m., CDT Armstrong reported...

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 

This response came from Charles Duke, Capsule Communicator based here in Houston...

"Roger, Tranquility.  We copy you on the ground.  You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.  We're breathing again."

Later, at 9:39 p.m., Neil Armstrong opened the hatch and began his walk down the ladder. He turned on a TV camera and set his left foot on the moon's surface.  Five hundred million people were watching as he stepped down from the ladder of the lunar module and said...

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

*Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He served in the US Navy in the Korean War. NA was a graduate of Purdue University and later after becoming a test pilot joined the astronaut corps in 1962. His 1st space flight was on Gemini 8 in 1966. 

**Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was born in Montclair, NJ on Jan 20, 1930. He is a graduate of West Point where he majored in mechanical engineering. 
Buzz served in Korea and flew 66 combat missions.  He joined the astronaut program in 1963.

***Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, the son of a US military officer, on October 31, 1930.  He attended West Point and joined the US Air Force.

MC was accepted to the astronaut program in 1963 and his 1st space flight came on Gemini 10.

SOURCES

"One Small Step:  Celebrating the First Men on the Moon," by Jerry Stone, Templar Publishing, Great Britain, 2009.

"The Eagle Has Landed: Happy Anniversary, Apollo 11," by Nate Rawlings, July 20, 2011,  www.newsfeed.time.com/

JFK Speaks at Rice University
Houston, Texas
September 12, 1962
NASA Photo

     

IT WILL NOT BE ONE MAN GOING TO THE MOON, IT WILL BE AN ENTIRE NATION

JFK CALLS FOR AMBITIOUS SPACE EXPLORATION

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke to a joint session of the Congress of the United States calling for an "ambitious space exploration program" which would include a Rover nuclear rocket* and weather satellites.

The President said...

"Now it is time...for a great new American enterprise, a time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement.  I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth."

JFK did not sugar coat the cost of this proposal.  He said that nothing else would be "so difficult or expensive to accomplish."

The President saw this effort as truly national.  He said...

"It will not be one man going to the moon, it will be an entire nation.  For all of us must work to put him there."

JFK+50 NOTE

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969 fulfilling the first part of President Kennedy's goal.  Following close behind was Buzz Aldrin.  Michael Collins, the third member of the Apollo 11 crew, remained in lunar orbit.


*Project Rover (1955-1972) was conducted at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory by the Atomic Energy Commission & NASA.  The 1st phase of the project, known as "Kiwi",  involved the building & testing of 8 nuclear reactors between 1959 & 1964.

SOURCE

"May 25, 1961:  JFK's Moon Shot Speech to Congress", by space.com staff, May 25, 2011, www.space.com/

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
July 20, 1969
Photo by Neil Armstrong
NASA Image

WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 2015

JFK'S GOAL ACHIEVED 47 YEARS AGO TODAY

Houston, Texas (JFK+50) In May 1961, speaking to the United States Congress, President John F. Kennedy set the goal of "landing a man on the moon" before the end of the decade.  On September 12, 1962, President Kennedy spoke to 35,000 people at Rice Stadium here in Houston.  He said...

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade...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."

Forty-seven years ago today, July 20, 1969, JFK's vision of landing a man on the moon was achieved when astronauts Neil Armstrong* and Buzz
Aldrin** touched down on the lunar surface. With astronaut Michael Collins*** at the controls of the mother ship Columbia in lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface of the moon aboard Eagle.

At 3:17 p.m., CDT Armstrong reported...

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 

This response came from Charles Duke, Capsule Communicator based here in Houston...

"Roger, Tranquility.  We copy you on the ground.  You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.  We're breathing again."

Later, at 9:39 p.m., Neil Armstrong opened the hatch and began his walk down the ladder. He turned on a TV camera and set his left foot on the moon's surface.  Five hundred million people were watching as he stepped down from the ladder of the lunar module and said...

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

*Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He served in the US Navy in the Korean War. NA was a graduate of Purdue University and later after becoming a test pilot joined the astronaut corps in 1962. His 1st space flight was on Gemini 8 in 1966. 

**Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was born in Montclair, NJ on Jan 20, 1930. He is a graduate of West Point where he majored in mechanical engineering. 
Buzz served in Korea and flew 66 combat missions.  He joined the astronaut program in 1963.

***Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, the son of a US military officer, on October 31, 1930.  He attended West Point and joined the US Air Force.

MC was accepted to the astronaut program in 1963 and his 1st space flight came on Gemini 10.

SOURCES

"One Small Step:  Celebrating the First Men on the Moon," by Jerry Stone, Templar Publishing, Great Britain, 2009.

"The Eagle Has Landed: Happy Anniversary, Apollo 11," by Nate Rawlings, July 20, 2011,  www.newsfeed.time.com/

JFK Speaks at Rice University
Houston, Texas
September 12, 1962
NASA Photo

     

MOON LANDING

"THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND."

Houston, Texas (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy's vision of landing a man on the moon was achieved forty-five years ago today, July 20, 1969, when astronauts Neil Armstrong* and Buzz Aldrin** touched down on the lunar surface.

JFK's goal, set in May 1961, was to "land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth" before the end of the decade.  

With astronaut Michael Collins*** at the controls of the mother ship Columbia in lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin descended to the surface of the moon aboard Eagle.

At 3:17 p.m., Central Daylight Time, Armstrong reported:

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 

This response came from Charles Duke, Capsule Communicator based here in Houston...

"Roger, Tranquility.  We copy you on the ground.  You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.  We're breathing again."

Later, at 9:39 p.m (CDT), Neil Armstrong opened the hatch and began his walk down the ladder. He turned on a TV camera and set his left foot on the moon's surface.

Five hundred million people were watching as he stepped down from the ladder of the lunar module and said...

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Neil Armstrong Steps onto the Moon

NASA Photo from TV Image

July 20, 1969

JFK SETS GOAL FOR MOON LANDING

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy set the goal for landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade.

The President said...

"Now it is time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement.  We possess all the resources and talents necessary.

This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.

No single space project will be more impressive...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish...but...in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon...it will be an entire nation."

 JFK

House Chamber, US Capitol

Washington, D.C.

May 25, 1961

"FLY ME TO THE MOON"

"Fly me to the moon
 Let me swing among the stars
 Let me see what spring is like
 On Jupiter and Mars"****

The moon is 2160 miles in diameter.  Its distance from the Earth ranges from 221,830 miles to 357,000 miles.

The moon's surface temperature ranges from a minimum of -272 degrees F. to a maximum of 243 degrees F. The average temperature on the moon is 63 degrees below 0, F.

It takes the orb 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes to make one revolution.

Nearside of the Moon 

From Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 

NASA Photo (2011)

In 1865, more than a century before Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, Jules Verne, a French novelist, wrote about three men who fly to the moon from Florida in a rocket.

 In "From the Earth to the Moon", the men are shot into space by a gigantic gun named the Columbiad.  The trio fly around the moon before returning to Earth.

On their way back home, the Apollo 11 crew made a televised broadcast from space on July 23, 1969.  In that telecast, Neil Armstrong said...

"A hundred years ago, Jules Verne wrote a book about a voyage to the Moon.  His spaceship...took off from Florida and landed in the Pacific Ocean after completing a trip to the Moon."

       

"From the Earth to the Moon"

Illustration by Henri de Montaut (1868)

SOURCES

"One Small Step:  Celebrating the First Men on the Moon," by Jerry Stone, Templar Publishing, Great Britain, 2009.

"The Eagle Has Landed: Happy Anniversary, Apollo 11," by Nate Rawlings, July 20, 2011,  www.newsfeed.time.com/

*Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He served in the US Navy in the Korean War. NA was a graduate of Purdue University and later after becoming a test pilot joined the astronaut corps in 1962. His 1st space flight was on Gemini 8 in 1966. 

Neil died on August 25, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was 82 years old.

Neil Armstrong

NASA Photo

**Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was born in Montclair, NJ on Jan 20, 1930. He is a graduate of West Point where he majored in mechanical engineering. 

Buzz served in Korea and flew 66 combat missions.  He joined the astronaut program in 1963.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr

  NASA Photo

***Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, the son of a US military officer, on October 31, 1930.  He attended West Point and joined the US Air Force.

MC was accepted to the astronaut program in 1963 and his 1st space flight came on Gemini 10.

Michael Collins

NASA Photo

****"Fly Me to the Moon" was written by Paul Francis Webster and Sonny Burke. The song was 1st recorded in 1954 by Kaye Ballard but the best known version, arranged by Quincy Jones, was recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1964.   

     

JFK'S GOAL TO LAND A MAN ON THE MOON ACHIEVED

July 20, 2013

JFK'S GOAL TO LAND A MAN ON THE MOON ACHIEVED 44 YEARS AGO TODAY

Houston, Texas (JFK+50) On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy said...

"Now it is time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement.  We possess all the resources and talents necessary.

This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.

No single space project will be more impressive...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish...but...in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon...it will be an entire nation."

             President John F. Kennedy
            House Chamber, US Capitol
                    Washington, D.C.
                         May 25, 1961

The first part of JFK's commitment was achieved 44 years ago today, July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11's Eagle landed  on the surface of the Moon with two American astronauts on board, Neil Armstrong* and Buzz Aldrin**.

The third Apollo astronaut, Michael Collins***, was at the controls of the mother ship, Columbia, which remained in lunar orbit.

After a touch and go descent, at 3:17 p.m. (CDT) Armstrong reported:

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 

This response came from Charles Duke, Capsule Communicator based here in Houston...

"Roger, Tranquility.  We copy you on the ground.  You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.  We're breathing again."

Later, at 9:39 p.m (CDT), Armstrong opened the hatch and began his walk down the ladder. He turned on a black and white TV camera and set his left foot on the Moon's surface.

500 million people were watching as Neil Armstrong stepped down from the ladder of the lunar module and said...

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

      Neil Armstrong Steps onto the Moon
            NASA Photo from TV Image
                          July 20, 1969


INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOON

The Moon is 2160 miles or 3476 kilometers in diameter.  Its distance from the Earth ranges from 221,830 miles or 252,898 kilometers to 357,000 miles or 407,000 kilometers.

The Moon's surface temperature ranges from a minimum of -272 degrees F. (-169 degrees C) to a maximum of 243 degrees F. (117 degrees C).  The average temperature on the Moon is 63 degrees below 0, F. (-53 degrees C).

It takes the Moon 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes to make one revolution.

                  Nearside of the Moon 
   From Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 
                     NASA Photo (2011)

STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM

In 1865, more than a century before Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, Jules Verne, a French novelist, wrote about three men who fly to the Moon from Florida in a rocket.

 In "From the Earth to the Moon", the men are shot into space by a gigantic gun (are you ready for this?) named the Columbiad.  The trio fly around the Moon before returning to Earth.

On their way back home, the Apollo 11 crew made a televised broadcast from space on July 23, 1969.  In that telecast, Neil Armstrong said...

"A hundred years ago, Jules Verne wrote a book about a voyage to the Moon.  His spaceship...took off from Florida and landed in the Pacific Ocean after completing a trip to the Moon."

         
            "From the Earth to the Moon"
   Illustration by Henri de Montaut (1868)

SOURCES

"One Small Step:  Celebrating the First Men on the Moon," by Jerry Stone, Templar Publishing, Great Britain, 2009.

"The Eagle Has Landed: Happy Anniversary, Apollo 11," by Nate Rawlings, July 20, 2011,  www.newsfeed.time.com/


"Fly me to the moon
 Let me swing among the stars
 Let me see what spring is like
 On Jupiter and Mars."

"Fly Me to the Moon" was written by Paul Francis Webster and Sonny Burke.
  
The song was 1st recorded in 1954 by Kaye Ballard but the best known version, arranged by Quincy Jones, was recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1964.  Buzz Aldrin played it as he walked on the moon.

                 
*Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He served in the US Navy in the Korean War. NA was a graduate of Purdue University and later after becoming a test pilot joined the astronaut corps in 1962. His 1st space flight was on Gemini 8 in 1966. He was Apollo 11 commander and the 1st person to walk on the moon. 

                        Neil Armstrong
                           NASA Photo

Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio from complications of heart bypass surgery.  He was 82 years old.

                 Neil Armstrong Statue
                     Purdue University
               West Lafayette, Indiana
         Photo by Huw Williams (2008)


**Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was born in Montclair, NJ on Jan 20, 1930. He is a graduate of West Point where he majored in mechanical engineering. BA served in Korea and flew 66 combat missions.  He joined the astronaut program in 1963.

               Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr.
                           NASA Photo


***Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy, the son of a US military officer, on October 31, 1930.  He attended West Point and joined the US Air Force.
MC was accepted to the astronaut program in 1963 and his 1st space flight came on Gemini 10.

                            Michael Collins
                                NASA Photo

On August 7, 2009, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

           Aldrin, Collins and Armstrong
         with President Barack Obama
                   The White House
                      July 20, 2009
                Photo by Bill Ingalls

                  Aldrin Steps Off LM
                        July 20, 1969
            Photo by Neil Armstrong
                        NASA Photo

                          Aldrin Salutes Flag
                               July 20, 1969
                    Photo by Neil Armstrong
                                NASA Photo

                           Apollo 11 Patch
             Designed by Michael Collins
                                   NASA