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"Houston, the Eagle has landed."

by dmfalk

On this date 44 years ago, Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, and of the Lunar Module "Eagle", uttered those words, which were hears by more than a billion people globally, over live TV and radio. He would later declare "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

We're coming up soon on the one-year anniversary of Neil Armstrong's passing. Some have declared 20th July as "Armstrong Day".

Neil Armstrong was a true hero...

(Certainly not some other guy that happens to share the same surname!)

We will return again, someday, and you paved the way.

d.m.f.

Viewed:	14 times
Added:	10 years, 9 months ago 20 Jul 2013 18:15 CEST

19 Comments on this Journal

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LupineAssassin

10 years, 9 months ago

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They really should name today after him. We've seen far worse.

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ LupineAssassin

Agreed.

He took the risk, and remained humble about it for the rest of his life. The measure of a true hero.

He was, after all, the first person to set foot upon another world.

d.m.f.

LupineAssassin

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ dmfalk

You think Mars is next?

Winterimage

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ LupineAssassin

Probably not, at least in our lifetime. The cost and the risk far outweigh all possible gains. My guess is that, if we can make long-distance space travel safe and (relatively) cheap, we'll skip Mars and go straight to Jupiter. I for one would like to see what's underneath the ice sheets of Europa.

The Chinese might decide to go to Mars, though, just for the hell of it and to beat the rest of the world.

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ Winterimage

Jupiter has a much higher electromagnetic radiation issue than it is just in normal solar wind- So high, that it's presently detrimental to human health. Plus, it takes 6-9 months just to get there, rather than the 3-5 it would take to Mars. Humans to date have never been outside the Earth's magnetic shield, not even on the Moon.

Do watch for the Juno robotic mission, though- That's the one that will explore Europa! :)

d.m.f.

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ LupineAssassin

The Moon, an asteroid, then to Mars. We still have yet to test ourselves against the onslaught of solar radiation outside our natural magnetic bubble. Also, until now, we've never been more than 3 days from the safety of Earth (the distance to the Moon). An asteroid mission will do just these. Once dine, on to Mars. (Though one private firm wants to launch a one-way mission to Mars by 2023.)

d.m.f.

Winterimage

10 years, 9 months ago

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Wish I'd been alive back then. My mom has told me how she and dad stayed up all night to listen to the live radio broadcast, and the shivers that ran down their spines when they realised that a man was actually walking on the moon. I can feel some of that when I think about it; it really is one of the most outstanding feats in human history.

But we shouldn't forget Aldrin and Collins. Armstrong may have been the first one out, but he couldn't have done it without the other two. Or all the anonymous NASA engineers and technicians, now that I think about it. Kudos to all of them.

(I wonder if Armstrong saw a little mouse boy while he was up there...)

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ Winterimage

I was there, though I don't remember much of that day. Surprisingly, I remember the Apollo missions just before, including the Christmas prayer in orbit around the Moon.

But I grew up with the legacy- I followed Apollo from the Moon orbits & landings to Skylab to Apollo-Soyuz; I saw the glide test of the Enterprise (and proud to be associated with its naming!), the launch of Columbia, and so on and so forth. I've followed the Pioneers, Vikings and Voyagers. I understood astronomy and space before I was 4, and taught myself the Greek alphabet at 5, so I could understand the naming of stars.

Buzz Aldrin, I still follow- although we are of different political stripes, we share the common passion for space, and the return to manned space missions. (He differs from most Replublicans in America on the value of space- He is one of the deepest, strongest proponents of space exploration, in all its facets.)

Michael Collins only commanded the capsule, Columbia, while in orbit, but it was still critical, so Armstrong and Aldrin could safely dock and return onboard.

12 men stood on the Moon, the last of which was in 1972. But it all started with one footprint- Armstrong's.

d.m.f.

CyberCornEntropic

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ Winterimage

No, but Mission Control did specifically tell them to keep an eye out for Chang'e and her rabbit, though. :p

shadycat

10 years, 9 months ago

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I can only imagine what it was like to be alive at a time when the future was happening; when astronauts and scientists and engineers were lauded and their achievements inspired a generation to pursue scientific knowledge.
I was in third grade when Challenger exploded. Pure research and exploration lost some of their cachet. Here's NDT laying down some knowledge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_F3pw5F_Pc

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ shadycat

I was not even 4 when Apollo 11 landed, but I was there- Those efforts shaped my passion for the space sciences ever since.

d.m.f.

CyberCornEntropic

10 years, 9 months ago

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And to think, some fools still insist the Moon landings never happened despite all the evidence to the contrary. Some of humanity's greatest accomplishments dismissed because some conspiracy theorists are so desperate that they'll invent a conspiracy just so they can feel important.

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ CyberCornEntropic

Sadly, my mother is one of those- She strongly believes all of our advancements came from either aliens or someone from the future, because she believes no-one could possibly be that creative, and actually invent things!

Yes- Frustrating! :(

d.m.f.

CyberCornEntropic

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ dmfalk

It's a culture clash of a sort, I suppose. It's difficult for those without (in this case, of inventive fervor) to understand those who have.

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ CyberCornEntropic

Sadly, I agree... :(

Some can never understand inventiveness and discovery, and just expect it all to be handed to them, without so much as any curiosity about where anything really came from or how things came about....

Not me-- Even whilst getting closer to 50, my passion for curiosity and discovery thrives!

d.m.f.

DOtter

10 years, 9 months ago

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Regarding naming July 20th Armstrong Day, do you think Buzz Aldrin might have something to say about that? He might have followed Armstrong down the ladder, but he was there! And Michael Collins might not have gone down in the Eagle, but he did help out a bit up in the Columbia. Calling this Armstrong Day isn't entirely fair.

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ DOtter

I personally prefer calling it "Apollo Day" or "Apollo 11 Day" or something like that...

Interestingly, there were few photos taken of Armstrong on the Moon-- Aldrin himself said Armstrong was the shutterbug of the three!

d.m.f.

DOtter

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ dmfalk

I've been calling it "Moon Day," which might be a bit vague now I think of it. "Apollo Day" sounds good. Or maybe "Tranquility Day"?

Just please, let's not let the UN name it. We'd get something like "International Day for the Commemoration of the First Crewed Landing on the Moon" if we're lucky; if not, it would be even more awkward! (and blatantly political)

dmfalk

10 years, 9 months ago

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@ DOtter

I like "Tranquility Day" best. :)

d.m.f.

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