Original subtitles

We're approaching the three minute mark in the count.

T-minus three minutes and counting.

T-minus three, we are go with all elements of the mission at this time.

Target for the astronauts...

...the moon at liftoff will be at a distance of 21 8,096 miles away.

All indications are coming in to the control center at this time...

...indicate we are go.

We choose to go to the moon.

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.

This is a news bulletin.

Today, April 1 2th, 1 961 .

Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man into space.

From the BBC World Service in London--

All right now, liftoff and the clock has started. This is Freedom 7.

History was made today and you were an eyewitness.

And the man who did it was Alan Shepard Jr.

Given the chance, would you take a journey to the moon?

Roger, zero-g and l feel fine.

Would you sail through the vacuum ofspace for three days...

...cramped inside a small ship not much bigger than the family car...

...surviving on only the food, water and breathable air...

...you could carry with you?

Ifso, your journey would begin here at home.

Standing on the Earth...

...looking skyward at the magnificent silver body we see almost every night.

In spite of the danger inherent to the voyage...

...you would then set off on humankind's greatest road trip.

All engine running.

Liftoff, we have a liftoff. Ready for man's quest beyond.

Flying to the moon is a dream shared by many...

...an accomplishment of only a few.

For most ofhuman history it was nothing more than a fantasy.

But sincejust a few years ago...

...human beings walking on the moon has been an historical fact.

Are you getting a TV picture now, Houston?

Neil, yes, we are getting a TV picture.

Here you come into our field-of-view.

Okay. l'm on the top step and l can look down over the RCU...

...and landing gear pads.

lt's a very simple matter to hop down from one step to the next.

Yes, l found it could be very comfortable...

...and walking is also very comfortable.

Then here on, you've got three more steps and then a long one.

A little more...

...about another inch.

Okay. l'm going to leave that one foot up there...

...and both hands down to about the 4th rung up.

There you go.

-That's a good step. -Yeah.

About a three footer.

Beautiful view.

lsn't that something?

Magnificent sight out here.

Magnificent desolation.

Here men from the planet Earth...

...first set foot upon the moon, July 1 969.

We came in peace for all mankind.

Apollo 1 1, we are go for undocking, over.

Roger, understand.

During the four years from Christmas of 1968...

...to Hanukkah of 1972...

-Descending at 1 1 2 feet per second. -l can't believe it. Amazing.

...nine flying machines navigated the quarter million miles...

...between our home planet and our moon.

Oh, this is really profound. l'll tell you. lt's fantastic.

But for all the splendor of the journey...

...as well as the knowledge gained by the Apollo team...

And now we're coming in.

-That's big Mike Collins. -Yeah, hello there, sports fans.

...only a few details of those Apollo missions...

...have remained in our consciousness.

Time has dimmed the historic impact ofman going to the moon.

Quiet please. We're rolling.

Okay, l'm just gonna ask you a couple of questions about the moon.

Not everybody knows the answers, so give it your best shot.

Do you remember any of the names of the astronauts?

You know what? l can't remember.

l haven't learned any names, no.

Oh, l know one.

Jim?

l think the first one was Lance Armstrong.

Jim something.

Neil Armstrong?

Neil Armstrong.

Armstrong?

Jim Carrey?

Not Jim Carrey.

Next question, what did the astronauts eat on the moon?

-Chips? -Fruit.

-Fruit? -Fruit?

l think a sandwich and juice.

Here's a question...

...how did the astronauts go to the bathroom up there? Do you know?

They just take off the back of their suit?

Oh, yeah, there's like this wire thing and then you pee in it--

And then it will explode.

Maybe they had to hold it.

All right, here's one last question.

Would you want to go to the moon?

l'm really curious to see what's on the moon, so l would probably say yes.

l would because l would like to walk in the footsteps of all the astronauts...

-...that were first on the moon. -Yeah, that's what l wanna do.

-No. -No? Why?

Because l'm really scared of heights.

l'd like to because you'd explore new things...

...that you'd probably never seen or heard about.

Would you do it? Would you want to go to the moon?

Yes, l would like to go to the moon.

-Why? -To walk on it.

lt seems fantastic.

l'm Veronica Lugo. l'm 7 years old.

l'm going to be an astronaut when l grow up.

And l think l'm gonna be the first kid on the moon.

To the moon...

...through the eyes of a child.

She wants to go to the moon.

Well, get in line, Ms. Lugo.

Since the dawn of time...

...we've wondered who, what, when, where...

...and how we would ever make it to the moon.

From the pyramids ofEgypt, to Stonehenge...

...relics ofpast civilizations have pointed to our ancestors...

...having the same dream.

The Japanese call the moon tsuki.

The Irish? Gealach.

The Icelandians? Tungl.

Whatever the name, man has always wondered...

...what is up there on the moon?

The telescope was the first helpful tool in giving us a closer look.

First reports showed vast oceans and provided the first look...

...at the Lunar Serpent.

And It wasn't long before we were able to get a good glimpse...

...at Moon City which was officially declared made ofgreen cheese...

...until man decided to go see for himself.

Many theories were developed on how to get there.

There was the, ''On the wings of 12 geese...

...tethered by a golden sash'' theory...

...and the ''Shoot Me Out of a Cannon, I'll be Okay'' method.

But the real question was:

Who would make this daring journey to the moon?

Many wanted to go.

Some called them ''intrepid explorers. ''

Others called them lunatics...

...a word derived from the Latin word Luna or moon.

Coincidence?

But as the modern age of technology...

-...and thought descended upon man... -Kirk here.

...our visions of the moon, its inhabitants...

...our mode of transport solidified.

In July 1969, the first men flew to the moon...

...landing in a spidery-looking tin can...

...with a computer with less memory than a pocket calculator.

Once there, they walked on the moon.

Or did they?

There are some who insist...

...that the flights to the moon never occurred...

...and that the Apollo missions were one big lie.

That's one small step for man-- Darn.

-You're good. -You're good, Neil.

Okay, Moonwalk take two.

Action. Cut.

l don't think that was the way it was supposed to be.

-Rolling. -Moonwalk, again.

There will always be some who won't believe it happened.

Maybe that's because landing on the moon...

...had always been beyond our reach.

But then, we did it.

Falcon, you are go for PDl.

Roger, go for PDl.

Falcon, Houston.

You're go at six.

Roger.

Go at six.

Thirty K.

There are many unknowns descending to the lunar surface.

You've trained for it in the simulator but the variables change...

...and you must be prepared for the unknown.

Dave Scott, Apollo 15.

Coming up on 8000.

Okay, l got a good spot.

Eighteen hundred feet.

Forty-four.

Forty-five.

Falcon, Houston. You are go for landing.

Roger. Go for landing.

Nine hundred. Forty-five.

Eight hundred. Forty-five.

Seven hundred. Forty-six.

Minus 1 7.

Minus 1 5.

One hundred twenty feet. Minus six.

Okay, l've got some dust.

Seven percent fuel. Twenty at one.

Fifteen at one.

Minus one, minus one.

Six percent fuel.

Ten feet. Minus one.

Eight feet. Minus one.

Contact.

We copy the touchdown time at 1 04:42:29.

Okay, let's clean it up.

Engine stop. Push. Push.

Engine Arm. Off. Off.

Landing radar breaker. Open.

Okay, landing radar open.

Okay. Houston, the Falcon is on the plain at Hadley.

Roger, roger, Falcon.

Six of the Apollo missions put 12 astronauts on the moon.

With an area roughly the size ofAfrica to explore...

...each landing site was selected after years ofrigorous debate.

The astronauts' main objective was straightforward:

Cover as much ground as possible and then come home.

Before exiting the spacecraft...

...the astronauts had to don the multimillion dollar gear...

...which made their survival possible while walking on the moon.

The equipment had to be checked...

...tested...

...then double-checked again.

The whole process took about two hours.

We're on the moon, we can see it out the window.

So, what we wanna do is get on with why we're there.

Let's get on with this and get out there.

But the procedures say one step at a time.

Dave Scott, Apollo 15.

l guess here at Hadley Base...

...we're standing by for a go for the Depress.

Roger, Falcon. You're go for Depress.

Let's take a look at Hadley.

Okay, forward dump valve to open.

Down to four and a half.

Four, mark three point five.

lt's open.

The first step on to the moon was a once-in-a-lifetime moment...

...for each of the Apollo astronauts.

Neil Armstrong's first words became history.

Not so the words of the other 1 1...

...who left their footprints on the lunar surface.

You're coming into the picture now, Pete.

Man, that may have been a small one for Neil.

But that's a long one for me.

As l step off at the surface at Taurus-Littrow...

...l'd like to dedicate the first step of Apollo 17...

...to all those who made it possible.

-Not bad for an old man. -You're right.

Al is on the surface.

And it's been a long way but we're here.

There you are, mysterious and unknown Descartes.

Highland plains. Apollo 16 is gonna change your image.

Attaboy. You look great.

Welcome aboard.

My, that sun is bright. Yep, take it easy.

Oh, boy. lt's beautiful out here.

Reminds me of Sun Valley.

-Roger, Jim. -Well, l tell you, Gene...

...l think the next generation ought to accept this as a challenge.

Let's see them leave footsteps like these someday.

Okay, Houston.

As l stand out here in the wonders of the unknown at Hadley...

...l sort of realize there's a fundamental truth to our nature.

Man must explore.

And this is exploration at its greatest.

Hey, we've got a TV picture.

-Can l change your oil? -Oh, thank you, Geno.

-Okay, Jimmy. Let's go to work. -Put your head down, l'll be behind you.

The footprints on the moon.

Can't believe it.

Feel like a kid playing in a sandbox.

The Apollo astronauts were mostly aviators and engineers.

Men who became explorers.

Who realized they'd been given an extraordinary opportunity.

Fantastic, sports fans. That's beautiful.

This has gotta be one of the most proud moments of my life. l guarantee you.

They weren't that different from you and me...

...but they had the discipline and the willingness to study...

...and train for years, then go where no man had gone before.

Earth-based dress rehearsals prepared the astronauts for the hard work...

...and scientific tasks ahead of them.

A moon landing doesn't just happen.

The crew doesn't just show up day of the launch...

...put on their spacesuits, wave to the crowd...

...and then launch to fame and fortune.

Preparation for a particular flight entails many hours of hard work.

Charlie Duke, Apollo 16.

Each Apollo crew spent over two years training together...

...practicing and rehearsing every phase...

...of their upcoming lunar exploration.

Whether it was simulating landing on the moon or driving on it.

The seemingly simple task of walking on the moon...

...was one of the more complex Earth-bound simulations.

Early prototypes of the suit attempted to address the conditions...

...that the astronauts might face during the moonwalks.

Many designs were put to the test.

Some fared better than others.

And some werejust, well, the others.

People don't realize the importance of the suit.

lt was a sophisticated spacecraft in its own right.

Gene Cernan, Apollo 17.

-Boy, is this a neat way to travel. -lsn't it great?

l like to skip along.

And when you finish changing you can do cleaning of the LCRU.

And could you dust our lens while you're there, please?

Oh, okay.

That's beautiful.

That even made us blink down here.

Okay, l'm gonna move out and get the contingency sample.

Roger, Jim.

We quickly adapted to our new environment.

ln one-sixth gravity, John could run like a gazelle...

...but l adopted a style of my own, sort of like a duck waddle.

Charlie Duke, Apollo 16.

-Okay, very good. -When you're out there...

...you're really only looking at the clock looking at the checklist...

...looking at what's next.

And trying to put one foot in front of the other.

Ed Mitchell, Apollo 14.

Hey, l guess l should press on as if we're going to station one.

Roger that.

Lunar exploration began with precisely mapped treks...

...of only a few hundred yards from the safety of the lunar module.

During the early missions, the astronautsjust walked...

...carrying whatever equipment and tools they needed by hand...

...or in their pockets.

Here he comes, folks.

He's got the hammer out.

l knew he couldn't resist.

With Apollo 1 4, came the M.E. T or the MET.

The Modular Equipment Transport.

The MET seems to be riding very well, Houston.

lt's bouncing a little bit but not about to turn over.

With the final three Apollo missions...

...came the ultimate in moon transportation...

...the all-wheel drive, door-less, seat belt-equipped, electric car.

The Lunar Rover.

Man, this is a fun ride.

Once distance was conquered by the lunar explorers...

...the next battle was waged against time.

Al, why don't you press on...

...and we'll try to get back to it later if we have time.

Yeah, let's go. Boy, l knew we were going to run late.

We were satisfied with the fact...

...that every single minute of the lunar surface time was planned.

Al Shepard, Apollo 14.

l'm gonna go deploy an ALSEP.

Have at it.

Deploying experiment packages during the moonwalks...

...called for speed and dexterity.

There was a schedule to keep and one or two experiments to perform.

l don't know how to tell you this.

The cosmic ray unlocks down at the bottom but it won't unlock up at the top.

Which way do l push it or pull it?

There was a Laser Ranging Retroreflector...

...the Passive Seismic Experiment and a Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment.

And one with a Suprathermal Ion Detection, Heat Flow.

Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment...

...the Cold Cathode Ion Gauge, the Cosmic Ray Detector:

And something called the neutron probe.

So you have a billion dollars worth ofresearch...

...being deployed by men in bulky suits...

...breathing only the air they could carry on their backs...

...under a deadline that allowed no time...

...for much more than a momentary pause.

Oh, boy, time-out.

-Don't work too hard. -Roger.

Dave and Jim will be wanting to leave the station--

Okay and you got about ten minutes left--

We need you guys rolling in seven minutes.

You forget how fast we were working at all this.

We were working at the maximum speed...

...that we thought we could get away with.

We were going as fast as we think we can safely go...

...and that always makes things difficult.

Al Bean, Apollo 12.

We'd like you to leave immediately...

...if not sooner.

We had just so long to get it done, so we had to keep moving.

Pete Conrad, Apollo 12.

-John, l'm trapped. -What do you mean?

l'm against this rock.

Exploration, especially that on the moon, holds many dangers.

While drawing closer and closer to new discoveries...

...each footstep also leads into the unknown.

Okay, come on down here...

...and let's get a frag off of one these boulders.

And then we'll head on back to the rover.

Copy that.

And out of sheer curiosity...

...how far back from what you would call the edge of the rill...

...are the two of you standing now?

Oh, l don't know. Well, from where the--

About 50 meters from where l guess we'd say we see real outcrop.

Roger, Dave. How far back from the lip of the rill...

...do you think you're probably standing?

Can't tell, l can't see the lip of the rill.

Okay. lt looks like you're standing on the edge of a precipice on TV...

...that's why we're asking.

Oh, gosh, no, Joe. lt slopes right on down here.

The same slope. lt's just a little inflection here.

Hadley Rille, 1 159 feet deep.

More than a mile wide and 50 miles long.

Even with reference photos and maps...

...the lack of atmosphere madejudging distance on the moon difficult at best...

...impossible at times.

Imagine standing on the precipice of a hole...

...as deep as the Grand Canyon...

...and not knowing it.

The scale ofHadley Rille dwarfs that of the Statue ofLiberty.

Just one of the optical tricks the moon plays on her visitors.

There are no trees, no houses between you and the horizon.

You have no visual reference for size.

Jack Schmitt, Apollo 17.

That looks level to me.

-Can you see it from there? -l don't know.

-l have no perspective anymore. -l don't either.

Working in space is hard and risky.

Not making a mistake is more important than a fear of physical danger.

Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 1 1.

-Give me a hand. -Okay, here we go.

ln those craters, it was like walking up a sand dune.

The surface kept collapsing beneath us.

Jim lrwin, Apollo 15.

My description of the crater...

...is 60 percent of it is covered with boulders.

We cannot see the bottom.

lsn't that amazing. Amazing.

Man, is that a hole in the ground.

As you come around there, there's a rock on this rim...

...that has some white on the top of it.

We'd like you to pick it up as a grab sample.

-This one right here? -That's it.

Charlie, don't fall in that thing.

lf l fall in the Plum Crater getting this rock, l've had it.

Oh, Tony, its got some beautiful crystals in it.

We better press on to the big boulder.

Okay, we're headed that way.

You've got to expect things are going to go wrong.

And we always need to prepare ourselves for handling the unexpected.

Neil Armstrong, Apollo 1 1.

Okay?

As each Apollo mission pushed the physical limits...

...ofman and machine...

...contingency plans for Lunar emergencies were at the ready.

Apollo, be advised we show you at the three mile walk-back limit.

So we suggest you hustle on home to the LM.

Roger, Houston, double-timing it back to the LM.

Although never called into action during the actual Apollo missions...

...one has to wonder...

...what ifsomething had gone wrong on the lunar surface?

All right, Houston, a little necessary detour here.

Okay, let's veer for those boulders up there.

Copy.

Houston, a lot of craters ahead...

...and we've entered a sizable boulder field.

Copy that. How far off course do you think you've traveled?

The LM should be southwest of your position.

-Copy. You hear that? -Got it.

Turn right. Watch the crater.

With a limited supply of oxygen, water and coolant...

...a problem on the moon could have made for a bad day.

-l can't hardly see a thing. -Any double failure on the surface...

-...would have led to disaster. -Crater, Bill. Watch out.

Apollo, do you copy?

Apollo, Houston, do you copy? Over.

All right, we've lost transmission on both PLSS low gains...

...and all Surgeons vital data is down for both men.

Flags were heard in the last one second of transmission.

We're gonna need feedback from everyone in the room...

...on where your tracking was at the time of loss of signal....

On me.

l'm not reading anyone. l've--

l've got zip. Nothing.

My PLSS is failing, l'm switching to OPS.

l have flow.

We need to get the BSLSS connected.

Okay, let's give this a try.

Blue to blue connected.

Locked.

Verified.

Okay. Let's move out.

Houston, Apollo, do you read me?

Houston, Apollo, do you read?

Houston, do you copy?

lf you do, we're headed south, southwest.

The levels are all over the place.

Mobility is good. Coolant is nom.

Oxygen is level but low.

LMP water is two five, do you copy, 25 pounds and dropping.

Apollo, this is Houston. Do you copy?

-This is Houston. Do you copy? -Getting data link.

We've got a weak data signal now, do you copy?

Rog, Houston. We read you. We've got the LM in sight.

Roger, Apollo. Given that you've got the LM in sight...

...you are approximately 30 minutes out.

We estimate Hank has 40 minutes of consumables left.

Comm?

This gives you a ten minute margin...

...which is nominal if you're within a kilometer of the LM.

Do you copy?

Houston, we're on our way.

Had the Apollo astronauts faced a life systems emergency...

...and the loss of a rover...

...it remains an open question whether the Moonwalkers could have survived.

Houston, we are approaching the LM...

...and it has never looked so good.

Fortunately, during the 299 hours men walked on the moon...

...the emergency plans were never needed.

Houston, the hatch is locked. The cabin is fully repressed...

...and Hank is safe.

Copy that, you've got some happy folks down here.

Welcome home.

The explorers of the Apollo moonwalk missions...

...were men who set out on the voyage fully knowing the risks involved.

The fact that their names are ordinary-- Jim, Pete, Dave, Charlie.

--and that they look like people we know...

...belie the stature of their accomplishments.

Ifnot for their achievements and discoveries...

...they should be celebrated...

...as those who carried us all on our first steps away from home.

l think everyone who's been part of this program

has been proud of its accomplishments.

And l know we have.

We're looking back at someplace...

...l think we will use as a stepping stone to go beyond...

...someday.

There were many who said it could not be done.

To walk on the moon.

But there are 12 who did.

Their accomplishment and their journeys and their adventure...

...is for all to remember.

And thanks to them, for a few briefmoments in time...

...we were all there...

...on the moon.

That's one small step for man...

...one giant leap for mankind.

l described the scene, ''Magnificent Desolation.''

Magnificent for the achievement of being there...

...and desolation for the eons of lifelessness.

Once you get up there, the uniqueness of the view is remarkable.

We haven't developed a camera that can do it justice.

There is a dramatic difference...

...between viewing a landscape from behind a window...

...and walking out into it yourself.

The stillness seemed to convey that the landscape itself...

...had been patiently awaiting our arrival for a million years.

Looking back...

...we were really very privileged to live in that thin slice ofhistory...

...where we changed how man looks at himself...

...and what he might become...

...and where he might go.

l remember looking back at the Earth and thinking how far, far away it was.

lt seemed very unreal for me to be there.

l said to myself, ''This is the moon.

l'm really here. l'm really here.''

As l stood there at the Descartes Highlands...

...l looked up and thought of my family.

Our kids were 5 and 7 at the time.

And l took along a picture.

On the back of this photograph, l'd written:

''This is the family of astronaut Duke from planet Earth.

Landed on the moon, April 1 972.''

And the kids had signed it.

As l looked at the photograph laying in the gray dust...

...l wondered:

Who will find this picture in the years to come?

That's what l left on the moon.

Hello Houston, Challenger.

Circuit breakers are configured. We're on the top of eight dash sixteen.

Here, Houston. Okay, sounds good.

And we're standing by for liftoff minus ten.

Roger.

Before the last two men to walk on the moon...

...began their journey home...

...they left a plaque on the lunar module, which read:

''Here man completed his first explorations of the moon.

May the spirit ofpeace in which we came...

...be reflected in the lives of all mankind. ''

That plaque, and five others like it, are still on the moon today.

-Ten seconds. -Ten seconds.

-Abort Stage. -Pushed.

-Engine Arm is Ascent. -Okay. l'm going to get the Pro.

Ninety-nine. Proceeded three, two, one--

lgnition.

-We're on our way, Houston. -Vector good.

AGS saw it.

-Pitch over. -Pitch over.

And as we leave the moon and Taurus Littrow...

...we leave as we came and God willing as we shall return.

The Apollo lunar program came to an end in 1972.

In the decades since...

...probes and robots have been sent to other planets.

And we have liftoff.

Human beings have continued living and working in space...

...for thousands ofhours.

And we'd like to welcome the 421 st, 22nd...

...and 23rd people to fly in space. Congratulations.

But we have yet to return to places like the Sea of Tranquility...

...and the Hadley Rille.

The next great exploration of the moon...

...is in the hands and in the dreams ofsomeone out there.

l want to be an astronaut.

-l want to go to the moon. -l want to go to the moon.

Maybe that person is watching right now.

l am going to the moon.

l'm Veronica Lugo. l'm 7 years old.

And l am definitely going to the moon.

Maybe that future walker on the moon is you.

This is Commander Lugo, proceeding to Basin Ridge.

Copy, commander, and a good morning from Houston.

How are things looking today, Veronica?

lt's day 1 2 of 1 4 of the lunar night cycle...

...and l'm telling you...

...there are more stars than you can imagine.

l can clearly see North Africa coming up over the horizon.

All right, we're ready to start the day, Houston.

Okay, gang, let's go around the horn.

Alpha Station?

Alpha Station power generators maintaining full capacity.

All cells fully functional at full power.

Beta Station, radio telescopes?

Beta Station, radio telescopes 1 and 2, operational and transmitting to Houston.

Helium 3, excavation?

Helium 3 site is in gear and rolling out at 0700, commander.

Hydrogen and oxygen reservoirs?

All colony reserves at 1 00 percent, all levels nominal.

Copy that.

Aitken Base is up and running on day 232, Houston.

People must be motivated to continue to explore space.

Those of us in the Apollo program had our share of rewards.

We can look back now at the lessons learned from our journeys...

...in order to guide us on how to implement a plan for the future.

There is so much more to explore.