Original subtitles

\hNarrator: IT’S A DAY WE DREAMT OF, FOR CENTURIES.

Collins: WE FELT THE WEIGHT OF \hTHE WORLD ON OUR SHOULDERS,

WE KNEW THAT PEOPLE WERE LOOKING AT US WORLDWIDE.

\h\h\hNarrator: A DAY WHEN THREE MEN RISK EVERYTHING.

NASA Radio: LIFT OFF.

WE HAVE LIFT OFF!

M. Armstrong: WE KNEW THAT DAD \h\h\hHAD TO GO ON THIS TRIP.

\hAND I THINK THEY ONLY FELT THEY HAD

A 50/50 CHANCE OF DOING IT.

\h\h\hNarrator: AND IT’S A DAY THAT CHANGES THE WORLD.

Cox: I THINK IT IS THE \hGREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

\hIN THE HISTORY OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

\hNarrator: IT HAPPENS A QUARTER OF A MILLION

\hMILES OUT IN SPACE, BUT IT’S SEEN BY OVER

\h\h\hHALF A BILLION PEOPLE HERE ON EARTH.

May: WHAT AN AMAZING \hTHING TO WITNESS.

Massimino: YOU REMEMBER \h\h\h\hWHERE YOU WERE.

RIGHT?

\h\h\h\hNarrator: BUT IT’S ALSO A DAY FULL OF DANGER.

Bales: WE ALL KNEW WE HAD THREE THINGS WERE GONNA HAPPEN, WE’RE

\h\hGONNA LAND, WE WERE GONNA ABORT, OR WE WERE GONNA CRASH.

\h\hNarrator: WHEN SUCCESS OR FAILURE

\h\h\hCOMES DOWN TO SPLIT SECOND CALLS.

Bales: AND BANG, WE GOT \hTHIS COMPUTER ALARM.

NASA Radio: 1202.

Duke: MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS \hWE’RE DEAD IN THE WATER.

Narrator: WITH SPECTACULAR \h\h\hREMASTERED FOOTAGE,

THIS IS THE MINUTE BY \hMINUTE INSIDE STORY

FROM THOSE WHO WERE THERE, THOSE WHO PUT THEM THERE,

AND THOSE WHOSE LIVES ARE CHANGED FOREVER.

Kranz: BY GOLLY, WE GOT \h\hA MAN ON THE MOON!

WE’VE PUT HIM THERE!

\h\hN. Armstrong: IT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN,

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Narrator: IT’S THE DAY WE WALKED ON THE MOON.

\hWE FIRST SET FOOT ON THE MOON IN JULY 1969.

\h\hBUT THE DECISION TO GO THERE IS MADE BY PRESIDENT

KENNEDY AT THE START OF THE DECADE, AND SPELLED

\h\hOUT IN ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS SPEECHES.

Kennedy: WE CHOOSE TO GO TO \h\hTHE MOON IN THIS DECADE

AND DO THE OTHER THINGS, \h\hNOT BECAUSE THEY ARE

EASY BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE HARD.

Collins: I WAS THRILLED TO \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBE PART OF

FULFILLING PRESIDENT \hJOHN F. KENNEDY’S

\h\h\h\h\hDREAM OF MAN ON THE MOON BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

HOWEVER, THE MOON WAS SO FAR AWAY,

SO REMOTE, WAS THIS REALLY GONNA HAPPEN?

Cox: WHEN KENNEDY MADE THAT BEAUTIFUL SPEECH

\h\h"WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON", REMEMBER THAT FROM AN

ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE, WE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO DO THAT.

\h\hNarrator: WE WOULD HAVE TO LEARN QUICKLY.

IT’S THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR.

THE SPACE RACE HAS \hALREADY STARTED.

\h\hAND THE SOVIET UNION HAS LAUNCHED

\hTHE WORLD’S FIRST SATELLITE, SPUTNIK.

\h\h\hMuir-Harmony: SPUTNIK WAS LAUNCHED ON A ROCKET AND PEOPLE

UNDERSTOOD THAT IF THE SOVIET \h\hUNION HAD THE CAPABILITY

TO LAUNCH THINGS IN TO SPACE, \h\hTHAT THERE’S A LIKELIHOOD

\h\h\h\hTHAT THEY ALSO HAD THE CAPABILITY TO LAUNCH WARHEADS.

\hMay: THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT SPUTNIK ONE SCARED

\h\hTHE AMERICANS TO DEATH AND THEY SUDDENLY REALIZED

\hTHEY HAD TO PULL THEIR FINGER OUT AND GET ON IT.

Aderin-Pocock: RUSSIA HAD GOT \hTHE FIRST OBJECT IN SPACE,

THEY GOT THE FIRST \hANIMAL IN SPACE.

AND THEY’D GOT THE FIRST \h\hPERSON IN TO SPACE.

\h\h\hAND THE AMERICANS WITH THEIR TECHNICAL SUPERIORITY,

\hOR SO THEY THOUGHT, FELT ON THE BACK FOOT.

\h\h\hNarrator: KENNEDY DECIDES THE WAY TO BEAT

THE SOVIETS IS TO PUT \hA MAN ON THE MOON.

Borman: PRESIDENT KENNEDY \h\hSET OUT THE CHALLENGE

TO DO IT IN THE ’60S, AND EVERYBODY DEVOTED

THEIR TOTAL LIFE TO DOING THAT.

Narrator: REALIZING KENNEDY’S

\hDREAM WITHIN THE DECADE ISN’T EASY.

IT TAKES A CONCERTED \h\hNATIONAL EFFORT,

UNPARALLELED IN PEACE TIME.

Muir-Harmony: THE SCALE OF \h\h\h\h\h\hPROJECT APOLLO

IS HARD TO REALLY EVEN CONCEIVE OF.

AT THE PEAK, OVER 400,000 \h\hPEOPLE WERE INVOLVED.

THE PROGRAM COST, AT THE TIME, \h\h$25 BILLION WHICH IS MORE

THAN THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, MORE THAN THE PANAMA CANAL.

Cox: I THINK IT WAS GEORGE \hH.W. BUSH WHO SAID THAT

\hIT WAS THE BEST INVESTMENT SINCE LEONARDO DA VINCI BEING

GIVEN A SKETCH BOOK, AND HE WAS, AND HE’S RIGHT.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: NASA’S SPACE PROGRAM NEEDS MORE THAN MONEY.

IT NEEDS MEN WILLING \h\h\hTO RISK THEIR

\hLIVES PILOTING HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL SPACECRAFT.

IN 1961, ALAN SHEPHERD BECOMES \hTHE FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE.

IN 1962 JOHN GLENN ORBITS THE EARTH.

BY THE TIME PROJECTS MERCURY AND GEMINI GIVE WAY TO APOLLO

IN THE MID ’60S, AMERICA’S ASTRONAUTS ARE SUPERSTARS.

Borman: MOST OF US CAME FROM THE MILITARY, WHERE WE’D BEEN

ALMOST INCOGNITO AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU’RE CELEBRITIES.

Massimino: I THOUGHT THESE \h\hGUYS WERE THE COOLEST

GUYS WALKING THE PLANET.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE TIME \hTHE BEATLES WERE AROUND,

\h\hI THOUGHT THEY WERE COOLER THAN THE BEATLES.

Duke: I WOULD CALL IT \h\hA ROCK STAR LIKE,

BUT YOU COULD GET A REAL SWELL HEAD IF YOU DIDN’T

\hWATCH OUT BECAUSE YOU GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: 32 ASTRONAUTS TAKE PART IN

THE APOLLO PROGRAM BUT ONLY THREE WILL

\hMAKE THE JOURNEY TO THE MOON ON APOLLO 11.

THE COMMAND MODULE PILOT IS 38 YEAR OLD MICHAEL COLLINS,

THE ONE CREW MEMBER WHO WON’T WALK ON THE MOON.

Collins: CLEARLY I DID NOT HAVE THE BEST OF THE THREE

SEATS, HOWEVER I THOUGHT \h\hIT WAS A GREAT HONOR

TO BE A, A PART OF THE APOLLO 11 CREW.

Narrator: LUNAR MODULE \hPILOT, BUZZ ALDRIN,

MAY BE ABOUT TO WALK ON \hTHE MOON, BUT FOR HIS

11 YEAR OLD SON, ANDY, THAT’S \h\hNOT WHAT SETS HIM APART.

\hAldrin: MY DAD WASN’T COOL BECAUSE HE WAS AN ASTRONAUT,

\hBECAUSE EVERYBODY’S DAD WAS AN ASTRONAUT.

MY DAD WAS COOL ’CAUSE \hHE COULD POLE VAULT.

YOU KNOW, AND NOBODY’S DAD COULD POLE VAULT.

\hNarrator: FIRST MAN TO WALK ON THE MOON WILL BE

THE MISSION COMMANDER, 38 YEAR OLD NEIL ARMSTRONG.

Borman: WELL NEIL ARMSTRONG \hWAS PROBABLY THE PERFECT

\h\hCHOICE TO MAKE THE FIRST STEP ON THE MOON.

HE WAS DEDICATED, HE WAS COMPETENT.

\hDuke: PROBABLY ONE OF THE COOLEST GUYS I’D EVER KNOWN.

BY COOL I MEAN STEADY \h\h\hUNDER PRESSURE.

HE WAS UNFLAPPABLE.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: THAT UNFLAPPABILITY IS TESTED

IN MAY 1968, WHEN ARMSTRONG \h\h\hTAKES PART IN A LUNAR

LANDING SIMULATION AT ELLINGTON AIR FORCE BASE IN HOUSTON.

\h\h\h\h200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, HIS CRAFT SUDDENLY

LOSES PRESSURE, FORCING \h\hARMSTRONG TO EJECT.

HE CHEATS DEATH BY SECONDS.

NOW COMES THE MISSION ITSELF.

M. Armstrong: WHEN MUM AND DAD \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCALLED US FOR

\h\h\hA MEETING IN THE DINING ROOM IT’S LIKE.

R. Armstrong: WHAT TROUBLE ARE WE IN?

M. Armstrong: THIS MUST BE, \h\hYEAH, WE’RE IN TROUBLE.

THIS MUST BE SERIOUS.

R. Armstrong: HE BASICALLY \hSAID, JUST WANT YOU GUYS

\h\hTO KNOW THAT THERE IS SOME RISK IN THIS MISSION,

\h\h\hBUT, YOU KNOW, WE’RE CONFIDENT WE’RE COMING BACK

AT LEAST, WHETHER WE GET TO LAND OR NOT, WE DON’T KNOW.

\hM. Armstrong: THE WAY THAT THE CREW VIEWED IT, WAS THIS WILL BE

THE FIRST MISSION TO ATTEMPT \h\hTO LAND AND I THINK THEY

\hONLY THOUGHT THEY HAD A 50/50 CHANCE OF DOING IT.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: IT’S THE MORNING OF JULY 16TH, 1969.

LAUNCH DAY.

\hIN A FEW HOURS THE ASTRONAUTS WILL BEGIN

\h\h\hTHEIR FOUR DAY JOURNEY TO THE MOON.

\h\hPERCHED ON TOP OF THE MOST POWERFUL ROCKET EVER INVENTED.

Schoumacher: WHEN I DROVE \h\h\h\hUP, IT WAS DARK.

I DROVE PAST, I DON’T KNOW, A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE

AT FIVE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, THEY’D BEEN THERE ALL NIGHT.

AND THERE WAS THE SATURN, LIGHTED ON THE LAUNCHPAD.

AND IT IS IN THE MIDDLE \hOF THIS BLACK OCEAN.

OH GOD, WHAT AN EXCITEMENT.

Raphael: THE PRESS WERE IN A \h\hSORT OF CORRAL ABOUT TWO

AND A HALF MILES AWAY FROM \hTHE LAUNCH SITE, I DON’T

\h\hTHINK ANYONE WAS ALLOWED NEARER THAN ABOUT TWO MILES.

I MEAN QUITE APART FROM US, THERE WERE HUNDREDS

OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WOULD \h\hBE CAMPING ON THE DUNES.

\h\hIT’S ALMOST LIKE A SORT OF JAMBOREE THING.

Schoumacher: I’M OUTSIDE AND \h\h\h\h\h\hIT’S SUNNY NOW.

News Broadcaster: DAVID \h\h\hSCHOUMACHER IS AT

THE PRESS SITE. DAVID.

Schoumacher: WELL A GOOD MORNING, OF THE MORE THAN

\h\h\h\h3,000 REPORTERS ASSIGNED HERE AT LEAST.

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, \hGOD IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS JUST, EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT.

\h\h\h\hNASA Radio: SWING ARM NOT COMING

BACK AS OUR COUNTDOWN CONTINUES.

\h\h\hNarrator: IN THE DAYS BEFORE 24 HOUR NEWS, ALL THE

NETWORKS CLEAR THEIR SCHEDULES \h\hTO CARRY THE LAUNCH LIVE.

AMONG THE WATCHING MILLIONS

IS FUTURE ASTRONAUT, \h\hMIKE MASSIMINO.

Massimino: IN JULY OF 1969 I WAS SIX YEARS OLD, I WAS SITTING

THERE WATCHING A BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION IN THE LIVING ROOM.

I REMEMBER THINKING AS I WAS \hWATCHING THAT LAUNCH THAT

THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT \hTHING THAT EVER HAPPENED

IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, I THOUGHT, AS A LITTLE BOY.

SAME TIME I WAS A BIG BASEBALL \h\h\hFAN, THE NEW YORK METS,

MY TEAM WON THE WORLD \h\hSERIES THAT YEAR.

TWO MIRACLES HAPPENED IN THE SUMMER OF 1969.

\h\hNASA Radio: T MINUS 25 SECONDS.

Schoumacher: THAT \hROCKET WAS BIG.

I MEAN THERE’S NO WAY THAT ROCKET GETS OFF THE GROUND.

NASA Radio: IGNITION \h\hSEQUENCE START.

SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE.

Raphael: THERE WAS JUST A \h\h\h\hHUGE, HUGE FLASH

AND A FANTASTIC NOISE.

ALMOST LIKE A BOMB GOING \hOFF, POW, SHATTERING.

NASA Radio: LIFT OFF.

WE HAVE LIFT OFF.

32 MINUTES PAST THE HOUR.

LIFT OFF ON APOLLO 11.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: AWAY FROM THE CROWDS, NEIL ARMSTRONG’S FAMILY

WATCHES THE LAUNCH FROM A SPECIALLY CHARTERED BOAT.

R. Armstrong: WE’RE SORT OF OFF TO THE RIGHT, AND WHAT

\hTHIS MEANT WAS THAT ALL THE EXHAUST, CAME OUR WAY.

M. Armstrong: AND YOU KNOW, THIS BUFFETING OF AIR AGAINST

YOUR CHEST, IT’S JUST, \h\hIT’S LIKE NOTHING,

YOU KNOW, I’VE EVER FELT SINCE.

Schoumacher: AND YOU THINK HOW IS THAT STANDING STRAIGHT UP?

I MEAN IT’S BARELY MOVING.

I MEAN IT’S INCHING, AND IT’S \h\hINCHING AND IT’S INCHING.

Narrator: INSIDE, THREE MEN RISKING

THEIR LIVES TO FULFILL THE DREAM OF CENTURIES.

Collins: WHEN THE ROCKET GOES \h\h\h\hUP IT’S VERY STATELY,

NO DEVIATION OF PATH.

\h\hINSIDE IT DOESN’T FEEL THAT WAY AT ALL.

THE ENGINES DOWN BELOW YOU ARE SWIVELING TO KEEP IT IN

\h\h\h\hBALANCE, AND SO YOU’RE FEELING LITTLE SIDEWAYS JERKS.

Schoumacher: AND SUDDENLY, I \h\hDON’T KNOW, IT OVERCOMES

GRAVITY AND IT, SWISH.

Narrator: THE SATURN \hFIVE ROCKET BLASTS

\hAPOLLO 11 OUT OF EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE.

JUST 12 MINUTES LATER \h\hTHEY’RE IN ORBIT.

AND OUR GREATEST ADVENTURE BEGINS.

IT’S JULY 16TH, 1969, AND THE \hCROWDS AT CAPE KENNEDY HAVE

JUST WITNESSED ONE OF THE GREAT SPECTACLES OF THE CENTURY.

ONE BY ONE, THE SPENT SECTIONS OF THE SATURN

FIVE ROCKET FALL AWAY AND \hTHE THIRD STAGE ENGINE

FIRES, TO SET APOLLO 11 ON COURSE FOR THE MOON.

\h\h\hNASA Radio: AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE ROLLING AWAY NOW.

Narrator: BY DAY TWO, ASTRONAUTS ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN,

\h\hAND COLLINS ARE HALFWAY THERE, AND IN GOOD SPIRITS.

Collins: HELLO THERE \h\h\h\hSPORTS FANS,

YOU’VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF ME, BUT NEIL’S THE CENTER

AND BUZZ IS DOING THE CAMERAWORK THIS TIME.

\hNarrator: BACK ON EARTH, AN ARMY

OF REPORTERS IS CHRONICLING \h\h\h\h\hTHE EPIC JOURNEY.

Raphael: IT WAS A STORY \h\hEVERYONE COULD JOIN

IN AND FEEL PART OF.

I MEAN I SUSPECT WHEN \hPERHAPS IN ANOTHER

TWO OR THREE CENTURIES \hPEOPLE ARE GONNA BE

\hLOOKING BACK ON THIS LIKE A COLUMBUS MOMENT.

\hNarrator: BUT UNLIKE COLUMBUS, THIS LANDING

\h\hWILL BE SEEN BY MILLIONS ON LIVE TV.

\hAnnouncer: WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM THE APOLLO

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h11 MOON MISSION, CORRESPONDENT WALTER CRONKITE.

Schoumacher: WE REALIZED WE WERE IN A SEMINAL MOMENT IN,

NOT ONLY IN AMERICAN HISTORY \hBUT IN TELEVISION HISTORY.

\h\h\h\h\hCronkite: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM THE MOON

MISSION AS YOU HAVE HEARD.

Schoumacher: AND WE HAD GONE TO THE MOON LOTS OF TIMES

\hIN OUR REHEARSALS, BUT THIS WAS LIVE TELEVISION,

THIS WAS ASTRONAUTS PUTTING \h\hTHEIR LIFE ON THE LINE.

Collins: WE FELT SORT OF THE \hWEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON OUR

SHOULDER, WE KNEW THAT PEOPLE WERE LOOKING AT US WORLDWIDE.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS’ FAMILIES ARE WATCHING TOO.

BUT THEY’RE NOT JUST FOLLOWING THE STORY,

THEY’RE PART OF IT.

Aldrin: THE COVERAGE WAS \h\hPRETTY MUCH NONSTOP.

WE LIVED IN THAT BUBBLE AND SPACE

MANIA WAS THERE ALL THE TIME.

I THINK IT WAS A HUGE CHALLENGE

FOR MY MOM IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

\h\hI THINK SHE WAS PRIMARILY CONCERNED

ABOUT PROTECTING THE KIDS.

\hWoman: ANDY WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO THE MOON?

Aldrin: WELL I HAVEN’T \hREALLY DECIDED YET.

\hJoan: I DIDN’T KNOW YOU’D HAD IT IN MIND.

\h\hI COULDN’T GO THROUGH THIS TWICE I’LL TELL YOU.

M. Armstrong: WE WERE WATCHING \h\hALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE,

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THAT

IN OUR HOUSE WE ALSO HAD \h\h\h\hA SQUAWK BOX SO

WE COULD LISTEN TO SOME OF THE \hAIR TO GROUND TRANSMISSIONS.

NASA Radio: GOOD RADAR DATA.

\h\h\hWE’RE NOW IN THE APPROACH PHASE, EVERYTHING LOOKING GOOD.

M. Armstrong: OUR MOTHER, SHE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS VERY TOUGH.

AND WE’RE AMAZED AT, BECAUSE \h\h\hSHE HAD TO BE WORRIED.

SHE HAD TO BE, YOU KNOW, JUST ABSOLUTELY DEATHLY FRIGHTENED.

BUT WE NEVER SAW THAT.

\hNarrator: IT’S EIGHT AM ON SUNDAY JULY 20TH.

\h\h\hAS THE ASTRONAUTS ORBIT THE MOON, THE MEN

OF MISSION CONTROL ARE ARRIVING AT THE MANNED

SPACECRAFT CENTER IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.

IN JUST SEVEN HOURS, FLIGHT DIRECTOR, GENE KRANZ, WILL

OVERSEE APOLLO 11’S DESCENT TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

Kranz: YOU HAVE A SINGLE SHOT \h\h\h\hTO GET THINGS RIGHT.

ARE WE GO TO START THE DESCENT?

ARE WE GO TO CONTINUE DESCENT?

ARE WE GO TO GO FOR THE LANDING?

Narrator: WORKING UNDER \hKRANZ IS STEVE BALES.

\hNOT LONG OUT OF COLLEGE, HE WILL TRACK THE PROGRESS

\h\h\h\hOF THE SPACECRAFT AND MONITOR ITS GUIDANCE SYSTEMS.

Bales: CAN YOU IMAGINE?

\hHERE WE ARE, THEY’RE LETTING PEOPLE LIKE ME,

\h\h\h\h\h26 YEARS OLD, SIT AT CONSOLES, IF WE MADE A MISTAKE

\h\hIT WASN’T JUST US THAT WERE IN TROUBLE.

Narrator: THREE YEARS \hFROM NOW, ASTRONAUT

CHARLIE DUKE, WILL WALK ON THE MOON.

\h\h\h\hTODAY, HE’S THE CAPSULE COMMUNICATOR, THE ONLY MEMBER OF

THE TEAM WHO WILL SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE CREW DURING LANDING.

Duke: MY FOCUS WAS LET’S GET \h\h\hTO THE MOON AND LET’S

LAND ON THE MOON THAT WAS \hWHAT I WAS FOCUSED ON,

LET’S JUST GET IT DONE.

\hKranz: THIS WAS A VERY YOUNG GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WERE GOING

\hTO DO SOMETHING MONUMENTAL, AND THEY WERE WILLING TO TAKE

THE RISK, TO BE THE ONES THAT \h\hIF WE DIDN’T GET THE CREW

BACK WE WERE THE ONES THAT WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.

NASA Radio: DELTA SIX ZERO, BURN TIME FIVE FIFTY SEVEN.

\h\h\hNarrator: MISSION CONTROL KEEPS IN CONTACT

WITH THE CREW BY RADIO, \h\hON A JOURNEY ALMOST

ENTIRELY PROGRAMMED BY COMPUTER.

HOUSTON WORKS FLAT \h\hOUT TO PREPARE

\h\hTHE LUNAR MODULE FOR POWERED DESCENT.

Bales: FROM EIGHT O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING TIL FOUR IN THE

AFTERNOON WE WORKED LIKE THE DICKENS TO GET THAT VEHICLE

POWERED UP, TO GET IT CHECKED \h\hOUT, TO GET THE COMPUTER

\h\hSYSTEM TURNED ON TO GET ALL ITS SYSTEMS ALIGNED JUST RIGHT.

WE WANTED THIS TO BE A SUCCESS,

SO DID THE COUNTRY, BUT WE REALLY DID.

Narrator: ONE MAN IS PLAYING

A UNIQUE ROLE IN TODAY’S LANDING.

SIX MONTHS AGO FRANK BORMAN \h\hTOOK APOLLO 8 TO WITHIN

60 MILES OF THE MOON’S SURFACE AND BECAME ONE

OF THE FIRST MEN EVER TO SEE THE EARTH FROM SPACE.

Borman: I THINK THE MOST \hINSPIRING SIGHT OF MY

LIFE WAS LOOKING BACK AT THE EARTH FROM THE MOON.

Narrator: TODAY, BORMAN IS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

HIS JOB IS TO BRIEF THE NEW PRESIDENT,

RICHARD NIXON, ON THE LUNAR LANDING.

Borman: I DON’T THINK PRESIDENT NIXON WAS AN EXPERT IN ANY WAY

IN THE SPACE PROGRAM, BUT HE \hWAS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT.

\hNarrator: ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN KNOW

\hTHE IMPORTANCE OF THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

Chapin: WE KNEW THAT THIS WAS CAPTURING THE ATTENTION OF THE

WORLD, WE WERE TOLD THAT BY \hTHE NETWORKS EVERY NIGHT,

SO YES WE KNEW THAT THIS WAS \hOF WORLDWIDE CONSEQUENCE.

\h\h\hNarrator: THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION

HAS INHERITED MORE THAN JUST APOLLO.

\h\h\hTHERE’S GROWING CIVIL UNREST AT HOME,

AND AN ESCALATING WAR IN VIETNAM WHERE MORE THAN

HALF A MILLION AMERICAN TROOPS ARE NOW ENGAGED.

Schoumacher: YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND THE TIMES,

\hWE WERE ALL BEGINNING TO WONDER ABOUT VIETNAM.

THEN MARTIN LUTHER \hKING GETS SHOT.

\h\hAND THEN BOBBY KENNEDY GETS SHOT.

AND SUDDENLY PEOPLE \hWERE SAYING WHAT

IN THE HELL IS HAPPENING \h\h\h\hTO OUR COUNTRY?

Chapin: WE WERE DEALING WITH \hDEMONSTRATIONS AND WE WERE

\hDEALING WITH SIGNIFICANT, KICKBACK TO THE VIETNAM WAR.

SO, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE THE \hMOON LANDING WAS A BREATH

OF FRESH AIR, WHERE WE COULD ALL COME TOGETHER

\h\h\hAND CELEBRATE AT LEAST ONE THING THAT UNITED ALL AMERICANS.

\h\hNarrator: THE MOON LANDING COULD

\h\h\h\hALSO BOOST THE PRESIDENT’S POPULARITY.

BUT ONLY IF IT SUCCEEDS.

Borman: I TOLD PRESIDENT NIXON, IF THERE WAS A DISASTER

HE WOULD GET THE BLAME \h\hFOR IT, SO I SAID,

\h\h\h\hALTHOUGH I DIDN’T ANTICIPATE IT, BE PREPARED

IN CASE WE HAVE TO, SEND MESSAGES TO THREE WIDOWS.

\h\hNarrator: IT’S MIDDAY AT THE MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER,

\hLESS THAN FOUR HOURS FROM THE SCHEDULED LANDING TIME.

\h\hFLIGHT DIRECTOR GENE KRANZ PREPARES

TO MAKE THE SPEECH OF HIS LIFE.

Kranz: I CALLED MY TEAM TOGETHER, WE WERE UP TO

\h\h\h\h\h\hA VERY PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS LOOP, NO ONE

\hELSE COULD HEAR WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY AND I TOLD THEM

HOW PROUD I WAS OF THEM, AND I TOLD THEM THAT I BELIEVED

\h\h\hIN THEM, AND I WILL STAND BEHIND EVERY DECISION YOU MAKE.

Bales: AND HE SAID I WANT YOU TO KNOW SOMETHING, IT’S HARD FOR ME

\hTO EVEN SAY THIS, I WANT YOU TO KNOW SOMETHING, HOWEVER THIS

\hTURNS OUT, WE’RE GONNA GO OUT OF THIS ROOM AS A TEAM.

Kranz: WORK THAT WE ARE GOING \h\h\h\hTO DO TODAY IS GOING

TO BE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS \hAND YOU ARE GOING TO BE

\h\h\h\hTHE ONES THAT ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK.

Bales: HE DIDN’T SAY THIS \hBUT WE ALL KNEW WE HAD

\hTHREE THINGS WERE GONNA HAPPEN, WE’RE GONNA LAND,

\hWE WERE GONNA ABORT, OR WE WERE GONNA CRASH.

\h\h\hAND I DIDN’T LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THE OTHER TWO.

NASA Radio: WE’RE ABOUT TO OPEN THE HATCH NOW.

RIGHT.

\h\h\hNarrator: AT 12:32 PM, ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN COMPLETE

\h\hTHEIR CHECKS ON THE LUNAR MODULE AND PREPARE TO UNDOCK.

LEAVING COLLINS BEHIND, \h\h\hTHEY BEGIN THEIR

PERILOUS JOURNEY TO THE \hSURFACE OF THE MOON.

\h\hAstronaut: ROGER, GO AHEAD HOUSTON, APOLLO 11.

\h\hNarrator: ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON,

A QUARTER OF A MILLION \h\hMILES FROM EARTH,

\h\h\h\hAN EXTRAORDINARY MANEUVER IS TAKING PLACE.

\hNASA Radio: ROGER, EAGLE’S BEEN DOCKED.

\h\h\hNarrator: LEAVING MICHAEL COLLINS TO ORBIT

\h\h\h\h\hTHE MOON ALONE, ASTRONAUTS NEIL ARMSTRONG

AND BUZZ ALDRIN ARE NOW INSIDE THE LUNAR MODULE.

\h\hCODE NAMED EAGLE, THIS IS THE CRAFT THAT

\hWILL TAKE THEM TO THE MOON’S SURFACE.

NASA Radio: ROGER, HOW DOES IT LOOK?

\hAstronaut: THE EAGLE HAS WINGS.

NASA Radio: ROG.

Muir-Harmony: IT’S A SPECTACULAR SPACECRAFT AND ONE OF

THE THINGS THAT’S VERY DISTINCTIVE ABOUT IT IS

IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE IT’D BE VERY GOOD, AT FLYING, BUT ONE

THING THAT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT THEY DIDN’T HAVE

\h\h\h\hTO WORRY ABOUT IT BEING AERODYNAMIC BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T

HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TRAVELING \h\h\hTHROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.

BUT THEY DID HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WEIGHT.

THEY HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS SPACECRAFT

WAS AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

THEY PUT IN TO THE DESIGN IS THEY TOOK OUT THE SEATS

AND THEY HAD THE ASTRONAUTS \h\h\hSTAND AS THEY LANDED.

\h\hNASA Radio: THINK YOU GOT A FINE LOOKING FLYING MACHINE

THERE EAGLE DESPITE THE FACT YOU’RE UPSIDE DOWN.

Narrator: AS ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN DISAPPEAR FROM VIEW,

COLLINS IS LEFT TO CIRCLE THE \hMOON AWAITING THEIR RETURN.

May: MICHAEL COLLINS OF COURSE \h\h\h\hIS THAT UNIQUE PERSON

\hWHO HAS BEEN THE MOST ALONE HUMAN BEING EVER,

\h’CAUSE HE WAS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON WHEN HIS

MATES WERE THIS SIDE OF \hTHE MOON AND THE REST

OF HUMANITY WAS OVER THERE \hON THE EARTH, YOU KNOW.

\hCollins: I WAS AMAZED TO BE ACCUSED OF BEING THE LONELIEST

\h\hMAN IN THE WHOLE LONELY PLANET BEHIND

\hA LONELY SATELLITE AND WASN’T IT LONELY?

\hAND THE ANSWER TO ALL THOSE IS NO, I WAS FINE,

I CONSIDERED MYSELF TO BE ALMOST LIKE A KING, IT WAS

MY DOMAIN, I WAS HAPPY THERE, \h\hI WAS THEIR TICKET HOME.

Schoumacher: I NEVER ASKED HIM

A REALLY TOUGH QUESTION I \h\h\h\h\h\hWOULD THINK,

\h\hWHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF THOSE TWO GUYS HADN’T BEEN ABLE

TO LAUNCH BACK OFF THE MOON \hAND RENDEZVOUS WITH YOU?

Collins: IT WAS NOTHING WE HAD EVER DISCUSSED, HOWEVER IT WAS

A REALITY THAT ALL THREE OF US UNDERSTOOD QUITE CLEARLY.

I WASN’T GONNA COMMIT SUICIDE IF THEY WERE

\hGONNA STAY FOREVER ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

YES I WOULD BE COMING \h\h\hHOME BY MYSELF.

Schoumacher: WE HAD OBITS ON THE THREE ASTRONAUTS IN THAT SENSE

I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT WE WERE PREPARED FOR THE WORST.

I KNOW THAT THE WHITE \h\hHOUSE HAD WRITTEN

A SPEECH FOR THE PRESIDENT \h\hIF THE MISSION FAILED.

Chapin: THIS IS THE DOCUMENT \h\h\h\hHERE THAT DEALS WITH

THE POSSIBLE CONTINGENCY SHOULD SOMETHING HAVE GONE WRONG.

IT TALKS ABOUT THE BRAVE MEN AND THEIR SACRIFICE

FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND, AND IN FACT HE EVEN GOES

HERE AND SAYS THAT MOTHER EARTH THAT DARED TO SEND

\h\hTWO MEN IN TO THE UNKNOWN, THAT THESE MEN WILL BE MISSED.

NASA Radio: EAGLE, \hWE GOT YOU NOW,

IT’S LOOKING GOOD, OVER.

Astronaut: ROGER, COPY.

\h\h\h\h\hNarrator: NOW, MISSION CONTROL MUST MEET

\h\hTHE CHALLENGE SET AT THE START OF THE DECADE.

YEARS OF PREPARATION COME DOWN \h\hTO THESE NEXT FEW MINUTES.

Bales: YOU COULD CUT THE \h\hTENSION IN THAT ROOM

\h\hWITH A KNIFE, IT WAS LIKE EVERYBODY KNEW THIS

\hWAS THE GAME, THIS WAS IT, THIS IS WHAT WE’RE GONNA DO.

Duke: THINGS WERE PROCEEDING \h\h\h\h\hRIGHT ON SCHEDULE

UNTIL THE DESCENT

STARTED AND THEN THINGS BEGAN TO NOT COME COMPLETELY UNGLUED

\h\h\h\hBUT A LOT OF PROBLEMS DEVELOPED AS WE STARTED DOWN.

Kranz: THE COMMUNICATIONS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE RAGGED,

IT’S JUST COMPLETE STATIC,

\h\hIT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAR, YOU CAN’T HEAR THE CREW.

Duke: AS A MISSION RULE IF \hYOU HAVE SO MANY SECONDS

\hOF DATA DROP OUT THAT COULD LEAD TO AN ABORT.

Kranz: I HAVE ONE DECISION THAT IS SOLELY THE FLIGHT

DIRECTOR’S RESPONSIBILITY DO \hWE HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION

TO START THE DESCENT TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON?

\hNASA Radio: ROGER, YOU’RE A GO, YOU’RE GO TO CONTINUE

\hPOWER DESCENT, YOU’RE GO TO CONTINUE POWER DESCENT.

\hNarrator: KRANZ DECIDES THE DESCENT CAN CONTINUE.

\hBUT IT’S JUST A TASTE OF THE PROBLEMS TO COME.

Bales: WHEN YOU’RE GOING DOWN \h\h\hIN THIS LITTLE VEHICLE,

NINE MILES ABOVE THE MOON \hAT 5,000 MILES AN HOUR,

NOTHING IS PARTICULARLY SAFE.

N. Armstrong: LOOKING GOOD.

NASA Radio: ROGER NEIL.

Bales: AND BANG, WE GOT \hTHIS COMPUTER ALARM.

NASA Radio: IT’S A 1202.

STAND BY.

1202.

1202 ALARM.

\h\hKranz: A 1202 CAME IN AND IT JUST HUNG IN THE AIR THERE

FOR SECONDS, 1202, CAN YOU \hGET US SOME HELP THERE?

NASA Radio: 1202, WHAT’S HAPPENING?

1202 ALARM.

\h\hNarrator: NO ONE IS SURE WHAT THE 1202

\hALARM MEANS, BUT IT’S NOT GOOD NEWS.

Duke: MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS WE’RE DEAD IN THE WATER, IT’S ABORT.

\h\h\hNarrator: MISSION CONTROL MUST NOW DECIDE

\hTHE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 1202 ALARM.

CAN THE LANDING CONTINUE?

APOLLO 11 IS NOW 30,000 FEET ABOVE THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY.

ITS INTENDED LANDING \hSITE ON THE MOON.

BACK ON EARTH, THE ASTRONAUTS’ \h\h\h\hFAMILIES ARE FOLLOWING

THE JOURNEY, UNAWARE OF THE \hDRAMA UNFOLDING IN SPACE.

Aldrin: WE’RE OBVIOUSLY GLUED TO THE SQUAWK BOX, WATCHING TV, BUT

I DIDN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND JUST HOW PERILOUS IT HAD GOTTEN.

I THINK I HAD A DISTURBING \h\h\h\hAMOUNT OF FAITH IN

\hTHE TECHNOLOGY, AND I WAS CRAZY, RIGHT, ’CAUSE

\h\hTHE AMOUNT OF RISK THAT WE WERE TAKING ON

IN THAT WHOLE MISSION, IF I HAD KNOWN THAT AS

AN 11 YEAR OLD I’D HAVE BEEN A LOT MORE NERVOUS I THINK.

\h\hNarrator: MISSION CONTROL ARE MASTERMINDING A GIANT LEAP

IN TO THE FUTURE, RELYING ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF THEIR TIME.

\hWITH SEVEN MINUTES TO LANDING, THE LUNAR

MODULE’S ONBOARD COMPUTER IS OVERLOADED WITH DATA.

\hBales: THIS COMPUTER WAS A MARVELOUS THING FOR ITS TIME.

BUT STILL, THINK OF ALL \hIT HAD TO DO, IT HAD

TO FIGURE OUT HOW FAST IT \hWAS GOING, DISPLAY SOME

\h\hINFORMATION TO THE CREW, SEND SOME INFORMATION TO US.

\hAND ALL THE TIME GUIDE THE VEHICLE.

AND IT WAS DONE ON A SYSTEM THAT WAS

SMALLER THAN YOUR CELL PHONE.

A LOT SMALLER THAN \hYOUR CELL PHONE.

NASA Radio: 1202, STANDBY.

1202.

\h\h\hNarrator: THE 1202 ALARM IS WARNING MISSION

CONTROL THE COMPUTER CAN’T \hCOMPLETE ALL ITS TASKS.

STEVE BALES MUST DECIDE IF THE MISSION CAN CONTINUE.

Kranz: STEVE WAS DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE SHOULD,

HE CHECKED WITH HIS BACK ROOM \hPEOPLE, HE KNEW HOW TO USE

THE SECONDS HE HAD, BUT I WAS \hSURE HOPING HE’D HURRY UP.

\hNarrator: NOW THE CREW TOO IS GROWING CONCERNED.

Astronaut: GIVE US THE READING

ON THE 1202 PROGRAM ALARM.

Bales: 15 SECONDS MAY SEEM \h\h\h\hLIKE A SHORT TIME,

BUT WHEN YOU’RE IN THE \hMIDDLE OF LANDING ON

THE MOON, 15 SECONDS IS LIKE AN ETERNITY.

Narrator: BALES MAKES HIS CALL.

THE OVERWORKED COMPUTER \h\h\hIS STILL CAPABLE

\h\h\h\hOF PROCESSING THE ESSENTIAL NAVIGATION DATA.

\hNASA Radio: IT’S EXECUTIVE OVERFLOW,

IF IT DOES NOT OCCUR \hAGAIN WE’RE FINE.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE ALARM IS NOT CRITICAL,

THE LANDING CAN CONTINUE.

Duke: STEVE BALES HOLLERED WE’RE GO ON THAT ALARM FLIGHT.

\hNASA Radio: WE’RE GOING ON THAT ALARM.

\h\hROGER WE GOT YOU, WE’RE GOING ON ALARM.

Duke: IF I RECALL, I DIDN’T \h\h\h\hEVEN WAIT FOR GENE

KRANZ TO SAY WE’RE GO I JUST CLICKED MY BUTTON

AND I SAID YOU’LL GO ON THAT ALARM.

NASA Radio: EAGLE, HOUSTON, YOU’RE GO FOR LANDING, OVER.

Astronaut: ROGER, UNDERSTAND, \hGO FOR LANDING, 3,000 FEET.

Narrator: THE 1202 IS ONLY THE FIRST OF FIVE

ALARMS THAT GO OFF AS ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN CLOSE IN ON A

LUNAR SURFACE SCARRED BY IMPACT CRATERS AND MOUNTAIN RANGES.

Duke: THE LANDING ON THE MOON IS VERY DEMANDING,

\h\hIT TAKES A LOT OF SKILL, IT TAKES A COOL MIND AND PRESENCE.

YOU START SEEING THINGS THAT

YOU DIDN’T SEE IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS.

YOU KNOW, MAN THERE’S A LOT OF ROCKS DOWN THERE.

MAN LOOK AT ALL THESE CRATERS.

Narrator: NOW HOUSTON HAS ANOTHER PROBLEM,

AS DESCENT CONTINUES, \h\hIT BECOMES CLEAR

THE SPACECRAFT IS HEADING TOWARDS A BOULDER FIELD.

WHILE ALDRIN CALLS OUT ALTITUDE AND VELOCITY.

\hAldrin: 35 DEGREES, 750 COMING DOWN TO 23.

\hNarrator: THE MISSION COMMANDER TAKES ACTION.

\hSchoumacher: THERE WAS NOTHING THAT ARMSTRONG COULD DO BUT TAKE

\hTHE CONTROLS AND LAND THE SPACECRAFT HIMSELF.

N. Armstrong: 540 FEET, AT A 15.

Collins: HE OVERFLEW A PRIMARY \h\h\h\hLANDING SITE AND WENT

\h\hBEYOND IT BECAUSE HE DIDN’T LIKE WHAT HE SAW.

N. Armstrong: 540 FEET AT A 15.

\hNarrator: BUT AS HE FLIES OVER THE BOULDER

\hFIELD IN SEARCH OF A SAFE LANDING SITE,

ARMSTRONG’S USING UP PRECIOUS FUEL.

Schoumacher: THEY KNEW THEY \h\hWERE GOING WRONG, AND,

THEY KNEW THEY WERE GETTING LOW ON FUEL.

\hAND THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO AIN’T GOOD.

\h\h\hN. Armstrong: 50 DOWN TO TWO AND A HALF.

Narrator: FOR THE FIRST \hTIME, MISSION CONTROL

WERE POWERLESS, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE CREW.

\h\h\h\h\h\hN. Armstrong: ALTITUDE, VELOCITY LIGHTS,

DOWN TWO TWENTY FEET.

Kranz: IT WAS NEIL’S DECISION \h\h\h\h\h\hTO LAND OR ABORT.

N. Armstrong: 200 FEET.

Bales: THE FLIGHT DIRECTOR SAID NO MORE CALLS EXCEPT

FOR FUEL IN OTHER WORDS \hANYTHING WE WOULD’VE

SAID WOULD’VE JUST \hGOT IN OUR WAY.

NASA Radio: OKAY, THE ONLY CALL OUTS

FROM NOW ON WILL BE FUEL.

Duke: AND SO I RADIOED EAGLE 60 SECONDS AND THAT MEANT HE

HAD 60 SECONDS OF FUEL TO LAND, OR WE WOULD HAVE TO ABORT.

NASA Radio: 60 SECONDS.

LIGHTS ON.

DOWN TWO AND A HALF.

FORWARD.

FORWARD.

Duke: THEN I CALLED 30 SECONDS.

Bales: 30 SECONDS.

UH-OH.

\hNASA Radio: 30 SECONDS, FORWARD.

Duke: HE STILL WASN’T ON THE \h\hGROUND BUT HE WAS CLOSE.

N. Armstrong: FORWARD.

FORWARD.

20 FEET DOWN, TWO AND A HALF.

PICKING UP SOME DUST.

20 FEET, TWO AND A HALF DOWN.

Duke: I’D NEVER FELT SUCH TENSION IN MISSION CONTROL

AS WE WERE GOING IN TO THESE LAST FEW SECONDS.

AND HE DOES IT.

HE JUST GREASES THE BABY IN.

NASA Radio: CONTACT LIGHT.

OKAY ENGINE STOPPED.

Duke: WHEN I HEARD BUZZ SAY \h\h\hCONTACT, ENGINES STOP

I SAID COPY YOU DOWN EAGLE.

WE COPY YOU DOWN EAGLE.

\hA FEW SECONDS LATER, THAT’S WHEN NEIL SAID,

\h\h\hIN THE CALMEST VOICE I CAN IMAGINE.

\h\h\h\hN. Armstrong: TRANQUILITY BASE HERE,

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.

Duke: I WAS SO EXCITED, \h\h\h\hI COULDN’T EVEN

PRONOUNCE TRANQUILITY, \h\hIT CAME OUT TWANG.

ROCKET TWANG, TRANQUILITY, \h\h\h\h\h\hWE COPY YOU ON

THE GROUND, WE GOT A BUNCH OF GUYS ABOUT

TO TURN BLUE, WE’RE BREATHING \h\h\h\hAGAIN, THANKS A LOT.

Bales: I’VE ALWAYS THOUGHT \h\h\hWHEN HE SAID YOU GOT

A BUNCH OF GUYS ABOUT TO TURN BLUE, HE WAS LOOKING

RIGHT AT ME ’CAUSE I MUST’VE BEEN ONE OF

THE BLUEST OF THE BLUE, \h\hIT WAS INCREDIBLE.

\h\hNASA Radio: TRANQUILITY, BE ADVISED THERE ARE LOTS OF

\hSMILING FACES IN THIS ROOM AND ALL OVER THE WORLD, OVER.

Collins: I THOUGHT NEIL CARRIED THE WHOLE THING OFF BEAUTIFULLY

\h\h\h\hWITH ABOUTMAYBE 30 SECONDS OF FUEL REMAINING.

THAT’S A LOT.

Narrator: NEWS OF THE LANDING

TRAVELS THE WORLD IN SECONDS.

Massimino: WE WERE WATCHING \h\hCHANNEL TWO IN NEW YORK

\h\hWHICH WAS WALTER CRONKITE AT THE TIME,

\hHE WAS THE GUY TO LISTEN TO FOR THIS SORT OF STUFF.

Schoumacher: I DON’T KNOW IF \h\h\h\hCRONKITE WAS CRYING,

I WAS CRYING.

I MEAN THIS IS JUST TOO MUCH.

I MEAN, A MAN ON THE MOON?

Massimino: THAT’S WHERE THESE GUYS WERE, THEY WERE UP THERE.

THEY’RE ACTUALLY UP THERE.

Narrator: FROM CENTRAL PARK TO CENTRAL LONDON,

\h\hFROM SOUTH AMERICA TO AFRICA, TO ASIA, IN ALMOST

\h\h\hEVERY NATION OUTSIDE CHINA AND THE SOVIET UNION

\h\hTHE NEWS IS RECEIVED WITH WONDER AND RAPTURE.

May: IT’S ONE OF THOSE \h\h\hTHINGS ISN’T IT,

EVERYBODY REMEMBERS \hWHERE THEY WERE.

I WAS WITH ROGER TAYLOR WHO WAS MY DRUMMER ALREADY AND

IT WAS THE VERY BEGINNINGS OF QUEEN AND WE WERE DOWN

IN CORNWALL STAYING AT ROGER’S \h\h\hMUM’S HOUSE AND SHE HAD

\h\hA TELLY WITH A SCREEN ABOUT THIS BIG, AND WE ALL SAT AROUND

IT AND WATCHED THIS INCREDIBLE \hTHING, ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE.

Kranz: AFTER THE LANDING, THE \h\hTHING I REMEMBER WAS WHEN

IT CAME UP WE HAD THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOON IN THE SKY,

\hAND NOW I TOOK A LOOK UP AND IT WAS REALLY MY

FIRST THOUGHT IS BY GOLLY, WE GOT A MAN ON THE MOON.

WE’VE PUT HIM THERE.

Narrator: IT’S A HISTORIC \h\hMOMENT, BUT THE MOST

\h\hMEMORABLE PART OF THE JOURNEY IS STILL TO COME.

\h\hTHE WORLD WAITS AS NEIL ARMSTRONG PREPARES

TO TAKE OUR FIRST STEPS ON THE MOON.

IT’S JULY 20TH 1969.

THE LUNAR MODULE HAS BEEN ON THE SURFACE

\h\hOF THE MOON FOR NEARLY SEVEN HOURS.

\h\h\hARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN ARE SUPPOSED

TO BE RESTING BUT IT’S \h\hPROVING DIFFICULT.

\h\h\h\hNewscaster: AND THEY’RE GETTING READY TO STEP OUT ON TO

\h\h\h\hTHE MOON’S SURFACE FAR EARLIER THAN HAD BEEN PLANNED.

Aderin-Pocock: IT WAS A MOMENT

THAT THE EARTH STOPPED \h\h\hSTILL TO WATCH.

I DON’T THINK ANYTHING SINCE THEN HAS CAUSED

THAT MOMENT OF PAUSING WHERE THERE’S SOMETHING THAT’S SO

EXCITING HAPPENING \h\hTHAT EVERYBODY

WANTS TO STOP AND SEE IT

\hCronkite: 38 YEAR OLD NEIL ARMSTRONG WILL BEGIN TO STEP

\hDOWN THE NINE STEPS OF THE LUNAR LANDING MODULE

TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON ITSELF.

WHAT A MOMENT THAT WILL BE.

Muir-Harmony: HE CAME FROM THE CREW COMPARTMENT NEAR THE TOP

\h\h\h\hOF THE LUNAR MODULE, HE RELEASED THE TELEVISION CAMERA,

IT’S A SLOW SCAN TELEVISION \h\h\h\hCAMERA AND THIS IS

\h\h\h\h\hTHE IMAGE THAT WENT TO TELEVISION SETS AROUND THE WORLD

Man: AND WE’RE GETTING \hA PICTURE ON THE TV.

Muir-Harmony: IT ALLOWED THE \hWORLD TO WITNESS THE FIRST

LUNAR LANDING AND FEEL \h\hLIKE PARTICIPANTS.

\h\h\hNarrator: OVER 500 MILLION PEOPLE WILL SHARE

THE NEXT FEW HISTORIC MOMENTS.

\hNASA Radio: CLEAR NEIL, WE CAN SEE YOU

COMING DOWN THE LADDER NOW.

M. Armstrong: WE’RE LEANING IN \h\h\h\hTRYING TO FIGURE OUT,

\h\hYOU KNOW, WHAT’S GOING ON AND WHERE’S,

LIKE WHERE’S THE BOTTOM \h\hOF THE LADDER AND?

N. Armstrong: STEP OFF THE LADDER NOW.

Bales: NOBODY KNEW WHAT \h\h\hHE WAS GONNA SAY,

COULDN’T HAVE BEEN A BETTER THING TO SAY.

\h\hN. Armstrong: IT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN.

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Raphael: TO THE WAITING WORLD, \h\h\h\h\hTHE WATCHING WORLD,

\h\hTHOSE WORDS WERE VERY, VERY POWERFUL.

N. Armstrong: SURFACE IS FINE AND POWDERY.

M. Armstrong: I THINK THAT HE \hHAD THOUGHT ABOUT A NUMBER

OF THINGS THAT HE MIGHT \h\hSAY, BUT MY BELIEF

IS THAT HE DIDN’T MAKE A DECISION ABOUT WHAT

HE WOULD SAY UNTIL THEY \hHAD ACTUALLY LANDED.

\h\h\hN. Armstrong: I’M GONNA LEAVE THAT ONE FOOT UP THERE.

Narrator: 19 MINUTES \h\hAFTER ARMSTRONG,

\hBUZZ ALDRIN JUMPS DOWN ON TO THE LUNAR SURFACE.

N. Armstrong: ARE YOU OUT?

Aldrin: BEAUTIFUL VIEW

\h\h\h\hN. Armstrong: AIN’T THAT SOMETHING?

Aldrin: I’M WATCHING IT AND \h\h\h\hI’M CONVINCED THAT,

YOU KNOW, MY DAD’S GONNA \hHOP, HE’S GONNA TRIP,

\hHE’S GONNA FALL ON THE MOON, FLAT ON HIS BACK OF COURSE LIKE

\h\hA DEAD BUG IN FRONT OF 600 MILLION PEOPLE, BUT REALLY MOST

\hIMPORTANTLY THIS IS GONNA BE IN FRONT OF MY 200 CLASS MATES.

Aldrin: I’D NEVER COME \h\h\h\hFLY DOWN HERE.

\h\h\hNarrator: THE ASTRONAUTS SPEND TWO

\h\hAND A QUARTER HOURS OUTSIDE THE SPACECRAFT.

\hEVERY MOMENT HAS BEEN CAREFULLY CHOREOGRAPHED,

\h\h\hNOT LEAST THE RAISING OF THE FLAG.

Borman: NASA SUGGESTED PLAYING \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE STAR SPANGLED

\h\hBANNER WHILE THE CREW WAS ON THE MOON.

AND I WAS OPPOSED TO THAT.

\h\h\h\h\hNASA Radio: YES INDEED, THEY GOT THE FLAG

\h\hUP NOW AND YOU CAN SEE THE AMERICAN FLAG.

\h\h\hBorman: WE DIDN’T NEED TO MAGNIFY THE AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT

BY PLAYING THE STAR SPANGLED \h\hBANNER BECAUSE EVERYBODY

IN THE WORLD KNEW IT WAS AN AMERICAN CREW ANYWAY.

Schoumacher: WE WEREN’T \h\h\hCOLONIZING SPACE,

\h\hWE WEREN’T CLAIMING TERRITORY FOR OURSELVES,

\h\h\h\hBUT IT CERTAINLY BROUGHT AMERICA TOGETHER.

CERTAINLY DID THAT.

\h\hWHEN YOU’VE GONE THROUGH WHAT WE WENT THROUGH IN THOSE

1960S, FOR A BRIEF TIME AT \hLEAST, AMERICA WAS BACK.

\h\h\hNarrator: THE ASTRONAUTS SET UP SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS,

\hCOLLECTING SAMPLES OF MOON ROCK FOR ANALYSIS.

\hAND TAKE A SERIES OF MEMORABLE PHOTOGRAPHS.

\hMay: SOME OF THEM ARE ICONIC, LIKE THE PICTURE

\h\hOF BUZZ IN HIS SPACE SUIT STANDING ON THE MOON

\h\h\h\h\hAND YOU CAN SEE THE PHOTOGRAPHER, NEIL ARMSTRONG,

MIRRORED IN THE VISOR.

Cox: FOR ME THE GREATEST IMAGE IS THE FOOTPRINT,

\h\hAND IT’S A VERY SIMPLE ICONIC IMAGE.

\hFOOT PRINTS ARE EVOCATIVE THINGS.

WHY ARE WE THE WAY WE ARE?

ONE OF THEM REASONS IS WE BEGAN TO WALK UPRIGHT, IN AFRICA.

\h\h\hAND ONLY FOUR MILLION YEARS LATER,

THERE’S A FOOTPRINT ON THE MOON.

\hYOU JUXTAPOSE THOSE TWO THINGS AND YOU SEE

WHAT WE’VE MANAGED TO DO AS A SPECIES,

IN A VERY SHORT SPACE \hOF GEOLOGICAL TIME.

\h\h\hNASA Radio: NEIL AND BUZZ, THE PRESIDENT

OF THE UNITED STATES IS IN HIS OFFICE NOW

AND WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS TO YOU, OVER.

\hNarrator: HAVING WATCHED THE LANDING

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, A RELIEVED PRESIDENT

NIXON MAKES THE FIRST EVER LUNAR PHONE CALL.

Nixon: I JUST THOUGHT I’D \h\h\hTELL YOU HOW PROUD

WE ALL ARE OF WHAT \h\hYOU HAVE DONE.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: THE PRESIDENT’S WORDS HAD

BEEN CAREFULLY EDITED \h\hBY FRANK BORMAN.

\hBorman: NASA HAD SENT OVER A SUGGESTED SCRIPT INVOLVED NIXON

\hTAKING CREDIT FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE LANDING.

I POINTED OUT TO HIM THAT HE REALLY DIDN’T

DO ANYTHING FOR THE LANDING, \hTHAT WAS ALL PRIOR TO HIS

ADMINISTRATION, I SAID I DON’T \h\hTHINK YOU SHOULD DO THIS.

AND HE AGREED WITH ME.

Nixon: BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU \h\hHAVE DONE, THE HEAVENS

HAVE BECOME A PART \hOF MAN’S WORLD.

Narrator: HAVING PUT ITS MEN ON THE MOON,

AMERICA CAN AFFORD TO BE MAGNANIMOUS.

\hAND WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS LEAVE A PLAQUE FOR FUTURE

VISITORS TO READ, THEIR \hMESSAGE IS UNIVERSAL.

\h\h\h\hNASA Radio: SO READ THE PLAQUE THAT’S

ON THE FRONT LANDING \h\hGEAR OF THIS LM.

Chapin: I SAT IN SEVERAL MEETINGS AS WE SCRIPTED

WHAT WOULD BE LEFT ON THE MOON, BUT WHEN PUSH CAME

\hTO SHOVE EVERYTHING ALWAYS WENT BACK TO THE VERY BASICS.

\h\h\hAstronaut: HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH FIRST STEPPED

FOOT UPON THE MOON, WE CAME \hIN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND.

Chapin: AND THE IMPORTANT \h\h\hTHING THERE WAS THE

FOR ALL MANKIND NOT JUST \hFOR THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA, BUT WE CAME ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD.

\h\hNarrator: AFTER 21 HOURS AND 36 MINUTES ON

THE SURFACE OF THE MOON, THE LUNAR MODULE PREPARES

TO FIRE ITS SINGLE \h\hASCENT ENGINE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNASA Radio: TRANQUILITY BASE, HOUSTON,

YOU’RE CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF.

Collins: THE PART OF THE \h\h\hFLIGHT THAT I WAS

MOST CONCERNED ABOUT \hWAS THEIR ASCENT.

Astronaut: AND YOU UNDERSTAND

WE’RE NUMBER ONE ON THE RUNWAY.

NASA Radio: ROGER.

Collins: IF THEY COULDN’T GET \h\h\h\hOFF, THEY WERE DEAD.

\h\h\hNASA Radio: FIVE, FIRST STAGE,

ENGINE ON ASCENT PROCEED.

Aldrin: WHEN WE KNEW THAT THE \h\hASCENT ENGINE HAD FIRED,

\hTHE MONSTER THAT LIVED UNDER MY BED, RIGHT, HAD BEEN SLAYED.

\h\h\hAstronaut: THAT’S BEAUTIFUL, VERY SMOOTH.

Alderin-Pocock: AT THAT MOMENT, THE WORLD WENT TO THE MOON,

IT’S AS IF WE WERE \h\hALL WITH THEM.

AND I THINK THAT’S WHY KENNEDY \h\hWAS SO CLEVER, BECAUSE IF

\hYOU JUST SENT AN OBJECT TO THE MOON, THAT’S GREAT.

BUT IF YOU SEND PEOPLE, WE GO THERE WITH THEM,

WE FEEL THE EMOTION, \hWE SHARE THE JOY.

Massimino: I HAD THE SENSE THAT IT WASN’T JUST EVERY

AMERICAN WHO WAS INTERESTED \h\h\h\h\hBUT IT WAS PEOPLE

\hFROM AROUND THE WORLD, THE WHOLE WORLD STOPPED AND TOOK

NOTICE AND EVERYONE COULD AGREE THAT THIS WAS A GOOD THING.

\hUNLESS YOU WERE EXTREMELY GRUMPY.

\h\h\h\hNarrator: AND SO, AN ACHIEVEMENT BORNE IN THE HEAT

OF THE COLD WAR IS HAILED AS A TRIUMPH FOR ALL HUMANITY.

Collins: AFTER THE FLIGHT OF APOLLO 11 WE WERE PRIVILEGED

TO MAKE A WORLD TOUR AND I WAS AMAZED BY THE RECEPTION

\hTHAT WE GOT, EVERYWHERE WE WENT PEOPLE FELT PART OF IT.

\h\h\hAND I THOUGHT THAT WAS A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL RESPONSE.

NASA Radio: LIFT OFF.

WE HAVE LIFT OFF.

32 MINUTES.

Narrator: THE APOLLO PROGRAM ENDS IN 1972.

\h\h\h\hBUT IT LEAVES QUITE A LEGACY, AND NONE OF THOSE WHO

PLAYED A PART WILL FORGET THE \hDAY WE WALKED ON THE MOON.

Kennedy: WE CHOOSE TO \h\h\hGO TO THE MOON.

Kranz: WE HAD THIS DREAM THAT \h\hWE’RE GOING TO GO DO THIS

THING, WE WERE CHALLENGED \h\hBY PRESIDENT KENNEDY

TO DO THIS, WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF THINGS

THAT HAD TO WORK PERFECTLY, \h\hAND WE MADE IT HAPPEN.

\h\hN. Armstrong: IT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN.

Collins: HEY, WE DID IT, \h\hWE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE

LEFT THE PLANET, GONE TO THE MOON.

\h\h\hN. Armstrong: ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Duke: THIS MOMENT WHERE \hWERE FIRST STEPPED ON

TO ANOTHER HEAVENLY BODY, I’M JUST VERY,

\h\hVERY THANKFUL THAT MY GENERATION GOT TO DO THAT.