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- 1
- 00:00:31,116 --> 00:00:36,116
- Subtitles by explosiveskull
- 2
- 00:00:38,696 --> 00:00:40,729
- <i>This is
- astronaut Neil Armstrong,</i>
- 3
- 00:00:40,731 --> 00:00:44,102
- <i>command pilot for the Apollo
- 11 moon landing mission.</i>
- 4
- 00:00:45,069 --> 00:00:47,539
- <i>Columbus explored one New World,</i>
- 5
- 00:00:47,972 --> 00:00:49,974
- <i>how do you feel about
- such comparisons?</i>
- 6
- 00:00:51,008 --> 00:00:55,376
- First, he wasn't sure
- where he was going.
- 7
- 00:00:55,378 --> 00:00:59,281
- At least he thought
- he was going to China
- 8
- 00:00:59,283 --> 00:01:01,683
- or the Indies
- and ended up of course
- 9
- 00:01:01,685 --> 00:01:02,985
- in a completely new world.
- 10
- 00:01:02,987 --> 00:01:05,387
- Now I very much hope that
- 11
- 00:01:05,389 --> 00:01:09,824
- we won't terminate at some place
- 12
- 00:01:09,826 --> 00:01:11,626
- that we didn't expect to,
- 13
- 00:01:11,628 --> 00:01:14,265
- some planet that we hadn't
- planned to visit.
- 14
- 00:01:28,778 --> 00:01:29,877
- <i>We're
- going to the moon</i>
- 15
- 00:01:29,879 --> 00:01:31,213
- <i>because it's in the nature</i>
- 16
- 00:01:31,215 --> 00:01:34,618
- <i>of the human being
- to face challenges.</i>
- 17
- 00:01:38,789 --> 00:01:41,725
- <i>It's by the nature
- of his deep inner soul.</i>
- 18
- 00:01:46,897 --> 00:01:48,666
- <i>We're required
- to do these things,</i>
- 19
- 00:01:49,299 --> 00:01:51,636
- <i>just as salmon swim upstream.</i>
- 20
- 00:02:07,918 --> 00:02:11,389
- <i>I wouldn't say that
- fear is an unknown emotion to us</i>
- 21
- 00:02:12,121 --> 00:02:15,189
- <i>the work that goes into
- the preparation for flight</i>
- 22
- 00:02:15,191 --> 00:02:18,693
- <i>does everything it can
- toward erasing those kinds</i>
- 23
- 00:02:18,695 --> 00:02:21,963
- of possibilities
- and I would say that
- 24
- 00:02:21,965 --> 00:02:25,167
- as a crew, we among
- the three of us,
- 25
- 00:02:25,169 --> 00:02:28,640
- really have no fear of launching
- out on this expedition.
- 26
- 00:02:33,877 --> 00:02:36,210
- The night before
- he went to the Cape,
- 27
- 00:02:36,212 --> 00:02:38,880
- he said, "I just want
- you to know that
- 28
- 00:02:38,882 --> 00:02:42,186
- we're confident
- we're coming back.
- 29
- 00:02:45,788 --> 00:02:48,889
- But yeah, there is
- some risk in this mission."
- 30
- 00:02:48,891 --> 00:02:51,792
- And he just sort of stated
- it, not dramatically at all,
- 31
- 00:02:51,794 --> 00:02:53,728
- because that wasn't how he was.
- 32
- 00:02:53,730 --> 00:02:56,768
- "So, okay, good,
- see you when you get back."
- 33
- 00:03:00,503 --> 00:03:02,137
- At six years old,
- 34
- 00:03:02,139 --> 00:03:04,005
- I was sheltered
- from a lot of the dangers,
- 35
- 00:03:04,007 --> 00:03:05,710
- a lot of the risks,
- a lot of the worries.
- 36
- 00:03:06,376 --> 00:03:09,077
- My Mom carried them all
- and she carried them in a way
- 37
- 00:03:09,079 --> 00:03:10,981
- that I did not know
- that she had them.
- 38
- 00:03:14,951 --> 00:03:17,886
- We did not know that Apollo
- 11 would make it to the moon,
- 39
- 00:03:17,888 --> 00:03:19,824
- we only knew that
- that was an attempt.
- 40
- 00:03:21,125 --> 00:03:26,094
- Everything had to work
- and it just wasn't likely
- 41
- 00:03:26,096 --> 00:03:27,929
- that everything was gonna
- work out fine,
- 42
- 00:03:27,931 --> 00:03:30,034
- that there wouldn't be a glitch
- somewhere along the line.
- 43
- 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,007
- <i>Looking back,
- we were really very privileged</i>
- 44
- 00:03:40,009 --> 00:03:43,246
- <i>to have lived in that
- thin slice of history,</i>
- 45
- 00:03:48,085 --> 00:03:51,222
- <i>where we changed how
- man looks at himself...</i>
- 46
- 00:03:54,891 --> 00:03:57,127
- <i>and what he might become.</i>
- 47
- 00:04:30,127 --> 00:04:32,396
- <i>There
- it sits out there,</i>
- 48
- 00:04:33,029 --> 00:04:35,329
- <i>the culmination
- of somewhere between</i>
- 49
- 00:04:35,331 --> 00:04:38,098
- <i>25 and 33 billion dollars.</i>
- 50
- 00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:42,336
- <i>The skills and dedication
- of about 300,000 technicians,</i>
- 51
- 00:04:42,338 --> 00:04:46,173
- <i>the solemn but certainly risk
- filled pledge of a President,</i>
- 52
- 00:04:46,175 --> 00:04:49,479
- <i>some heartbreaking failures
- and some stirring successes.</i>
- 53
- 00:04:54,550 --> 00:04:56,151
- <i>This is
- Apollo 10 in Launch Control,</i>
- 54
- 00:04:56,153 --> 00:04:58,118
- <i>we've passed the six minute mark</i>
- 55
- 00:04:58,120 --> 00:04:59,921
- <i>in our countdown for Apollo 11,</i>
- 56
- 00:04:59,923 --> 00:05:02,890
- <i>the flight to land
- the first men on the moon</i>
- 57
- 00:05:02,892 --> 00:05:05,529
- <i>and all is still go as
- we monitor our status quo.</i>
- 58
- 00:05:10,233 --> 00:05:13,168
- I remember getting
- onto a little boat
- 59
- 00:05:13,170 --> 00:05:15,239
- and we watched the
- launch from there.
- 60
- 00:05:15,906 --> 00:05:22,043
- My guess is that this was
- in case something went wrong.
- 61
- 00:05:22,045 --> 00:05:24,111
- <i>T-minus three,</i>
- 62
- 00:05:24,113 --> 00:05:28,149
- <i>we are go with all elements
- for the mission at this time.</i>
- 63
- 00:05:28,151 --> 00:05:30,218
- <i>Firing commands coming in now,</i>
- 64
- 00:05:30,220 --> 00:05:32,156
- <i>we are on
- the automatic sequence.</i>
- 65
- 00:05:33,223 --> 00:05:36,625
- <i>We are still go on
- Apollo 11 at this time.</i>
- 66
- 00:05:38,629 --> 00:05:40,461
- I didn't know
- it was Neil
- 67
- 00:05:40,463 --> 00:05:43,632
- until they named him on TV
- 68
- 00:05:43,634 --> 00:05:45,369
- and I said I know him well!
- 69
- 00:05:46,403 --> 00:05:48,906
- I didn't know he had
- progressed this far.
- 70
- 00:05:49,973 --> 00:05:52,475
- But here he was in command
- of the moon landing.
- 71
- 00:05:53,911 --> 00:05:55,012
- Hard to believe.
- 72
- 00:05:56,079 --> 00:05:59,182
- But, if it was anybody,
- it was gonna be Armstrong.
- 73
- 00:06:01,350 --> 00:06:05,353
- Neil Armstrong
- from Wapakoneta, Ohio,
- 74
- 00:06:05,355 --> 00:06:07,458
- he's gotta be the guy.
- 75
- 00:06:08,391 --> 00:06:10,524
- <i>When did you
- last talk to your son?</i>
- 76
- 00:06:10,526 --> 00:06:14,663
- Yesterday about noon,
- we had a nice long talk with him
- 77
- 00:06:14,665 --> 00:06:18,201
- on various subjects mostly
- pertaining to the family.
- 78
- 00:06:19,002 --> 00:06:21,235
- And the rest of the family
- is close at the Cape.
- 79
- 00:06:21,237 --> 00:06:22,439
- About what you expect.
- 80
- 00:06:23,940 --> 00:06:25,508
- With all of our technology,
- 81
- 00:06:26,543 --> 00:06:28,375
- we're having difficulty
- getting pictures
- 82
- 00:06:28,377 --> 00:06:30,080
- from Wapakoneta, Ohio.
- 83
- 00:06:58,541 --> 00:07:03,546
- We're at my grandparents'
- home, Wapakoneta, Ohio.
- 84
- 00:07:06,249 --> 00:07:09,287
- Neil was born in this house
- in the living room
- 85
- 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,357
- August fifth, 1930.
- 86
- 00:07:15,391 --> 00:07:16,661
- Couldn't have been better.
- 87
- 00:07:24,233 --> 00:07:26,503
- Growing up
- in a small Midwestern town
- 88
- 00:07:27,237 --> 00:07:29,603
- with parents of German descent
- 89
- 00:07:29,605 --> 00:07:32,409
- gave my father
- very strong values.
- 90
- 00:07:34,711 --> 00:07:37,081
- That's where he came from,
- those were his roots.
- 91
- 00:07:40,649 --> 00:07:44,421
- You work hard,
- keep your nose clean.
- 92
- 00:07:46,156 --> 00:07:47,992
- Really that kind of simple.
- 93
- 00:07:55,165 --> 00:07:58,332
- This is a picture
- with Dean, one and a half,
- 94
- 00:07:58,334 --> 00:08:02,339
- I'm 18 months older
- and Neil is three years older.
- 95
- 00:08:03,105 --> 00:08:05,242
- We called each other
- Neil the Peel,
- 96
- 00:08:05,509 --> 00:08:07,444
- Dean the Bean, June the Prune.
- 97
- 00:08:09,779 --> 00:08:12,514
- <i>The experts
- give 10 to one she can't fly.</i>
- 98
- 00:08:12,516 --> 00:08:14,451
- Neil was sort of
- lost in his own world.
- 99
- 00:08:15,584 --> 00:08:17,351
- <i>Look,
- he's set on taking a chance</i>
- 100
- 00:08:17,353 --> 00:08:18,685
- <i>and there he goes!</i>
- 101
- 00:08:18,687 --> 00:08:20,488
- We often found
- him in the corner
- 102
- 00:08:20,490 --> 00:08:21,559
- reading his books.
- 103
- 00:08:22,860 --> 00:08:25,663
- We liked to tease him,
- but he accepted it with a big smile.
- 104
- 00:08:28,331 --> 00:08:31,699
- <i>And that's
- the time the experts got fooled.</i>
- 105
- 00:08:31,701 --> 00:08:33,471
- <i>Good boy, George.</i>
- 106
- 00:08:39,108 --> 00:08:40,574
- He was interested
- in airplanes
- 107
- 00:08:40,576 --> 00:08:42,312
- from the time he was
- a little boy.
- 108
- 00:08:43,613 --> 00:08:48,419
- His mother bought him a 20 cent
- airplane and he built that.
- 109
- 00:08:51,721 --> 00:08:54,254
- Then from the 20 cent
- he went to a 50 center
- 110
- 00:08:54,256 --> 00:08:55,492
- and he went all the way up.
- 111
- 00:08:57,561 --> 00:08:59,794
- Pretty soon he was building
- them with motor,
- 112
- 00:08:59,796 --> 00:09:01,432
- flying them and testing them.
- 113
- 00:09:07,671 --> 00:09:09,607
- <i>I knew what I wanted
- to be when I grew up,</i>
- 114
- 00:09:10,539 --> 00:09:12,610
- <i>I wanted to be
- an airplane designer.</i>
- 115
- 00:09:14,144 --> 00:09:16,780
- <i>I wanted to spend
- my life in aviation.</i>
- 116
- 00:09:26,523 --> 00:09:27,855
- He got
- his pilot's license
- 117
- 00:09:27,857 --> 00:09:28,792
- before he got
- his driver's license.
- 118
- 00:09:30,326 --> 00:09:33,427
- It was more important
- to him to be able to fly
- 119
- 00:09:33,429 --> 00:09:34,564
- than to be able to drive.
- 120
- 00:09:44,607 --> 00:09:46,874
- <i>The first
- time you solo any airplane</i>
- 121
- 00:09:46,876 --> 00:09:48,311
- <i>is a special day.</i>
- 122
- 00:09:51,181 --> 00:09:56,387
- <i>The first time ever you solo,
- is an exceptionally special day.</i>
- 123
- 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:06,661
- <i>There was a great deal
- of excitement in my mind</i>
- 124
- 00:10:06,663 --> 00:10:08,432
- <i>when I got to do
- that first flight.</i>
- 125
- 00:10:13,870 --> 00:10:18,542
- He had turned 17 in August,
- he went to college.
- 126
- 00:10:20,610 --> 00:10:22,812
- He was doing a Navy scholarship.
- 127
- 00:10:27,450 --> 00:10:28,815
- <i>I couldn't
- have been happier</i>
- 128
- 00:10:28,817 --> 00:10:29,787
- <i>with what I was doing,</i>
- 129
- 00:10:30,754 --> 00:10:32,322
- <i>Going into engineering.</i>
- 130
- 00:10:33,724 --> 00:10:36,727
- <i>Two years of study, then into
- the Navy, flight training</i>
- 131
- 00:10:37,561 --> 00:10:39,897
- <i>and then three years
- of active duty.</i>
- 132
- 00:10:44,868 --> 00:10:46,633
- <i>The highly
- trained and well equipped</i>
- 133
- 00:10:46,635 --> 00:10:49,704
- <i>North Korean Army swarmed
- across the 38th parallel</i>
- 134
- 00:10:49,706 --> 00:10:52,674
- <i>to attack unprepared
- South Korean defenders.</i>
- 135
- 00:10:52,676 --> 00:10:55,310
- <i>Caught off guard, they were
- all but overwhelmed</i>
- 136
- 00:10:55,312 --> 00:10:57,645
- <i>until the United Nations
- took its historic vote</i>
- 137
- 00:10:57,647 --> 00:10:58,516
- <i>to intervene.</i>
- 138
- 00:11:10,759 --> 00:11:13,463
- <i>I got
- my wings in August of 1950</i>
- 139
- 00:11:14,464 --> 00:11:17,368
- <i>so I was then assigned
- to a jet fighter squadron.</i>
- 140
- 00:11:18,835 --> 00:11:21,372
- <i>We immediately prepared
- for the Korean action.</i>
- 141
- 00:11:22,639 --> 00:11:25,375
- <i>I was very young, very green.</i>
- 142
- 00:11:26,475 --> 00:11:29,509
- Neil was just
- another name on a list
- 143
- 00:11:29,511 --> 00:11:30,847
- when he came to the squadron.
- 144
- 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:36,886
- He was quiet and poised
- and very confident.
- 145
- 00:11:38,721 --> 00:11:40,790
- He was unusually quiet,
- I would say.
- 146
- 00:11:41,625 --> 00:11:43,326
- Reserved to himself.
- 147
- 00:11:44,326 --> 00:11:46,361
- Nobody was concerned
- about him at all.
- 148
- 00:11:46,363 --> 00:11:49,363
- We knew he was a good aviator,
- good aviator.
- 149
- 00:11:55,904 --> 00:11:59,842
- At that time they're
- flying the F9F-2, the Panther.
- 150
- 00:12:02,345 --> 00:12:03,346
- Very honest airplane.
- 151
- 00:12:03,980 --> 00:12:06,450
- Do everything you wanted it
- to do except climb.
- 152
- 00:12:17,527 --> 00:12:20,560
- Our job was
- to support our ground forces,
- 153
- 00:12:20,562 --> 00:12:22,265
- in our case mostly the Marines.
- 154
- 00:12:24,067 --> 00:12:25,702
- We learned flak suppression
- 155
- 00:12:25,969 --> 00:12:28,739
- and how to knock down
- the bridges and the railroads.
- 156
- 00:12:32,375 --> 00:12:34,908
- You understand that there's
- gonna be casualties when you go,
- 157
- 00:12:34,910 --> 00:12:37,445
- so you've probably made
- most of that adjustment
- 158
- 00:12:37,447 --> 00:12:38,581
- in your mind ahead of time.
- 159
- 00:12:47,791 --> 00:12:49,956
- <i>Many younger
- people are uncomfortable</i>
- 160
- 00:12:49,958 --> 00:12:51,427
- <i>with the idea of death.</i>
- 161
- 00:12:52,495 --> 00:12:54,631
- <i>I shared that uneasiness.</i>
- 162
- 00:13:05,607 --> 00:13:09,947
- <i>Dear folks, we had a
- terrible accident aboard our ship.</i>
- 163
- 00:13:11,014 --> 00:13:13,616
- <i>Four were killed
- and five missing.</i>
- 164
- 00:13:15,351 --> 00:13:18,288
- <i>Approximately 15 others
- were badly burned.</i>
- 165
- 00:13:21,124 --> 00:13:24,392
- <i>I knew well four
- of the nine dead</i>
- 166
- 00:13:24,394 --> 00:13:25,663
- <i>and five of the injured.</i>
- 167
- 00:13:28,063 --> 00:13:29,332
- <i>It was a tragedy.</i>
- 168
- 00:13:30,366 --> 00:13:32,870
- <i>Took me a long time
- to get over it.</i>
- 169
- 00:13:38,807 --> 00:13:40,878
- I wouldn't say we
- weren't scared because we were,
- 170
- 00:13:41,910 --> 00:13:44,514
- but your training takes over.
- 171
- 00:13:45,914 --> 00:13:47,985
- That gets you through
- the sticky parts.
- 172
- 00:13:58,461 --> 00:14:01,432
- <i>Dear folks, there's
- a lot of war to go yet.</i>
- 173
- 00:14:04,667 --> 00:14:09,737
- <i>Last Monday, September third,
- while on armed reconnaissance</i>
- 174
- 00:14:09,739 --> 00:14:12,543
- <i>I was hit by enemy
- anti-aircraft fire.</i>
- 175
- 00:14:13,409 --> 00:14:15,075
- <i>I was diving on
- a target at the time,</i>
- 176
- 00:14:15,077 --> 00:14:17,445
- <i>and narrowly averted
- hitting the ground,</i>
- 177
- 00:14:17,447 --> 00:14:19,747
- <i>but hit some electric lines.</i>
- 178
- 00:14:19,749 --> 00:14:22,119
- <i>Shaving off about five feet
- of the Starboard wing.</i>
- 179
- 00:14:23,552 --> 00:14:25,752
- <i>I was able to nurse
- the aircraft back across</i>
- 180
- 00:14:25,754 --> 00:14:27,758
- <i>to friendly territory
- where I bailed out.</i>
- 181
- 00:14:32,729 --> 00:14:36,800
- <i>No other news right now,
- same old Neil.</i>
- 182
- 00:14:37,667 --> 00:14:39,636
- He was just one
- of the boys
- 183
- 00:14:39,969 --> 00:14:44,004
- until that incident
- and when we started evaluating
- 184
- 00:14:44,006 --> 00:14:48,910
- his decision making and his
- skill in flying that airplane
- 185
- 00:14:48,912 --> 00:14:52,383
- to where he did, that made
- him kind of head and shoulders
- 186
- 00:14:53,182 --> 00:14:54,617
- above the rest.
- 187
- 00:14:56,519 --> 00:14:58,989
- <i>I value those
- experiences very highly,</i>
- 188
- 00:14:59,755 --> 00:15:01,722
- <i>because you build
- a lot of character,</i>
- 189
- 00:15:01,724 --> 00:15:03,527
- <i>and you build a lot of backbone</i>
- 190
- 00:15:04,660 --> 00:15:06,893
- <i>and you're a better person
- for having learned</i>
- 191
- 00:15:06,895 --> 00:15:10,533
- <i>to endure that situation
- and those risks.</i>
- 192
- 00:15:13,235 --> 00:15:15,169
- <i>T-minus one
- minute and counting,</i>
- 193
- 00:15:15,171 --> 00:15:16,807
- <i>we've passed T-minus 60.</i>
- 194
- 00:15:22,778 --> 00:15:24,881
- <i>55 seconds and counting.</i>
- 195
- 00:15:27,783 --> 00:15:29,150
- <i>We launched
- and we pulled it back</i>
- 196
- 00:15:29,152 --> 00:15:30,151
- <i>when we received the good
- wishes,</i>
- 197
- 00:15:30,153 --> 00:15:31,752
- <i>thank you very much.</i>
- 198
- 00:15:31,754 --> 00:15:33,090
- <i>We know it will be
- a good flight.</i>
- 199
- 00:15:35,958 --> 00:15:37,660
- <i>Good luck and Godspeed.</i>
- 200
- 00:15:47,169 --> 00:15:50,206
- <i>T-minus 15
- seconds, guidance is internal.</i>
- 201
- 00:16:23,940 --> 00:16:27,675
- Saturn V launch
- is so sensory overload.
- 202
- 00:16:27,677 --> 00:16:31,878
- No video system
- or audio system I've ever heard
- 203
- 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,016
- captures the way
- that really sounds.
- 204
- 00:16:38,620 --> 00:16:41,024
- Sort of the cracking
- of the exhaust going up.
- 205
- 00:16:45,628 --> 00:16:48,296
- It's almost like
- you're being shaken,
- 206
- 00:16:48,298 --> 00:16:50,730
- but you're not moving, right?
- 207
- 00:16:50,732 --> 00:16:54,634
- So it's a very odd thing, but
- it's, it's incredibly powerful
- 208
- 00:16:54,636 --> 00:16:57,507
- and something
- that I will never forget.
- 209
- 00:17:04,980 --> 00:17:08,114
- <i>The Saturn V
- was a 3,000 ton machine</i>
- 210
- 00:17:08,116 --> 00:17:11,719
- <i>with an energy more than that
- to lift you off the pad.</i>
- 211
- 00:17:11,721 --> 00:17:14,287
- <i>It felt like a train on
- a bad railroad track,</i>
- 212
- 00:17:14,289 --> 00:17:16,125
- <i>shaking in every direction.</i>
- 213
- 00:17:18,193 --> 00:17:20,763
- <i>And it was loud, really loud.</i>
- 214
- 00:17:23,231 --> 00:17:26,202
- <i>It was an honest to God
- go to the moon machine.</i>
- 215
- 00:17:29,071 --> 00:17:32,206
- The thing
- that I remember is the exhaust
- 216
- 00:17:32,208 --> 00:17:37,014
- obscured the initial
- movement of the rocket.
- 217
- 00:17:41,317 --> 00:17:43,953
- You're like okay,
- you know, where is it?
- 218
- 00:17:47,789 --> 00:17:51,659
- I didn't perhaps realize
- how slow that Saturn V,
- 219
- 00:17:51,661 --> 00:17:53,663
- you know, sort of
- lumbers off the pad.
- 220
- 00:17:59,067 --> 00:18:03,004
- Finally we could start
- to see the top of the rocket
- 221
- 00:18:03,006 --> 00:18:05,175
- peer up above the clouds,
- it was like, okay.
- 222
- 00:18:45,048 --> 00:18:47,017
- <i>This is Houston,
- you are go for.</i>
- 223
- 00:19:01,329 --> 00:19:05,065
- This is the beginning of the
- most audacious undertaking
- 224
- 00:19:05,067 --> 00:19:06,269
- that man has ever attempted.
- 225
- 00:19:07,002 --> 00:19:08,270
- We'll be back in just a moment.
- 226
- 00:19:21,851 --> 00:19:23,217
- <i>My time
- in Korea expired</i>
- 227
- 00:19:23,219 --> 00:19:25,052
- <i>and I thought it was
- important to go back</i>
- 228
- 00:19:25,054 --> 00:19:26,823
- <i>and finish my education.</i>
- 229
- 00:19:28,290 --> 00:19:31,994
- <i>When I went back to university,
- the kids looked so young.</i>
- 230
- 00:19:36,965 --> 00:19:40,167
- I met him at Purdue,
- he was a freshman.
- 231
- 00:19:47,143 --> 00:19:49,211
- He didn't like
- to talk about much.
- 232
- 00:19:50,313 --> 00:19:52,282
- And he never did talk
- about much,
- 233
- 00:19:52,981 --> 00:19:56,920
- but what he did say
- was seemed to be meaningful.
- 234
- 00:20:00,423 --> 00:20:02,959
- I just thought
- he was honest,
- 235
- 00:20:03,192 --> 00:20:06,326
- very good looking, very funny.
- 236
- 00:20:10,298 --> 00:20:13,366
- After that evening he went
- home and told somebody
- 237
- 00:20:13,368 --> 00:20:15,204
- that I was the one
- he was going to marry.
- 238
- 00:20:17,205 --> 00:20:20,376
- But he never asked me out
- until he got out of school.
- 239
- 00:20:26,481 --> 00:20:30,052
- And he came up to visit me
- on his way to Edwards.
- 240
- 00:20:40,328 --> 00:20:42,028
- <i>Edwards
- Air Force Base</i>
- 241
- 00:20:42,030 --> 00:20:43,834
- <i>in the Mojave Desert
- in California.</i>
- 242
- 00:20:44,866 --> 00:20:47,066
- <i>This is where test flights
- of all high speed</i>
- 243
- 00:20:47,068 --> 00:20:48,938
- <i>research aircraft
- have taken place.</i>
- 244
- 00:20:51,339 --> 00:20:53,140
- Being assigned
- to Edwards Air Force Base
- 245
- 00:20:53,142 --> 00:20:56,844
- was I think the goal
- of every pilot
- 246
- 00:20:56,846 --> 00:20:58,411
- and certainly anyone
- who thought about
- 247
- 00:20:58,413 --> 00:20:59,782
- ever being a test pilot.
- 248
- 00:21:02,484 --> 00:21:04,384
- <i>This was one
- of the most exciting places</i>
- 249
- 00:21:04,386 --> 00:21:06,455
- <i>to work in the world
- at that time.</i>
- 250
- 00:21:08,223 --> 00:21:13,295
- <i>Dozens and dozens of new concepts,
- configurations and tests.</i>
- 251
- 00:21:16,499 --> 00:21:19,169
- <i>Something new to talk
- about every day.</i>
- 252
- 00:21:23,205 --> 00:21:26,375
- At Edwards, more and more
- technology was being introduced.
- 253
- 00:21:26,875 --> 00:21:29,045
- So there was
- this crossover between
- 254
- 00:21:29,444 --> 00:21:33,346
- flying an airplane manually,
- the old stick and rudder days,
- 255
- 00:21:33,348 --> 00:21:36,452
- and managing a sophisticated
- system in the air.
- 256
- 00:21:38,153 --> 00:21:41,023
- So it was a challenging period.
- 257
- 00:21:47,096 --> 00:21:48,899
- It was
- a dangerous business.
- 258
- 00:21:51,067 --> 00:21:54,538
- Everybody knew it,
- and those of us that survived
- 259
- 00:21:55,503 --> 00:21:58,140
- I don't think dwelled much on
- the failures, on the deaths.
- 260
- 00:22:20,195 --> 00:22:22,598
- We were married in 1956.
- 261
- 00:22:24,299 --> 00:22:26,302
- January 1956.
- 262
- 00:22:30,105 --> 00:22:32,442
- After that, we went
- up to the desert.
- 263
- 00:22:36,345 --> 00:22:37,514
- Bought a house up there.
- 264
- 00:22:42,919 --> 00:22:44,421
- It was a cabin that we bought.
- 265
- 00:22:45,288 --> 00:22:47,857
- A cabin that only had
- a fireplace for heat.
- 266
- 00:22:50,192 --> 00:22:53,563
- Neil was trying to work
- on that and improve it.
- 267
- 00:23:01,671 --> 00:23:03,073
- And they had Ricky.
- 268
- 00:23:04,606 --> 00:23:06,172
- He was a good kid.
- 269
- 00:23:06,174 --> 00:23:07,610
- He still is.
- 270
- 00:23:16,719 --> 00:23:18,288
- We moved when I was five.
- 271
- 00:23:19,721 --> 00:23:22,957
- So I do remember it
- although I tend to remember
- 272
- 00:23:22,959 --> 00:23:26,360
- just little snippets
- or almost like still pictures
- 273
- 00:23:26,362 --> 00:23:30,333
- of it rather than longer scenes.
- 274
- 00:23:37,073 --> 00:23:39,472
- I remember walking on
- a path to a neighbor's house
- 275
- 00:23:39,474 --> 00:23:42,209
- and a big rattlesnake
- went right across
- 276
- 00:23:42,211 --> 00:23:45,645
- and I just kind of jumped
- over it and kept going.
- 277
- 00:23:52,221 --> 00:23:53,720
- When Karen was born,
- 278
- 00:23:53,722 --> 00:23:55,524
- she was the sweetest thing
- in the whole wide world.
- 279
- 00:23:59,060 --> 00:24:01,230
- He called her Muffy
- right away.
- 280
- 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,366
- He absolutely loved that girl
- 281
- 00:24:06,368 --> 00:24:08,634
- and he paid all
- of his attention to her
- 282
- 00:24:08,636 --> 00:24:10,373
- like there was nobody else.
- 283
- 00:24:13,075 --> 00:24:15,174
- Karen was
- a precious thing
- 284
- 00:24:15,176 --> 00:24:17,246
- and she was Rick's best friend.
- 285
- 00:24:20,449 --> 00:24:22,415
- In order to keep track
- of the children
- 286
- 00:24:22,417 --> 00:24:25,221
- I would put cowbells
- on their back
- 287
- 00:24:26,055 --> 00:24:29,256
- and tie them so when
- they walked they would clank
- 288
- 00:24:29,258 --> 00:24:32,328
- and that way I could hear
- them above the roaring wind.
- 289
- 00:24:39,101 --> 00:24:40,370
- What a life that was.
- 290
- 00:24:41,670 --> 00:24:45,072
- They were both very happy
- in those times,
- 291
- 00:24:45,074 --> 00:24:46,172
- those were good times.
- 292
- 00:25:02,090 --> 00:25:03,592
- <i>Moscow newspapers were first,</i>
- 293
- 00:25:04,226 --> 00:25:06,759
- <i>then headlines around
- the world echoed the news,</i>
- 294
- 00:25:06,761 --> 00:25:10,265
- <i>Russia had blasted a man-made
- moon into outer space.</i>
- 295
- 00:25:11,099 --> 00:25:13,066
- <i>On every continent
- and in every land,</i>
- 296
- 00:25:13,068 --> 00:25:15,605
- <i>the story of Sputnik 1
- dominated the front pages.</i>
- 297
- 00:25:19,808 --> 00:25:24,346
- When Sputnik, the Russian
- satellite, orbited the Earth,
- 298
- 00:25:25,314 --> 00:25:30,784
- it was a shocking moment
- for the world, I suppose,
- 299
- 00:25:30,786 --> 00:25:32,788
- but certainly
- for the United States.
- 300
- 00:25:36,125 --> 00:25:39,295
- Can you drop the
- atomic bomb from a satellite?
- 301
- 00:25:40,362 --> 00:25:43,430
- What can they do from that
- thing that we can't do now,
- 302
- 00:25:43,432 --> 00:25:45,235
- because we don't have
- any space vehicles?
- 303
- 00:25:46,201 --> 00:25:47,403
- That's where it started.
- 304
- 00:25:58,646 --> 00:26:03,182
- <i>On April 12th, 1961,
- Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin</i>
- 305
- 00:26:03,184 --> 00:26:06,221
- <i>flew once
- around the world in 89 minutes.</i>
- 306
- 00:26:14,462 --> 00:26:18,364
- <i>On April 14th,
- President Kennedy called NASA</i>
- 307
- 00:26:18,366 --> 00:26:19,368
- <i>into the White House.</i>
- 308
- 00:26:20,470 --> 00:26:22,372
- <i>"Is there any place
- we can catch them?</i>
- 309
- 00:26:22,837 --> 00:26:23,839
- <i>What can we do?</i>
- 310
- 00:26:24,973 --> 00:26:27,576
- <i>Can we put a man
- on the moon before them?"</i>
- 311
- 00:26:40,689 --> 00:26:43,226
- At Edwards
- in the early 60's
- 312
- 00:26:43,692 --> 00:26:46,162
- there was the transition
- into space flight
- 313
- 00:26:47,163 --> 00:26:48,865
- and Neil was
- on the forefront of that.
- 314
- 00:26:53,602 --> 00:26:55,138
- Neil flew the X-15.
- 315
- 00:26:56,704 --> 00:26:59,174
- Everybody admired everybody
- that flew the X-15.
- 316
- 00:26:59,842 --> 00:27:01,711
- That was one
- of the ultimate goals.
- 317
- 00:27:02,344 --> 00:27:05,347
- If you could get in that program,
- that was the best, right.
- 318
- 00:27:11,252 --> 00:27:12,719
- <i>The X-15 was
- a little airplane</i>
- 319
- 00:27:12,721 --> 00:27:15,125
- <i>powered by a big rocket.</i>
- 320
- 00:27:16,791 --> 00:27:19,559
- <i>Dropped from the wing
- of a B-52 bomber,</i>
- 321
- 00:27:19,561 --> 00:27:21,897
- <i>its rocket would burn
- for a minute and a half,</i>
- 322
- 00:27:23,832 --> 00:27:26,169
- <i>accelerate to about Mach 6,</i>
- 323
- 00:27:26,769 --> 00:27:29,239
- <i>coast up to 60 miles altitude,</i>
- 324
- 00:27:30,806 --> 00:27:32,509
- <i>then glide to a landing.</i>
- 325
- 00:27:34,710 --> 00:27:37,447
- Took you high enough,
- we were flying into space,
- 326
- 00:27:37,779 --> 00:27:39,746
- and more importantly
- we were learning how to fly
- 327
- 00:27:39,748 --> 00:27:41,683
- back into the atmosphere.
- 328
- 00:27:45,887 --> 00:27:49,291
- I'm not sure who was
- the best pilot of the X-15.
- 329
- 00:27:49,557 --> 00:27:52,327
- There were seven, eight of them,
- they were all very good.
- 330
- 00:27:54,230 --> 00:27:56,563
- But Neil I think had
- a better concept
- 331
- 00:27:56,565 --> 00:28:00,667
- of how and why the machine was
- put together
- 332
- 00:28:00,669 --> 00:28:02,238
- and how it should be tested.
- 333
- 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:06,305
- Therein is an area
- that I think Neil
- 334
- 00:28:06,307 --> 00:28:07,943
- filled a very unique slot.
- 335
- 00:28:09,845 --> 00:28:11,413
- Neil was a hell of an engineer.
- 336
- 00:28:13,515 --> 00:28:14,948
- A pretty good pilot too.
- 337
- 00:28:17,885 --> 00:28:18,954
- <i>Release.</i>
- 338
- 00:28:26,795 --> 00:28:28,728
- <i>This particular
- flight we went to somewhat</i>
- 339
- 00:28:28,730 --> 00:28:30,299
- <i>about 200,000 feet.</i>
- 340
- 00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,867
- <i>Looking
- pretty good at 250.</i>
- 341
- 00:28:34,869 --> 00:28:36,636
- <i>In the process
- I got the nose up</i>
- 342
- 00:28:36,638 --> 00:28:37,806
- <i>above the horizon.</i>
- 343
- 00:28:39,642 --> 00:28:42,042
- <i>I tried to push down,
- but discovered I had</i>
- 344
- 00:28:42,044 --> 00:28:43,980
- <i>no aerodynamic controls.</i>
- 345
- 00:28:47,583 --> 00:28:49,919
- <i>It was actually skipping
- outside the atmosphere.</i>
- 346
- 00:28:51,553 --> 00:28:54,287
- <i>It wasn't going down
- because there was no air</i>
- 347
- 00:28:54,289 --> 00:28:54,957
- <i>to bite into.</i>
- 348
- 00:28:58,294 --> 00:29:00,393
- It's like being on
- a very fast horse
- 349
- 00:29:00,395 --> 00:29:01,761
- and riding it at full speed.
- 350
- 00:29:01,763 --> 00:29:03,498
- You've got to be
- looking out way ahead
- 351
- 00:29:04,066 --> 00:29:05,798
- where the fences are,
- where the rocks are
- 352
- 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:07,700
- and start to avoid them early.
- 353
- 00:29:07,702 --> 00:29:09,335
- You can't wait till
- the last minute
- 354
- 00:29:09,337 --> 00:29:10,505
- and then jerk on a range.
- 355
- 00:29:16,077 --> 00:29:18,444
- <i>I just had
- to wait until I got enough air</i>
- 356
- 00:29:18,446 --> 00:29:21,783
- <i>to have aerodynamic control
- and some lift on the wings,</i>
- 357
- 00:29:23,352 --> 00:29:25,755
- <i>and immediately started
- to make a turn back.</i>
- 358
- 00:29:32,928 --> 00:29:34,631
- <i>Beginning to turn in.</i>
- 359
- 00:29:37,932 --> 00:29:39,269
- <i>Got plenty of room.</i>
- 360
- 00:29:42,371 --> 00:29:46,105
- - <i>Take it easy, would you.</i>
- - <i>You got it.</i>
- 361
- 00:29:46,107 --> 00:29:48,510
- <i>You have to hold it
- steady and you're settled right there.</i>
- 362
- 00:30:00,556 --> 00:30:02,491
- Neil could do
- things like that.
- 363
- 00:30:03,692 --> 00:30:08,964
- His credentials of performing
- under stress were clearly there.
- 364
- 00:30:10,065 --> 00:30:12,835
- That was Neil,
- did a magnificent job.
- 365
- 00:30:14,803 --> 00:30:17,036
- But I've got to say that
- he was not the type of person
- 366
- 00:30:17,038 --> 00:30:20,509
- who would run out and say, "Look
- at me, I'm Neil Armstrong."
- 367
- 00:30:22,144 --> 00:30:25,013
- Neil was the kind of person
- you just wanted to like.
- 368
- 00:30:40,695 --> 00:30:43,398
- When Neil was
- still working at Edwards,
- 369
- 00:30:44,031 --> 00:30:48,437
- Karen developed
- a tumor in her brain
- 370
- 00:30:49,805 --> 00:30:52,442
- under the age of three.
- 371
- 00:30:55,877 --> 00:30:57,710
- I knew something
- was wrong with her
- 372
- 00:30:57,712 --> 00:30:59,446
- because she had balance troubles
- 373
- 00:30:59,448 --> 00:31:01,046
- and I think I told my mom,
- 374
- 00:31:01,048 --> 00:31:03,418
- "Yeah, she's having
- a hard time walking again."
- 375
- 00:31:07,122 --> 00:31:09,859
- But I couldn't put
- that together with the disease.
- 376
- 00:31:14,596 --> 00:31:16,665
- The tumor grew
- very, very fast.
- 377
- 00:31:17,499 --> 00:31:18,800
- We tried radiation.
- 378
- 00:31:25,540 --> 00:31:28,110
- All through
- her radiation,
- 379
- 00:31:28,743 --> 00:31:32,548
- she smiled
- and never complained once.
- 380
- 00:31:33,648 --> 00:31:35,817
- Never, never, never once.
- 381
- 00:31:37,952 --> 00:31:39,721
- She was a gift to both of them.
- 382
- 00:31:50,865 --> 00:31:54,836
- She died on
- their wedding anniversary.
- 383
- 00:32:04,112 --> 00:32:05,615
- Neil missed her dearly.
- 384
- 00:32:12,988 --> 00:32:14,854
- <i>I thought
- the best thing for me to do</i>
- 385
- 00:32:14,856 --> 00:32:17,660
- <i>in that situation was
- to continue with my work.</i>
- 386
- 00:32:19,060 --> 00:32:21,096
- <i>Keep things as normal as I could</i>
- 387
- 00:32:22,196 --> 00:32:24,631
- <i>and try as hard as I could not
- to have it affect</i>
- 388
- 00:32:24,633 --> 00:32:27,002
- <i>my ability to do useful things.</i>
- 389
- 00:32:29,070 --> 00:32:30,639
- <i>I was doing the best I could.</i>
- 390
- 00:32:56,832 --> 00:33:00,136
- After Karen died,
- I was ready to go anywhere.
- 391
- 00:33:01,036 --> 00:33:02,772
- I thought a change
- would be good.
- 392
- 00:33:05,773 --> 00:33:07,776
- <i>There was
- this project down in Houston,</i>
- 393
- 00:33:08,743 --> 00:33:09,911
- <i>the Apollo program.</i>
- 394
- 00:33:11,179 --> 00:33:13,716
- <i>They didn't really know
- what to test for exactly,</i>
- 395
- 00:33:14,282 --> 00:33:15,614
- <i>so they did everything.</i>
- 396
- 00:33:19,820 --> 00:33:21,857
- <i>They didn't miss
- anything as far as I knew.</i>
- 397
- 00:33:24,625 --> 00:33:26,796
- <i>They did every test
- known to man.</i>
- 398
- 00:33:32,166 --> 00:33:36,605
- Neil finally decided that
- he would try for this program
- 399
- 00:33:37,739 --> 00:33:39,805
- and he got accepted.
- 400
- 00:33:50,051 --> 00:33:53,054
- When we moved to Houston,
- I was pregnant with Mark.
- 401
- 00:33:56,592 --> 00:33:58,995
- Mark was born. Yippee, Mark!
- 402
- 00:34:01,863 --> 00:34:04,100
- He's so totally different
- from Rick, you know.
- 403
- 00:34:05,032 --> 00:34:06,201
- They're two opposites.
- 404
- 00:34:20,349 --> 00:34:21,951
- The neighborhood
- in Houston,
- 405
- 00:34:22,351 --> 00:34:25,153
- there wasn't much of a
- neighborhood, it was all trees.
- 406
- 00:34:26,387 --> 00:34:29,324
- It hadn't even been
- made into a street yet.
- 407
- 00:34:37,032 --> 00:34:39,633
- <i>Ed White and I
- bought some property together</i>
- 408
- 00:34:39,635 --> 00:34:40,303
- <i>and split it.</i>
- 409
- 00:34:41,304 --> 00:34:43,302
- <i>I built my house
- on one half of it,</i>
- 410
- 00:34:43,304 --> 00:34:45,240
- <i>and he built his house
- on the other.</i>
- 411
- 00:34:47,309 --> 00:34:49,644
- <i>We were good friends, neighbors.</i>
- 412
- 00:34:54,215 --> 00:34:56,048
- All the people
- in the neighborhood
- 413
- 00:34:56,050 --> 00:34:59,052
- had someone that worked for NASA
- 414
- 00:34:59,054 --> 00:34:59,989
- in one respect or another.
- 415
- 00:35:03,759 --> 00:35:07,262
- That whole community was
- very self-supporting.
- 416
- 00:35:10,398 --> 00:35:12,000
- Everyone was in it together.
- 417
- 00:35:34,989 --> 00:35:36,891
- How I would characterize Neil,
- 418
- 00:35:37,192 --> 00:35:39,628
- he was quiet, introspective,
- 419
- 00:35:40,394 --> 00:35:43,162
- much more interested
- in the details of things
- 420
- 00:35:43,164 --> 00:35:44,199
- than I ever was.
- 421
- 00:35:46,934 --> 00:35:49,436
- You look at a watch,
- Neil wants to know how it runs
- 422
- 00:35:49,438 --> 00:35:51,073
- and I want to know
- what time it said.
- 423
- 00:35:54,443 --> 00:35:58,278
- Neil lived in a shell
- and in order to get Neil
- 424
- 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:02,782
- out of his shell you had
- to introduce a subject
- 425
- 00:36:02,784 --> 00:36:04,383
- that he was interested in
- 426
- 00:36:04,385 --> 00:36:06,853
- and you had to convince him
- that you knew something
- 427
- 00:36:06,855 --> 00:36:09,822
- about that subject.
- And if you pass that test
- 428
- 00:36:09,824 --> 00:36:13,193
- and he'd pop out of his shell,
- big smile on his face
- 429
- 00:36:13,195 --> 00:36:14,163
- and be your best buddy.
- 430
- 00:36:19,266 --> 00:36:20,735
- He listened a lot.
- 431
- 00:36:21,902 --> 00:36:24,673
- And when he spoke,
- he didn't use a lot of words,
- 432
- 00:36:25,005 --> 00:36:29,242
- but it was very clear that he
- had thought through something
- 433
- 00:36:29,244 --> 00:36:31,247
- and had come to a conclusion.
- 434
- 00:36:34,014 --> 00:36:35,315
- <i>I was
- so pleased to be</i>
- 435
- 00:36:35,317 --> 00:36:36,918
- <i>associated with the program.</i>
- 436
- 00:36:38,219 --> 00:36:40,689
- <i>The goals, I thought, were
- important to society in general</i>
- 437
- 00:36:41,322 --> 00:36:43,055
- <i>and I would've been
- happy doing anything</i>
- 438
- 00:36:43,057 --> 00:36:44,092
- <i>they asked me to do.</i>
- 439
- 00:36:51,132 --> 00:36:53,168
- <i>Before men
- ever stand on the moon,</i>
- 440
- 00:36:53,534 --> 00:36:56,137
- <i>many technical hurdles
- must be overcome.</i>
- 441
- 00:36:58,039 --> 00:37:01,173
- <i>The steps remaining parallel
- the steps undertaken</i>
- 442
- 00:37:01,175 --> 00:37:03,078
- <i>in the development of aviation.</i>
- 443
- 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:06,979
- <i>Project Mercury put us through</i>
- 444
- 00:37:06,981 --> 00:37:08,983
- <i>the Kitty Hawk stage in space.</i>
- 445
- 00:37:09,818 --> 00:37:12,455
- <i>Our second step, Project Gemini.</i>
- 446
- 00:37:32,373 --> 00:37:34,907
- I'd been CAPCOM
- on Gemini 5.
- 447
- 00:37:34,909 --> 00:37:36,344
- They just splashed out.
- 448
- 00:37:37,278 --> 00:37:40,045
- My boss came up and said, "I'd
- like you to start working
- 449
- 00:37:40,047 --> 00:37:41,750
- with Neil as prime on Gemini 8."
- 450
- 00:37:42,150 --> 00:37:45,454
- I thought, "Really, really?"
- 451
- 00:37:49,090 --> 00:37:51,490
- He said he's waiting for you
- in his office, go see him.
- 452
- 00:37:51,492 --> 00:37:54,159
- So I went over
- and there was Neil, big smile
- 453
- 00:37:54,161 --> 00:37:55,329
- as he always had, you know?
- 454
- 00:37:56,264 --> 00:38:00,333
- Okay, so here we go, let me
- tell you what we're gonna do.
- 455
- 00:38:07,342 --> 00:38:08,443
- <i>We were in a race,</i>
- 456
- 00:38:09,610 --> 00:38:11,112
- <i>and it was very evident
- to us all the time.</i>
- 457
- 00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:14,880
- <i>You wanted not to be
- diverting your attention</i>
- 458
- 00:38:14,882 --> 00:38:17,819
- <i>in any way to things you really
- didn't need to worry about.</i>
- 459
- 00:38:21,956 --> 00:38:23,623
- <i>You could stand across
- the street</i>
- 460
- 00:38:23,625 --> 00:38:26,228
- <i>and you could not tell
- when quitting time was.</i>
- 461
- 00:38:27,896 --> 00:38:29,899
- <i>People didn't leave
- at quitting time.</i>
- 462
- 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,804
- <i>Fourteen hours a day,
- six and a half days a week,</i>
- 463
- 00:38:36,905 --> 00:38:39,275
- <i>it was just insane.</i>
- 464
- 00:38:41,509 --> 00:38:44,280
- Dad was training a lot.
- 465
- 00:38:46,614 --> 00:38:48,149
- He was not home very often.
- 466
- 00:38:50,452 --> 00:38:52,988
- My mother was very much
- of an unsung hero.
- 467
- 00:38:54,088 --> 00:38:59,559
- And Dad not being the most
- verbose person you ever met,
- 468
- 00:38:59,561 --> 00:39:03,265
- he had been guilty of not
- being very communicative.
- 469
- 00:39:08,335 --> 00:39:11,072
- So she wasn't always
- well informed
- 470
- 00:39:12,072 --> 00:39:15,009
- about where Dad was going,
- what he was doing.
- 471
- 00:39:17,378 --> 00:39:21,115
- That just left mom
- to figure things out on her own,
- 472
- 00:39:21,449 --> 00:39:24,220
- and I think she did that,
- she did it very, very well,
- 473
- 00:39:25,686 --> 00:39:28,289
- and she did it
- without complaint.
- 474
- 00:39:51,413 --> 00:39:54,347
- The objective of Gemini 8
- was to rendezvous
- 475
- 00:39:54,349 --> 00:39:57,983
- and dock with the first target
- vehicle anybody would have,
- 476
- 00:39:57,985 --> 00:39:59,888
- the Agena for the first time.
- 477
- 00:40:01,255 --> 00:40:03,625
- People didn't know whether
- rendezvous would work or not.
- 478
- 00:40:05,994 --> 00:40:08,396
- Once we got docked,
- I would do an EVA,
- 479
- 00:40:09,130 --> 00:40:10,396
- I was going to walk
- around the world,
- 480
- 00:40:10,398 --> 00:40:11,567
- I had a 90 minute EVA,
- 481
- 00:40:13,101 --> 00:40:16,070
- and then a controlled re-entry
- 482
- 00:40:17,972 --> 00:40:21,507
- so it was our job to put
- all these pieces together
- 483
- 00:40:21,509 --> 00:40:23,945
- in a full spectrum
- of space flight.
- 484
- 00:40:34,556 --> 00:40:37,590
- We had a squat box in the
- house installed for the mission
- 485
- 00:40:37,592 --> 00:40:42,295
- so you could hear Mission
- Control communications
- 486
- 00:40:42,297 --> 00:40:45,067
- all the time rather
- than just what might be on TV.
- 487
- 00:40:46,768 --> 00:40:48,266
- <i>Phase two
- pre-valves coming open,</i>
- 488
- 00:40:48,268 --> 00:40:48,936
- <i>five seconds.</i>
- 489
- 00:40:50,739 --> 00:40:52,608
- <i>T-minus 20 seconds, mark.</i>
- 490
- 00:41:06,186 --> 00:41:12,527
- <i>Five, four,
- three, two, one, ignition.</i>
- 491
- 00:41:15,429 --> 00:41:16,561
- <i>Liftoff.</i>
- 492
- 00:41:29,710 --> 00:41:32,981
- - Roger
- - Fuel pressure running a little high.
- 493
- 00:41:33,380 --> 00:41:35,148
- - <i>Roger.</i>
- - <i>Roger, understand.</i>
- 494
- 00:41:35,150 --> 00:41:36,318
- <i>How's it looking, guys?</i>
- 495
- 00:41:37,518 --> 00:41:38,117
- <i>It's
- looking good, flight.</i>
- 496
- 00:41:38,119 --> 00:41:39,153
- <i>Roger.</i>
- 497
- 00:41:43,724 --> 00:41:45,059
- The launch was great,
- 498
- 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:47,663
- the second stage was
- all in the mail,
- 499
- 00:41:48,596 --> 00:41:50,595
- and then you're going
- through the rendezvous,
- 500
- 00:41:50,597 --> 00:41:53,599
- seeing the Agena,
- just actually spectacular,
- 501
- 00:41:53,601 --> 00:41:54,536
- spectacular view.
- 502
- 00:42:00,842 --> 00:42:03,208
- <i>That's beautiful!</i>
- 503
- 00:42:03,210 --> 00:42:05,413
- <i>And that's
- great, way to go, partner.</i>
- 504
- 00:42:06,313 --> 00:42:08,548
- <i>You done it, boy,
- you done a good job.</i>
- 505
- 00:42:08,550 --> 00:42:09,585
- <i>Do the thing.</i>
- 506
- 00:42:19,094 --> 00:42:20,827
- <i>OK, Gemini 8,</i>
- 507
- 00:42:20,829 --> 00:42:23,097
- <i>you're looking good on
- the ground, go ahead and dock.</i>
- 508
- 00:42:24,798 --> 00:42:28,036
- Neil did the docking,
- smooth as you would expect.
- 509
- 00:42:32,474 --> 00:42:33,475
- <i>To flight, we are docked.</i>
- 510
- 00:42:35,510 --> 00:42:39,144
- Shortly after I looked over
- and saw Neil's eight ball,
- 511
- 00:42:39,146 --> 00:42:41,549
- the altitude horizon
- was in a 30 degree bank.
- 512
- 00:42:43,451 --> 00:42:45,219
- There was no horizon
- out the window.
- 513
- 00:42:45,487 --> 00:42:47,119
- I said, "Neil, we're in a bank."
- 514
- 00:42:47,121 --> 00:42:49,190
- And he looked out
- and he said, "We are in a bank."
- 515
- 00:42:52,594 --> 00:42:54,526
- - <i>On a flight CSQ.</i>
- - <i>Go ahead.</i>
- 516
- 00:42:54,528 --> 00:42:57,266
- <i>The Agena is
- tumbling violently at this time.</i>
- 517
- 00:43:00,335 --> 00:43:03,836
- On the Gemini 8
- CSQ, com check out, do you read?
- 518
- 00:43:08,409 --> 00:43:09,577
- Okay.
- 519
- 00:43:11,411 --> 00:43:13,612
- Neil says, "Turn
- the Agena off", which I did.
- 520
- 00:43:13,614 --> 00:43:16,284
- He turned on the Gemini
- and then everything stabilized
- 521
- 00:43:16,617 --> 00:43:18,219
- for about four, five minutes,
- 522
- 00:43:19,153 --> 00:43:21,521
- and then it started to turn,
- started to roll again.
- 523
- 00:43:24,659 --> 00:43:27,193
- <i>When the rates
- became quite violent,</i>
- 524
- 00:43:27,195 --> 00:43:28,430
- <i>it was a bit dicey.</i>
- 525
- 00:43:31,298 --> 00:43:33,932
- <i>They say Murphy's law
- says bad things happen</i>
- 526
- 00:43:33,934 --> 00:43:35,570
- <i>as the worst possible time.</i>
- 527
- 00:43:37,271 --> 00:43:40,442
- <i>And in this case,
- we were out of radio contact.</i>
- 528
- 00:43:41,643 --> 00:43:45,177
- We got down to about
- 13 percent propeller
- 529
- 00:43:45,179 --> 00:43:47,148
- and decided we have
- to get off of the Agena.
- 530
- 00:43:49,951 --> 00:43:51,349
- I hit the undock switch.
- 531
- 00:43:54,588 --> 00:43:56,322
- And when we pulled off
- the Agena,
- 532
- 00:43:56,324 --> 00:43:58,691
- we found out the problem
- was not the Agena,
- 533
- 00:43:58,693 --> 00:43:59,828
- it was the Gemini.
- 534
- 00:44:01,396 --> 00:44:03,632
- And then we started
- a very rapid roll rate.
- 535
- 00:44:16,777 --> 00:44:20,412
- <i>I have to check the spacecraft</i>
- 536
- 00:44:20,414 --> 00:44:21,617
- Things were just awful.
- 537
- 00:44:23,684 --> 00:44:26,889
- They were spinning at maybe
- a revolution per second,
- 538
- 00:44:27,588 --> 00:44:31,456
- and there was
- a very strong concern
- 539
- 00:44:31,458 --> 00:44:32,393
- that they would black out.
- 540
- 00:44:33,327 --> 00:44:35,163
- And that would be it,
- he would be over.
- 541
- 00:44:36,831 --> 00:44:38,463
- <i>I wonder
- if there's any chance</i>
- 542
- 00:44:38,465 --> 00:44:39,367
- <i>of something like
- that happening.</i>
- 543
- 00:44:40,534 --> 00:44:41,636
- <i>I don't know.</i>
- 544
- 00:44:42,838 --> 00:44:45,740
- At that point, Mission Control
- turned the squawk box off.
- 545
- 00:44:45,974 --> 00:44:47,609
- <i>We're trying
- to check all that out now,</i>
- 546
- 00:44:48,009 --> 00:44:49,411
- <i>we're trying to get some.</i>
- 547
- 00:44:54,449 --> 00:44:58,016
- Mission Control did not
- know what was happening,
- 548
- 00:44:58,018 --> 00:45:01,354
- and they didn't want
- to expose a tragedy
- 549
- 00:45:01,356 --> 00:45:03,458
- without being able
- to manage the situation.
- 550
- 00:45:05,994 --> 00:45:08,329
- That was something that my
- mother was not happy about.
- 551
- 00:45:08,663 --> 00:45:10,996
- She wasn't happy about that
- and she went over
- 552
- 00:45:10,998 --> 00:45:13,768
- to Mission Control
- to find out what was going on.
- 553
- 00:45:16,003 --> 00:45:18,903
- And I was refused entry.
- 554
- 00:45:18,905 --> 00:45:20,706
- I would not have wanted
- to been the one
- 555
- 00:45:20,708 --> 00:45:22,878
- to tell her
- that she couldn't come in.
- 556
- 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:26,648
- That wouldn't have
- gone well for them.
- 557
- 00:45:32,586 --> 00:45:34,552
- We got down
- to no other options
- 558
- 00:45:34,554 --> 00:45:38,590
- and Neil finally said,
- "We gotta activate the RCS."
- 559
- 00:45:38,592 --> 00:45:42,295
- Now the RCS was a small
- re-entry control system
- 560
- 00:45:42,297 --> 00:45:43,398
- in the nose of the spacecraft.
- 561
- 00:45:44,898 --> 00:45:47,969
- Once you activate that
- system, that's your last gas.
- 562
- 00:45:48,835 --> 00:45:51,706
- If you lose it, you can't
- get back into the atmosphere.
- 563
- 00:45:52,806 --> 00:45:55,807
- He probably deduced that,
- "This is all I can do,
- 564
- 00:45:55,809 --> 00:45:57,878
- is try this and see
- if it works."
- 565
- 00:46:00,347 --> 00:46:02,548
- He had to reach up
- to an overhead panel
- 566
- 00:46:02,550 --> 00:46:03,485
- to get a hold of switches.
- 567
- 00:46:07,422 --> 00:46:09,722
- That's amazing physiologically
- 568
- 00:46:09,724 --> 00:46:13,325
- that in this high speed roll
- he could turn his head up
- 569
- 00:46:13,327 --> 00:46:14,362
- and get the right switches,
- 570
- 00:46:16,097 --> 00:46:18,000
- which he did
- and he stopped the roll.
- 571
- 00:46:20,501 --> 00:46:22,467
- <i>We do have
- the spacecraft under control</i>
- 572
- 00:46:22,469 --> 00:46:25,006
- <i>at the present time, we're
- in slowly drifting flight.</i>
- 573
- 00:46:28,742 --> 00:46:31,010
- At that time, they
- could see on the monitor
- 574
- 00:46:31,012 --> 00:46:34,516
- that he had activated
- the re-entry control system.
- 575
- 00:46:35,817 --> 00:46:38,717
- So almost immediately we knew
- we were going to have
- 576
- 00:46:38,719 --> 00:46:39,920
- to get them down quickly.
- 577
- 00:46:41,188 --> 00:46:43,392
- <i>Okay, you're
- sending all of that in ASAP?</i>
- 578
- 00:46:43,590 --> 00:46:45,726
- - <i>Affirmative.</i>
- - <i>Okay, let's expedite.</i>
- 579
- 00:46:47,128 --> 00:46:50,365
- <i>CAPCOM Houston
- flight, we are primed for air to ground.</i>
- 580
- 00:46:50,797 --> 00:46:51,932
- <i>Roger. Go.</i>
- 581
- 00:47:00,675 --> 00:47:02,608
- <i>I took
- great pride in landing</i>
- 582
- 00:47:02,610 --> 00:47:04,980
- <i>close to the aircraft carrier
- that was awaiting us.</i>
- 583
- 00:47:07,148 --> 00:47:09,651
- <i>My carrier was located
- in the Caribbean.</i>
- 584
- 00:47:11,085 --> 00:47:12,788
- <i>I landed near Okinawa.</i>
- 585
- 00:47:14,422 --> 00:47:16,757
- <i>That's the furthest
- anyone's ever missed.</i>
- 586
- 00:47:18,992 --> 00:47:21,329
- <i>I don't expect that
- record to be broken.</i>
- 587
- 00:47:29,070 --> 00:47:31,436
- Some of the people were
- second guessing Neil
- 588
- 00:47:31,438 --> 00:47:32,673
- about his performance.
- 589
- 00:47:33,974 --> 00:47:35,976
- I never did, I thought
- he did a good job.
- 590
- 00:47:37,744 --> 00:47:40,081
- There's a lot of that among
- very competitive people.
- 591
- 00:47:52,025 --> 00:47:54,663
- Neil's action
- I think saved the mission.
- 592
- 00:47:55,663 --> 00:47:57,998
- It upped my view of
- Neil at that point.
- 593
- 00:47:58,565 --> 00:48:00,601
- You knew he had the right stuff.
- 594
- 00:48:04,806 --> 00:48:07,106
- Stayed calm,
- didn't get excited.
- 595
- 00:48:07,108 --> 00:48:08,840
- That's what we were looking
- for in the first place
- 596
- 00:48:08,842 --> 00:48:10,578
- for using test pilots.
- 597
- 00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:14,979
- A guy that was used to putting
- his life on the line
- 598
- 00:48:14,981 --> 00:48:16,083
- every time he flew.
- 599
- 00:48:20,755 --> 00:48:22,590
- There are
- a lot of people here,
- 600
- 00:48:23,523 --> 00:48:25,025
- most of them seem
- to be my family.
- 601
- 00:48:33,201 --> 00:48:35,971
- You're my people and I'm
- proud to be one of you.
- 602
- 00:48:48,148 --> 00:48:49,483
- They could've lost
- their life.
- 603
- 00:48:50,184 --> 00:48:51,749
- There was no point
- in talking about it,
- 604
- 00:48:51,751 --> 00:48:53,188
- you either do or you don't.
- 605
- 00:48:54,956 --> 00:48:57,759
- That's the way it is, you know.
- 606
- 00:48:59,126 --> 00:49:00,829
- This spacecraft you're
- going to ride on
- 607
- 00:49:01,128 --> 00:49:02,961
- is to a certain extent untried.
- 608
- 00:49:02,963 --> 00:49:05,164
- You approach it
- with any apprehension
- 609
- 00:49:05,166 --> 00:49:07,969
- as compared to the Gemini
- which had been flown before?
- 610
- 00:49:08,902 --> 00:49:11,839
- There's a great deal
- of pride involved
- 611
- 00:49:12,106 --> 00:49:13,141
- in making a first flight.
- 612
- 00:49:14,141 --> 00:49:17,108
- So I think I'm
- looking forward to the flight
- 613
- 00:49:17,110 --> 00:49:18,811
- with a great deal
- of anticipation.
- 614
- 00:49:26,721 --> 00:49:28,720
- It was
- all over in one stunned
- 615
- 00:49:28,722 --> 00:49:30,090
- horrifying second.
- 616
- 00:49:37,264 --> 00:49:39,867
- At T-minus 10 minutes
- in a simulated countdown,
- 617
- 00:49:40,568 --> 00:49:42,735
- an electrical spark
- apparently shot out
- 618
- 00:49:42,737 --> 00:49:45,507
- and ignited the 100 percent
- oxygen in the cabin.
- 619
- 00:49:46,873 --> 00:49:49,941
- Horrified engineers watched
- the burst of flames and smoke
- 620
- 00:49:49,943 --> 00:49:51,980
- envelop Grissom,
- White and Chaffee.
- 621
- 00:49:53,648 --> 00:49:56,485
- They heard their last words
- of shock and surprise.
- 622
- 00:49:58,152 --> 00:49:59,920
- The crewmen never had a chance.
- 623
- 00:50:09,096 --> 00:50:09,965
- It was terrible.
- 624
- 00:50:10,831 --> 00:50:13,201
- I could hear his voice
- in that thing.
- 625
- 00:50:15,101 --> 00:50:18,037
- You could hear, I could
- hear all three of them.
- 626
- 00:50:18,039 --> 00:50:19,671
- They didn't last
- very long either,
- 627
- 00:50:19,673 --> 00:50:21,909
- they only lasted
- 10 or 15 seconds.
- 628
- 00:50:32,085 --> 00:50:35,287
- It was a very depressing sight,
- 629
- 00:50:35,289 --> 00:50:37,158
- everything was burned
- and gray and melted.
- 630
- 00:50:38,025 --> 00:50:38,994
- It was a disaster.
- 631
- 00:50:47,101 --> 00:50:51,539
- The management were
- running, running to get to the moon,
- 632
- 00:50:54,608 --> 00:50:58,179
- and I think they were
- willing to take some chances,
- 633
- 00:51:00,014 --> 00:51:03,816
- and I think that had
- they been thinking properly,
- 634
- 00:51:03,818 --> 00:51:04,853
- they wouldn't have taken them.
- 635
- 00:51:09,757 --> 00:51:11,960
- <i>Some very
- traumatic times.</i>
- 636
- 00:51:15,795 --> 00:51:17,329
- <i>I suppose you're
- much more likely</i>
- 637
- 00:51:17,331 --> 00:51:19,768
- <i>to accept the loss
- of a friend in flight,</i>
- 638
- 00:51:20,300 --> 00:51:23,137
- <i>but it really hurt to lose
- them in a ground test.</i>
- 639
- 00:51:24,371 --> 00:51:27,007
- <i>That was an indictment
- of ourselves.</i>
- 640
- 00:51:37,818 --> 00:51:40,084
- There was never
- any commotion about it
- 641
- 00:51:40,086 --> 00:51:41,289
- like there would be today.
- 642
- 00:51:43,224 --> 00:51:48,196
- So you mourn, but briefly
- and then get on with the job.
- 643
- 00:52:04,210 --> 00:52:07,381
- It took the fire
- to rebuild the vehicle
- 644
- 00:52:10,851 --> 00:52:13,088
- and I think that was
- the secret to Apollo.
- 645
- 00:52:13,920 --> 00:52:16,220
- Without it, it just
- wouldn't have happened.
- 646
- 00:52:16,222 --> 00:52:17,726
- I don't think we would've
- gotten to the moon.
- 647
- 00:52:26,766 --> 00:52:30,235
- The Apollo missions
- came close enough together
- 648
- 00:52:30,237 --> 00:52:34,142
- that we were in this constant
- one more step, one more step.
- 649
- 00:52:38,344 --> 00:52:42,884
- Then, when 11 came along,
- it all seemed different.
- 650
- 00:52:46,253 --> 00:52:49,224
- You know, this time,
- we are really gonna go land.
- 651
- 00:53:01,101 --> 00:53:03,434
- There were 30 people
- vying to be
- 652
- 00:53:03,436 --> 00:53:05,739
- the first man on the moon.
- 653
- 00:53:10,277 --> 00:53:12,880
- I think they could've
- all done the job,
- 654
- 00:53:14,081 --> 00:53:15,717
- no question in my mind about it.
- 655
- 00:53:25,092 --> 00:53:27,159
- It was Deke Slayton
- who was responsible
- 656
- 00:53:27,161 --> 00:53:28,096
- for crew scheduling,
- 657
- 00:53:29,230 --> 00:53:31,764
- had developed a program where
- 658
- 00:53:31,766 --> 00:53:33,865
- if you were backup
- for one flight,
- 659
- 00:53:33,867 --> 00:53:35,836
- then three flights later
- you became the prime.
- 660
- 00:53:36,103 --> 00:53:38,871
- They all say there was
- a rotation method in it.
- 661
- 00:53:38,873 --> 00:53:41,208
- Well if it was, it was
- a hard one to understand.
- 662
- 00:53:43,777 --> 00:53:48,782
- One seat and in it was
- a fellow named Neil Armstrong.
- 663
- 00:53:50,784 --> 00:53:52,052
- Now why was that?
- 664
- 00:53:52,987 --> 00:53:56,054
- What were the reasons
- that he was the one
- 665
- 00:53:56,056 --> 00:53:57,958
- and the others were rejected?
- 666
- 00:54:05,498 --> 00:54:07,367
- If you take the short view,
- 667
- 00:54:08,536 --> 00:54:11,438
- it is that he was probably
- the best qualified.
- 668
- 00:54:13,106 --> 00:54:16,141
- He had been a combat
- pilot during Korea,
- 669
- 00:54:16,143 --> 00:54:18,179
- he proved his mettle there.
- 670
- 00:54:19,947 --> 00:54:25,016
- He was flying the X-15 and
- that put him above and beyond
- 671
- 00:54:25,018 --> 00:54:26,787
- all the rest of the candidates.
- 672
- 00:54:29,123 --> 00:54:30,856
- If you want to take
- a longer view
- 673
- 00:54:30,858 --> 00:54:32,291
- then you want to consider,
- 674
- 00:54:32,293 --> 00:54:35,296
- what was he gonna be
- like after the flight?
- 675
- 00:54:36,197 --> 00:54:37,532
- That was equally important.
- 676
- 00:54:39,333 --> 00:54:42,367
- He wasn't gonna go out
- and drink too much,
- 677
- 00:54:42,369 --> 00:54:44,038
- make a fool of himself.
- 678
- 00:54:44,538 --> 00:54:46,306
- He was a straight arrow.
- 679
- 00:54:51,878 --> 00:54:54,315
- A lot of people criticize Neil
- 680
- 00:54:54,614 --> 00:54:58,318
- because he didn't, quote, "get
- out and sell the program."
- 681
- 00:55:00,487 --> 00:55:03,992
- But I think he was much more
- effective in his quiet way.
- 682
- 00:55:17,271 --> 00:55:19,503
- Did I have anything
- to do with Neil
- 683
- 00:55:19,505 --> 00:55:20,942
- being the first man on the moon?
- 684
- 00:55:21,307 --> 00:55:22,976
- Yes, I did it.
- 685
- 00:55:24,612 --> 00:55:27,045
- Deke Slayton said, "Aldrin
- is gonna be the first guy
- 686
- 00:55:27,047 --> 00:55:27,949
- on the moon."
- 687
- 00:55:31,652 --> 00:55:33,985
- Up here says,
- "We don't want Aldrin
- 688
- 00:55:33,987 --> 00:55:35,389
- the first guy on the moon."
- 689
- 00:55:41,327 --> 00:55:45,333
- I just felt like Buzz was
- not the right personality
- 690
- 00:55:45,666 --> 00:55:49,470
- and would not be
- the best representative
- 691
- 00:55:50,570 --> 00:55:52,239
- for the United States.
- 692
- 00:55:53,974 --> 00:55:55,476
- I thought Neil would do better.
- 693
- 00:55:58,978 --> 00:56:01,048
- I didn't dislike Aldrin.
- 694
- 00:56:04,284 --> 00:56:05,519
- Didn't like him either.
- 695
- 00:56:08,621 --> 00:56:10,923
- We all had weaknesses.
- 696
- 00:56:10,925 --> 00:56:12,160
- I haven't met that guy yet.
- 697
- 00:56:12,592 --> 00:56:13,560
- I didn't know Jesus.
- 698
- 00:56:23,103 --> 00:56:24,873
- <i>We were
- a congenial bunch,</i>
- 699
- 00:56:25,371 --> 00:56:27,574
- <i>but really focused on the job.</i>
- 700
- 00:56:30,411 --> 00:56:32,209
- <i>Buzz and I had both
- flown in Korea</i>
- 701
- 00:56:32,211 --> 00:56:34,581
- <i>and his flying skills
- I was sure were good.</i>
- 702
- 00:56:36,150 --> 00:56:39,354
- <i>His intelligence was high,
- he was a creative thinker,</i>
- 703
- 00:56:39,987 --> 00:56:41,588
- <i>and he was willing
- to make suggestions.</i>
- 704
- 00:56:43,023 --> 00:56:45,559
- <i>I'm not sure I recognized
- at that point in time</i>
- 705
- 00:56:46,327 --> 00:56:49,063
- <i>what might be considered
- eccentricities.</i>
- 706
- 00:56:51,364 --> 00:56:53,533
- <i>Mike Collins was
- a joy to work with.</i>
- 707
- 00:56:54,367 --> 00:56:56,136
- <i>Able, cheerful and relaxed.</i>
- 708
- 00:56:58,472 --> 00:57:01,139
- <i>He'd be the sole occupant
- of the command module</i>
- 709
- 00:57:01,141 --> 00:57:03,278
- <i>whilst we descended
- to the moon surface.</i>
- 710
- 00:57:05,980 --> 00:57:08,615
- We were working
- night and day.
- 711
- 00:57:09,717 --> 00:57:13,552
- We felt the whole weight
- of the world on our shoulders,
- 712
- 00:57:13,554 --> 00:57:15,222
- everybody was looking at us.
- 713
- 00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:22,226
- <i>There were some
- things that were done</i>
- 714
- 00:57:22,228 --> 00:57:23,996
- <i>specifically for the benefit
- of giving the press</i>
- 715
- 00:57:23,998 --> 00:57:26,166
- <i>the opportunity
- to either talk with us,</i>
- 716
- 00:57:28,034 --> 00:57:30,637
- <i>or take pictures of our
- activities in preparation.</i>
- 717
- 00:57:32,139 --> 00:57:35,576
- <i>We probably resented
- that to some extent.</i>
- 718
- 00:57:37,311 --> 00:57:39,144
- <i>How would you
- describe your attitude</i>
- 719
- 00:57:39,146 --> 00:57:40,348
- <i>just before flight?</i>
- 720
- 00:57:46,186 --> 00:57:49,490
- - I certainly wouldn't...
- - Not to draw straws.
- 721
- 00:57:56,396 --> 00:57:58,429
- <i>I was asked
- by the bosses,</i>
- 722
- 00:57:58,431 --> 00:58:00,400
- <i>"Do you think you
- and the guys are ready?"</i>
- 723
- 00:58:01,467 --> 00:58:02,636
- <i>And I had to say, "Well,</i>
- 724
- 00:58:03,704 --> 00:58:05,206
- <i>it would be nice
- to have another month,</i>
- 725
- 00:58:06,507 --> 00:58:10,177
- <i>but we were in a race here
- and I had to say, "We're ready,</i>
- 726
- 00:58:11,077 --> 00:58:11,980
- <i>we're ready to go."</i>
- 727
- 00:58:28,094 --> 00:58:29,795
- <i>This is Apollo Control</i>
- 728
- 00:58:29,797 --> 00:58:32,766
- <i>at 102 hours, 12 minutes
- into the flight of Apollo 11.</i>
- 729
- 00:58:35,202 --> 00:58:37,769
- <i>We're now 21 minutes, 23 seconds</i>
- 730
- 00:58:37,771 --> 00:58:40,171
- <i>from the beginning
- of the powered descent</i>
- 731
- 00:58:40,173 --> 00:58:41,242
- <i>to the lunar surface.</i>
- 732
- 00:58:45,478 --> 00:58:48,648
- As we approached
- the landing, mom woke me up.
- 733
- 00:58:49,516 --> 00:58:52,586
- So I was little,
- probably groggy eyed.
- 734
- 00:58:55,121 --> 00:58:57,688
- But it was all fun and no worry
- 735
- 00:58:57,690 --> 00:58:59,593
- from my six year old
- point of view.
- 736
- 00:59:08,101 --> 00:59:10,670
- <i>I was more
- than just a little amazed.</i>
- 737
- 00:59:12,338 --> 00:59:15,273
- <i>Amazed not only because of
- the unlikely chain of events</i>
- 738
- 00:59:15,275 --> 00:59:16,807
- <i>and quirks of fate that had put</i>
- 739
- 00:59:16,809 --> 00:59:19,780
- <i>an Ohio farm boy
- in that remarkable position,</i>
- 740
- 00:59:21,481 --> 00:59:24,719
- <i>but amazed even more
- because everything was working.</i>
- 741
- 00:59:26,820 --> 00:59:28,487
- <i>Eagle, Houston. If you read,</i>
- 742
- 00:59:28,489 --> 00:59:30,324
- <i>you're go for
- powered descent, over.</i>
- 743
- 00:59:43,769 --> 00:59:45,170
- <i>Five by,
- Eagle, we're standing by,</i>
- 744
- 00:59:45,172 --> 00:59:46,574
- <i>for your burn report, over.</i>
- 745
- 00:59:51,277 --> 00:59:53,580
- <i>Columbia,
- Houston, we've lost Eagle again.</i>
- 746
- 00:59:55,315 --> 00:59:58,619
- They lit the engine and
- the wheels came off of the thing.
- 747
- 01:00:01,155 --> 01:00:03,822
- We started having
- communication drop outs,
- 748
- 01:00:03,824 --> 01:00:08,325
- landing radar problems,
- we were off trajectory
- 749
- 01:00:08,327 --> 01:00:10,797
- so we were gonna land short.
- 750
- 01:00:13,233 --> 01:00:14,699
- <i>Our position checks downrange</i>
- 751
- 01:00:14,701 --> 01:00:16,601
- <i>show us to be a little long.</i>
- 752
- 01:00:16,603 --> 01:00:18,403
- <i>Roger, copy.
- And, Eagle, Houston,</i>
- 753
- 01:00:18,405 --> 01:00:19,740
- <i>we've got data dropout.</i>
- 754
- 01:00:21,507 --> 01:00:23,810
- We couldn't understand
- why this was happening.
- 755
- 01:00:24,777 --> 01:00:25,679
- <i>Program alarm.</i>
- 756
- 01:00:28,681 --> 01:00:30,581
- <i>1202, 1202.</i>
- 757
- 01:00:30,583 --> 01:00:31,518
- <i>Roger, copy.</i>
- 758
- 01:00:35,222 --> 01:00:39,327
- In Mission Control
- it got very, very quiet.
- 759
- 01:00:43,396 --> 01:00:44,461
- <i>You're
- always concerned</i>
- 760
- 01:00:44,463 --> 01:00:46,433
- <i>when any kind of alarm comes on.</i>
- 761
- 01:00:47,467 --> 01:00:50,637
- <i>I didn't understand the nature
- of this particular alarm.</i>
- 762
- 01:00:52,606 --> 01:00:54,742
- <i>The computer had
- a lot of complaints,</i>
- 763
- 01:00:55,442 --> 01:00:57,641
- <i>but my own feeling was
- as long as the engine</i>
- 764
- 01:00:57,643 --> 01:00:59,813
- <i>was operating right,
- I had control.</i>
- 765
- 01:01:01,648 --> 01:01:03,682
- <i>I would be in favor
- of continuing</i>
- 766
- 01:01:03,684 --> 01:01:06,220
- <i>no matter what the computer
- was complaining about.</i>
- 767
- 01:01:07,621 --> 01:01:10,222
- - <i>1202 alarm.</i>
- - <i>It's executive overflow.</i>
- 768
- 01:01:10,224 --> 01:01:12,557
- <i>If it does not occur
- again, we're fine.</i>
- 769
- 01:01:12,559 --> 01:01:13,592
- <i>We're going.</i>
- 770
- 01:01:13,594 --> 01:01:15,429
- <i>We're going that alarm.</i>
- 771
- 01:01:23,971 --> 01:01:26,403
- When Neil pitched over
- and he said, "Hey,
- 772
- 01:01:26,405 --> 01:01:29,376
- we got a bunch of rocks out
- there, we can't land here",
- 773
- 01:01:30,409 --> 01:01:33,878
- that was potentially
- the end if he couldn't find
- 774
- 01:01:33,880 --> 01:01:34,916
- a place to land.
- 775
- 01:01:39,786 --> 01:01:41,987
- <i>The autopilot
- was taking us in towards</i>
- 776
- 01:01:41,989 --> 01:01:46,423
- <i>a very large crater about the
- size of a big football stadium</i>
- 777
- 01:01:46,425 --> 01:01:48,760
- <i>with steep slopes
- covered with large rocks</i>
- 778
- 01:01:48,762 --> 01:01:50,530
- <i>about the size of automobiles.</i>
- 779
- 01:01:51,565 --> 01:01:53,800
- <i>Not a good place to land at all,</i>
- 780
- 01:01:55,469 --> 01:01:58,570
- <i>so I took over manually
- and flew it like a helicopter</i>
- 781
- 01:01:58,572 --> 01:01:59,539
- <i>out to the west.</i>
- 782
- 01:02:04,443 --> 01:02:05,909
- I just remember
- them saying,
- 783
- 01:02:05,911 --> 01:02:09,282
- "Yeah, he's off flying it
- himself for some reason."
- 784
- 01:02:10,284 --> 01:02:11,715
- And they were asking,
- 785
- 01:02:11,717 --> 01:02:13,486
- "Can anybody tell us
- where this thing is?"
- 786
- 01:02:19,293 --> 01:02:20,891
- He was moving
- across the lunar surface
- 787
- 01:02:20,893 --> 01:02:22,529
- at pretty great speed.
- 788
- 01:02:28,802 --> 01:02:31,372
- We kept hearing the fuel
- call outs and that was
- 789
- 01:02:32,306 --> 01:02:33,407
- grabbing all of our attention.
- 790
- 01:02:40,579 --> 01:02:42,313
- We knew
- he should be landing.
- 791
- 01:02:42,315 --> 01:02:43,682
- We knew how much
- fuel we do have,
- 792
- 01:02:43,684 --> 01:02:44,986
- we were timing it on the ground.
- 793
- 01:02:46,420 --> 01:02:47,519
- What's
- going through your mind,
- 794
- 01:02:47,521 --> 01:02:49,320
- he's gonna run out of petrol.
- 795
- 01:02:49,322 --> 01:02:50,958
- That's what's going
- through your mind.
- 796
- 01:02:53,025 --> 01:02:55,025
- <i>60 seconds.</i>
- 797
- 01:02:55,027 --> 01:02:58,896
- He had 60 seconds to
- land or we would call an abort.
- 798
- 01:02:58,898 --> 01:03:00,768
- Then I called 30 seconds.
- 799
- 01:03:06,672 --> 01:03:08,408
- We're out of fuel.
- 800
- 01:03:08,942 --> 01:03:11,878
- <i>Roger that. Anybody?</i>
- 801
- 01:03:16,983 --> 01:03:18,619
- Tension was increasing,
- 802
- 01:03:19,619 --> 01:03:22,490
- literally holding our breath,
- are we gonna make it?
- 803
- 01:03:36,536 --> 01:03:38,001
- <i>Four forward,</i>
- 804
- 01:03:38,003 --> 01:03:39,037
- <i>drifting to the right a little,</i>
- 805
- 01:03:39,039 --> 01:03:40,574
- <i>okay, down a half.</i>
- 806
- 01:03:42,742 --> 01:03:45,543
- Buzz said, "We're
- picking up some dust."
- 807
- 01:03:45,545 --> 01:03:48,012
- I can remember thinking,
- "My God, we're there,
- 808
- 01:03:48,014 --> 01:03:50,885
- we are blowing dust off
- the surface of the moon."
- 809
- 01:04:00,025 --> 01:04:03,797
- I heard "contact" and then
- there was a pregnant pause.
- 810
- 01:04:08,402 --> 01:04:13,470
- <i>Houston,
- Tranquility Base here.</i>
- 811
- 01:04:13,472 --> 01:04:14,738
- <i>The eagle has landed.</i>
- 812
- 01:04:21,681 --> 01:04:24,749
- It was the same old Neil,
- just calm as you can imagine,
- 813
- 01:04:24,751 --> 01:04:26,519
- you know, unflappable.
- 814
- 01:04:31,557 --> 01:04:33,758
- I don't see how
- he did that so calmly
- 815
- 01:04:33,760 --> 01:04:35,193
- because I was shouting it out.
- 816
- 01:04:35,195 --> 01:04:37,461
- <i>We copy you down, Eagle.</i>
- 817
- 01:04:37,463 --> 01:04:39,463
- You got a
- bunch of guys about to turn blue,
- 818
- 01:04:39,465 --> 01:04:40,734
- we're breathing again.
- 819
- 01:04:41,969 --> 01:04:44,969
- It was just a
- celebration, we pulled it off,
- 820
- 01:04:44,971 --> 01:04:46,373
- we actually did it.
- 821
- 01:04:50,443 --> 01:04:51,411
- <i>We made it.</i>
- 822
- 01:04:52,646 --> 01:04:54,115
- <i>The thought finally
- reached my consciousness.</i>
- 823
- 01:04:55,483 --> 01:04:59,387
- <i>I clasped the bulky glove
- of Buzz Aldrin on my right.</i>
- 824
- 01:05:00,186 --> 01:05:03,891
- <i>The silent handshake was the
- only congratulations necessary.</i>
- 825
- 01:05:14,668 --> 01:05:16,700
- <i>How did it feel
- at the moment of touchdown?</i>
- 826
- 01:05:16,702 --> 01:05:19,137
- Oh it was exciting,
- just a marvelous thing
- 827
- 01:05:19,139 --> 01:05:21,505
- that we have successfully
- 828
- 01:05:21,507 --> 01:05:24,141
- managed to land safely
- on the moon.
- 829
- 01:05:24,143 --> 01:05:26,713
- Did Neil carry
- anything for you to the moon?
- 830
- 01:05:28,547 --> 01:05:29,914
- Yes, but that's private.
- 831
- 01:05:29,916 --> 01:05:30,882
- You're
- not gonna tell us?
- 832
- 01:05:30,884 --> 01:05:31,751
- No.
- 833
- 01:05:44,597 --> 01:05:45,963
- <i>Okay Neil, we can see you</i>
- 834
- 01:05:45,965 --> 01:05:47,534
- <i>coming down the ladder now.</i>
- 835
- 01:05:51,070 --> 01:05:52,871
- When Neil stepped out,
- 836
- 01:05:52,873 --> 01:05:55,476
- that's when you could
- really hear a pin drop
- 837
- 01:05:58,878 --> 01:06:00,811
- because people were
- trying to listen
- 838
- 01:06:00,813 --> 01:06:02,482
- to everything that was going on.
- 839
- 01:06:07,554 --> 01:06:09,887
- <i>I'm at the foot of the ladder.</i>
- 840
- 01:06:09,889 --> 01:06:13,858
- <i>The surface appears
- to be very, very fine grained</i>
- 841
- 01:06:13,860 --> 01:06:15,260
- <i>as you get close to it.</i>
- 842
- 01:06:15,262 --> 01:06:16,630
- <i>It's almost like a powder.</i>
- 843
- 01:06:18,831 --> 01:06:20,634
- <i>I'm gonna step off the LM now.</i>
- 844
- 01:06:23,168 --> 01:06:27,271
- Just the thought of the
- first step of a human being
- 845
- 01:06:27,273 --> 01:06:32,145
- on another heavenly body was
- to me personally overwhelming.
- 846
- 01:06:37,951 --> 01:06:39,751
- Nobody knew
- he would say anything,
- 847
- 01:06:39,753 --> 01:06:43,121
- I mean there was no big plan
- for him to do anything,
- 848
- 01:06:43,123 --> 01:06:45,893
- and then he came up
- with the right words as usual.
- 849
- 01:06:51,231 --> 01:06:53,601
- <i>That's one small
- step for man,</i>
- 850
- 01:06:55,802 --> 01:06:58,239
- <i>one giant leap for mankind.</i>
- 851
- 01:07:15,789 --> 01:07:18,255
- The thing that I remember
- about the first step
- 852
- 01:07:18,257 --> 01:07:22,161
- was that nobody heard the first
- words in our living room.
- 853
- 01:07:22,896 --> 01:07:25,633
- That's kind of,
- "What'd you say?"
- 854
- 01:07:27,934 --> 01:07:29,833
- Something about one
- small step, you know.
- 855
- 01:07:29,835 --> 01:07:31,869
- Man, where'd he get that from?
- 856
- 01:07:31,871 --> 01:07:33,106
- That was perfect!
- 857
- 01:07:39,612 --> 01:07:42,380
- <i>I thought
- well, when I step off</i>
- 858
- 01:07:42,382 --> 01:07:44,882
- <i>I'm just gonna be
- making a little step</i>
- 859
- 01:07:44,884 --> 01:07:46,686
- <i>from there down to there.</i>
- 860
- 01:07:49,222 --> 01:07:51,926
- <i>But when I thought about
- all those 400,000 people</i>
- 861
- 01:07:52,358 --> 01:07:55,028
- <i>that had given me the
- opportunity to make that step</i>
- 862
- 01:07:56,128 --> 01:08:00,233
- <i>I thought it's gonna be a big
- something for all those folks</i>
- 863
- 01:08:00,800 --> 01:08:02,967
- <i>and indeed a lot of others
- who weren't even involved</i>
- 864
- 01:08:02,969 --> 01:08:03,938
- <i>with the project.</i>
- 865
- 01:08:06,739 --> 01:08:09,742
- <i>So it was kind of a simple
- correlation of thoughts.</i>
- 866
- 01:08:13,079 --> 01:08:15,615
- <i>I think he said it pretty
- well, don't you?</i>
- 867
- 01:08:21,420 --> 01:08:24,223
- <i>It was special and memorable,</i>
- 868
- 01:08:25,891 --> 01:08:27,694
- <i>but we weren't there
- to meditate.</i>
- 869
- 01:08:28,028 --> 01:08:29,697
- <i>We were there
- to get things done,</i>
- 870
- 01:08:30,930 --> 01:08:32,066
- <i>so we got on with it.</i>
- 871
- 01:08:39,104 --> 01:08:41,738
- <i>There were a lot of
- proposals for what to do</i>
- 872
- 01:08:41,740 --> 01:08:43,777
- <i>on the lunar surface
- by different people.</i>
- 873
- 01:08:44,877 --> 01:08:47,411
- <i>Some people thought
- a UN flag should be there,</i>
- 874
- 01:08:47,413 --> 01:08:49,414
- <i>and some people thought
- there should be flags</i>
- 875
- 01:08:49,416 --> 01:08:50,818
- <i>of a lot of nations.</i>
- 876
- 01:08:51,850 --> 01:08:54,387
- <i>My job was to get
- the flag there.</i>
- 877
- 01:08:55,320 --> 01:08:57,155
- <i>I was less concerned
- about whether it was</i>
- 878
- 01:08:57,157 --> 01:08:58,926
- <i>the right artifact to place.</i>
- 879
- 01:09:00,126 --> 01:09:02,293
- <i>I let other wiser
- minds than mine</i>
- 880
- 01:09:02,295 --> 01:09:04,131
- <i>make those kinds of decisions.</i>
- 881
- 01:09:10,703 --> 01:09:13,937
- We were watching it
- in our living room
- 882
- 01:09:13,939 --> 01:09:15,373
- and the fascinating thing was
- 883
- 01:09:15,375 --> 01:09:18,244
- how each of the three
- generations reacted.
- 884
- 01:09:19,311 --> 01:09:22,245
- My wife and I,
- of course were overwhelmed
- 885
- 01:09:22,247 --> 01:09:23,850
- with the achievement.
- 886
- 01:09:25,217 --> 01:09:26,953
- My Dad was speechless.
- 887
- 01:09:27,820 --> 01:09:30,220
- Having been born in
- 1893 when there were
- 888
- 01:09:30,222 --> 01:09:32,192
- no automobiles
- or buggies or anything.
- 889
- 01:09:32,891 --> 01:09:35,662
- To see this, he could
- hardly comprehend it.
- 890
- 01:09:36,462 --> 01:09:38,297
- My two teenagers were sort of,
- 891
- 01:09:38,864 --> 01:09:42,670
- "Yeah, I think maybe I saw
- this on a TV show last week."
- 892
- 01:09:44,270 --> 01:09:46,173
- - <i>Beautiful view.</i>
- - <i>Isn't that something!</i>
- 893
- 01:09:47,439 --> 01:09:48,875
- <i>Magnificent sight out here.</i>
- 894
- 01:09:53,479 --> 01:09:55,879
- I was with the President
- during the landing
- 895
- 01:09:55,881 --> 01:09:56,949
- in the White House.
- 896
- 01:09:58,885 --> 01:10:00,518
- You know that could've
- been a disaster for him
- 897
- 01:10:00,520 --> 01:10:02,285
- if something
- would've gone wrong,
- 898
- 01:10:02,287 --> 01:10:03,456
- who would've got the blame?
- 899
- 01:10:04,690 --> 01:10:07,193
- I tried to tell him that,
- and I also tried to keep him from
- 900
- 01:10:07,527 --> 01:10:09,494
- taking too much credit
- because he didn't deserve
- 901
- 01:10:09,496 --> 01:10:11,097
- either the credit or the blame.
- 902
- 01:10:12,765 --> 01:10:15,333
- Hello Neil and Buzz,
- this certainly has to be
- 903
- 01:10:15,335 --> 01:10:18,739
- the most historic
- telephone call ever made.
- 904
- 01:10:20,172 --> 01:10:24,210
- For one priceless moment
- in the whole history of man
- 905
- 01:10:25,244 --> 01:10:28,414
- all the people
- on this Earth are truly one.
- 906
- 01:10:29,149 --> 01:10:30,915
- <i>Thank you, Mr. President.</i>
- 907
- 01:10:30,917 --> 01:10:34,852
- <i>It's a great honor
- and privilege for us to be here</i>
- 908
- 01:10:34,854 --> 01:10:38,121
- <i>representing not only
- the United States,</i>
- 909
- 01:10:38,123 --> 01:10:40,193
- <i>but all nations</i>
- 910
- 01:10:41,360 --> 01:10:43,063
- <i>and a vision for the future.</i>
- 911
- 01:10:52,104 --> 01:10:53,804
- <i>It's marvelous.</i>
- 912
- 01:10:53,806 --> 01:10:54,871
- <i>Fantastic.</i>
- 913
- 01:10:54,873 --> 01:10:56,443
- <i>I know!</i>
- 914
- 01:10:57,377 --> 01:10:59,309
- <i>Being closer to the moon
- makes us realize</i>
- 915
- 01:10:59,311 --> 01:11:01,180
- <i>that we are
- all human beings together.</i>
- 916
- 01:11:01,914 --> 01:11:03,417
- <i>I hope this brings unity.</i>
- 917
- 01:11:03,983 --> 01:11:05,916
- <i>I thought
- the world got closer today,</i>
- 918
- 01:11:05,918 --> 01:11:07,988
- <i>I felt we all got to know
- each other that much more.</i>
- 919
- 01:11:08,921 --> 01:11:12,024
- <i>Good thing for all
- people, for all the world.</i>
- 920
- 01:11:13,827 --> 01:11:16,230
- Everyone thought
- they were united.
- 921
- 01:11:16,962 --> 01:11:19,062
- They were united at that time,
- 922
- 01:11:19,064 --> 01:11:23,236
- it was extremely exhilarating.
- 923
- 01:11:26,538 --> 01:11:29,840
- <i>This is the greatest
- event in all the history</i>
- 924
- 01:11:29,842 --> 01:11:30,778
- <i>of the human race.</i>
- 925
- 01:11:31,845 --> 01:11:33,376
- <i>Today is New Year's Day
- of the year one.</i>
- 926
- 01:11:39,319 --> 01:11:42,352
- The whole thing was one
- of great exhilaration
- 927
- 01:11:42,354 --> 01:11:45,356
- and pride about what
- we were accomplishing,
- 928
- 01:11:45,358 --> 01:11:46,958
- what he was accomplishing,
- 929
- 01:11:46,960 --> 01:11:48,092
- what the country was
- accomplishing,
- 930
- 01:11:48,094 --> 01:11:49,429
- what mankind was accomplishing.
- 931
- 01:11:54,033 --> 01:11:57,538
- Apollo 11 was kind of
- like crossing the goal
- 932
- 01:11:58,171 --> 01:11:59,173
- in a football game.
- 933
- 01:12:01,140 --> 01:12:04,110
- The rest of our flights had
- helped to advance the goal,
- 934
- 01:12:04,510 --> 01:12:06,880
- but Neil and his crew
- were the ones that scored.
- 935
- 01:12:12,618 --> 01:12:13,987
- You know what he told me?
- 936
- 01:12:15,121 --> 01:12:17,655
- "Seeing the Earth
- in the background was it.
- 937
- 01:12:17,657 --> 01:12:20,226
- That's what I remember
- more than anything."
- 938
- 01:12:29,234 --> 01:12:31,204
- <i>To stand on
- the surface of the moon</i>
- 939
- 01:12:32,005 --> 01:12:33,841
- <i>and look at the Earth
- high overhead</i>
- 940
- 01:12:34,474 --> 01:12:36,409
- <i>is certainly
- a unique experience.</i>
- 941
- 01:12:39,212 --> 01:12:42,612
- <i>Although very beautiful,
- it is very remote.</i>
- 942
- 01:12:42,614 --> 01:12:44,350
- <i>An oasis or an island,</i>
- 943
- 01:12:46,252 --> 01:12:49,186
- <i>but it is the only island
- that we know of</i>
- 944
- 01:12:49,188 --> 01:12:50,556
- <i>that is suitable for man.</i>
- 945
- 01:12:54,327 --> 01:12:57,497
- <i>The importance of protecting
- and saving that home</i>
- 946
- 01:12:58,096 --> 01:13:00,166
- <i>has never been felt
- more strongly.</i>
- 947
- 01:13:02,702 --> 01:13:07,705
- <i>Protection is required, however
- not from foreign aggressors</i>
- 948
- 01:13:07,707 --> 01:13:12,212
- <i>or natural calamity, but
- from its own population.</i>
- 949
- 01:13:22,055 --> 01:13:22,990
- What a moment.
- 950
- 01:13:23,923 --> 01:13:25,589
- We had all been working
- on it for so long
- 951
- 01:13:25,591 --> 01:13:26,894
- and then there it was.
- 952
- 01:13:28,461 --> 01:13:29,960
- But in the back of our mind
- 953
- 01:13:29,962 --> 01:13:31,495
- we were thinking about
- getting them home
- 954
- 01:13:31,497 --> 01:13:33,100
- and get them off of there.
- 955
- 01:13:42,507 --> 01:13:44,377
- <i>Tranquility
- Base, Houston.</i>
- 956
- 01:13:46,479 --> 01:13:49,249
- - <i>Roger, go ahead.</i>
- - <i>You're cleared for takeoff.</i>
- 957
- 01:13:50,315 --> 01:13:51,382
- <i>Roger, understand.</i>
- 958
- 01:13:51,384 --> 01:13:52,685
- <i>We're number one on the runway.</i>
- 959
- 01:13:53,485 --> 01:13:54,354
- <i>Roger.</i>
- 960
- 01:14:02,462 --> 01:14:04,527
- <i>The eagle
- is back in orbit</i>
- 961
- 01:14:04,529 --> 01:14:06,032
- <i>having left Tranquility Base.</i>
- 962
- 01:14:07,234 --> 01:14:10,103
- <i>Roger, we copy,
- the whole world is proud of you.</i>
- 963
- 01:14:17,609 --> 01:14:21,647
- <i>To all those Americans
- who built those spacecraft,</i>
- 964
- 01:14:22,280 --> 01:14:26,452
- <i>and put their, their hearts</i>
- 965
- 01:14:29,721 --> 01:14:31,522
- <i>and all their abilities</i>
- 966
- 01:14:31,524 --> 01:14:32,659
- <i>into those crafts.</i>
- 967
- 01:14:34,027 --> 01:14:37,163
- <i>To those people, tonight,
- we give a special thank you.</i>
- 968
- 01:14:40,166 --> 01:14:43,134
- It was sort of all about
- the team, not the individual.
- 969
- 01:14:43,136 --> 01:14:46,707
- Not what he did, but everybody.
- 970
- 01:14:52,811 --> 01:14:55,716
- <i>July 24th,
- dawn, in the Pacific,</i>
- 971
- 01:14:56,815 --> 01:14:59,517
- <i>Apollo blazes across
- the heavens,</i>
- 972
- 01:14:59,519 --> 01:15:02,255
- <i>coming back to Earth
- at 25,000 miles an hour.</i>
- 973
- 01:15:29,082 --> 01:15:32,019
- We did New York,
- Chicago and L.A. all in one day.
- 974
- 01:15:33,185 --> 01:15:36,389
- It was fabulous, like nothing
- I'd ever seen before.
- 975
- 01:15:40,126 --> 01:15:41,293
- The streets were just jammed.
- 976
- 01:15:41,594 --> 01:15:45,364
- I mean, It was 50,
- 60 people deep.
- 977
- 01:15:47,432 --> 01:15:48,732
- Everybody was pushing
- and shoving
- 978
- 01:15:48,734 --> 01:15:50,537
- and trying to get
- your attention.
- 979
- 01:15:54,506 --> 01:15:56,107
- It was kind of crazy.
- 980
- 01:15:56,109 --> 01:15:59,179
- The amount of ticker tape
- was filling up the car.
- 981
- 01:16:00,712 --> 01:16:04,083
- You don't have any preparation
- for that experience.
- 982
- 01:16:19,765 --> 01:16:22,465
- This was the beginning.
- 983
- 01:16:22,467 --> 01:16:24,070
- It's the beginning of it all.
- 984
- 01:16:24,337 --> 01:16:25,736
- But there was nothing
- you could do,
- 985
- 01:16:25,738 --> 01:16:27,340
- I mean these people were
- just happy to see you.
- 986
- 01:16:32,511 --> 01:16:33,779
- It came immediate,
- 987
- 01:16:34,779 --> 01:16:36,780
- more than rock stars even.
- 988
- 01:16:36,782 --> 01:16:38,452
- They were world heroes.
- 989
- 01:16:40,619 --> 01:16:43,657
- And all three of them
- were not attention seekers
- 990
- 01:16:44,856 --> 01:16:45,725
- at that point.
- 991
- 01:16:50,863 --> 01:16:54,732
- How do you propose
- to restore some normalcy
- 992
- 01:16:54,734 --> 01:16:57,404
- to your private lives
- in the years ahead?
- 993
- 01:16:59,238 --> 01:17:01,405
- I wish I knew the answer
- to the latter part
- 994
- 01:17:01,407 --> 01:17:02,673
- of your question.
- 995
- 01:17:03,775 --> 01:17:05,177
- Kind of depends on you.
- 996
- 01:17:23,762 --> 01:17:27,634
- Neil didn't like the
- exposure that he saw coming.
- 997
- 01:17:29,969 --> 01:17:31,802
- He did a real good job at it,
- 998
- 01:17:31,804 --> 01:17:35,175
- doing the world tour
- and everything like that.
- 999
- 01:17:37,243 --> 01:17:39,913
- Everywhere we went,
- our spokesman was Neil.
- 1000
- 01:17:42,582 --> 01:17:44,551
- Poor guy had to make
- the speeches.
- 1001
- 01:17:45,917 --> 01:17:49,320
- This is
- the beginning of a new era.
- 1002
- 01:17:49,322 --> 01:17:52,488
- When man understands
- the universe around him
- 1003
- 01:17:52,490 --> 01:17:56,960
- and the beginning of the era
- when man understands himself.
- 1004
- 01:18:00,966 --> 01:18:02,633
- He did
- what he had to do.
- 1005
- 01:18:02,635 --> 01:18:05,803
- And whenever he had to do it,
- he was gonna do it well,
- 1006
- 01:18:05,805 --> 01:18:07,606
- but he might not like it,
- 1007
- 01:18:08,407 --> 01:18:09,909
- and so that was Neil.
- 1008
- 01:18:12,845 --> 01:18:16,647
- Some of the activities
- he performed
- 1009
- 01:18:16,649 --> 01:18:18,382
- through a feeling of obligation
- 1010
- 01:18:18,384 --> 01:18:20,252
- that was part of his job.
- 1011
- 01:18:21,854 --> 01:18:24,291
- He's probably the best
- person of all of us
- 1012
- 01:18:24,590 --> 01:18:26,690
- to have been
- the first man on the moon
- 1013
- 01:18:26,692 --> 01:18:27,761
- because of the way
- he handled it.
- 1014
- 01:18:30,429 --> 01:18:32,865
- I mean I don't know if I could
- ever take on that load
- 1015
- 01:18:33,399 --> 01:18:34,598
- and the fact that he's first,
- 1016
- 01:18:34,600 --> 01:18:36,803
- everybody wants Neil Armstrong.
- 1017
- 01:18:54,552 --> 01:18:55,885
- We'd like to know when
- you're gonna take
- 1018
- 01:18:55,887 --> 01:18:57,388
- the first woman to the moon?
- 1019
- 01:18:57,390 --> 01:18:58,291
- Yeah.
- 1020
- 01:18:59,625 --> 01:19:01,291
- We welcome you with open arms.
- 1021
- 01:19:14,073 --> 01:19:15,973
- The amount
- of requests for him
- 1022
- 01:19:15,975 --> 01:19:19,012
- to come here,
- do this, speak, show up,
- 1023
- 01:19:19,878 --> 01:19:21,413
- write a letter
- of recommendation.
- 1024
- 01:19:22,715 --> 01:19:23,984
- People would write letters,
- 1025
- 01:19:24,684 --> 01:19:28,021
- Neil Armstrong, USA,
- and he would get them.
- 1026
- 01:19:38,430 --> 01:19:39,929
- I certainly became
- aware of the stresses
- 1027
- 01:19:39,931 --> 01:19:41,898
- after the flight of Apollo 11,
- 1028
- 01:19:41,900 --> 01:19:45,468
- with news crews and folks
- essentially camped out
- 1029
- 01:19:45,470 --> 01:19:46,505
- in our front yard.
- 1030
- 01:19:48,407 --> 01:19:50,507
- At that point you
- could start to see
- 1031
- 01:19:50,509 --> 01:19:52,011
- a little bit of frustration
- 1032
- 01:19:53,945 --> 01:19:58,284
- with just being able
- to function normally.
- 1033
- 01:20:00,685 --> 01:20:02,619
- You start scratching
- your head and you say,
- 1034
- 01:20:02,621 --> 01:20:05,358
- "Oh, gee whiz,
- what do we do now?"
- 1035
- 01:20:08,793 --> 01:20:12,763
- Thank God social media
- didn't exist back then.
- 1036
- 01:20:27,546 --> 01:20:30,083
- At that point,
- we moved to Ohio.
- 1037
- 01:20:32,818 --> 01:20:35,518
- The decision
- to move was very intentional
- 1038
- 01:20:35,520 --> 01:20:37,523
- to try to simplify our lives.
- 1039
- 01:20:39,759 --> 01:20:42,459
- He just wanted
- to be a regular guy
- 1040
- 01:20:42,461 --> 01:20:43,693
- just like everybody else,
- 1041
- 01:20:43,695 --> 01:20:45,998
- and he could, he was like that.
- 1042
- 01:20:48,900 --> 01:20:50,534
- The media at that time
- 1043
- 01:20:50,536 --> 01:20:52,105
- labeled my father as a recluse,
- 1044
- 01:20:52,570 --> 01:20:55,708
- and it's just nothing could
- be further from the truth.
- 1045
- 01:20:59,011 --> 01:21:01,577
- He got a bad
- rap from the press.
- 1046
- 01:21:01,579 --> 01:21:03,582
- He just didn't like
- the publicity.
- 1047
- 01:21:07,520 --> 01:21:10,586
- He wasn't comfortable
- taking credit
- 1048
- 01:21:10,588 --> 01:21:12,759
- for something that
- belonged to so many people.
- 1049
- 01:21:15,895 --> 01:21:17,664
- <i>I just don't
- deserve celebrity.</i>
- 1050
- 01:21:18,564 --> 01:21:20,100
- <i>I wasn't chosen to be first,</i>
- 1051
- 01:21:20,632 --> 01:21:23,068
- <i>I was just chosen
- to command that flight.</i>
- 1052
- 01:21:24,569 --> 01:21:27,639
- <i>Circumstance put me in
- that particular role.</i>
- 1053
- 01:21:28,673 --> 01:21:30,042
- <i>It wasn't planned by anyone.</i>
- 1054
- 01:21:44,590 --> 01:21:47,427
- Everybody is pretty
- numb about space by now
- 1055
- 01:21:47,993 --> 01:21:49,726
- and I think nobody cares at all.
- 1056
- 01:21:49,728 --> 01:21:51,829
- These space shuttles
- have been too exclusively
- 1057
- 01:21:51,831 --> 01:21:52,931
- scientific in their orientation
- 1058
- 01:21:53,498 --> 01:21:54,932
- and I think the average
- man in America
- 1059
- 01:21:54,934 --> 01:21:56,900
- feels that space is just
- a great waste of money
- 1060
- 01:21:56,902 --> 01:21:58,404
- because he doesn't feel
- any part of it.
- 1061
- 01:22:00,805 --> 01:22:03,574
- <i>Five years later,
- Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins</i>
- 1062
- 01:22:03,576 --> 01:22:06,578
- <i>are out of the space program
- and very different men.</i>
- 1063
- 01:22:07,746 --> 01:22:11,113
- <i>Mike Collins, now 43, briefly
- tried a State Department</i>
- 1064
- 01:22:11,115 --> 01:22:13,983
- <i>public affairs job,
- found it impossible,</i>
- 1065
- 01:22:13,985 --> 01:22:17,023
- <i>and now heads the Smithsonian
- Air and Space Museum.</i>
- 1066
- 01:22:19,891 --> 01:22:23,759
- <i>Buzz Aldrin, now 44,
- suffers from bouts of depression</i>
- 1067
- 01:22:23,761 --> 01:22:26,897
- <i>and blames NASA
- for the Boy Scout fishbowl lies</i>
- 1068
- 01:22:26,899 --> 01:22:28,067
- <i>they were forced to live.</i>
- 1069
- 01:22:30,636 --> 01:22:33,070
- <i>Armstrong will be 44 next month,</i>
- 1070
- 01:22:33,072 --> 01:22:35,171
- <i>is now professor
- of aeronautical engineering</i>
- 1071
- 01:22:35,173 --> 01:22:36,775
- <i>at the University of Cincinnati.</i>
- 1072
- 01:22:38,277 --> 01:22:41,143
- <i>Still his own man,
- Neil lives within himself</i>
- 1073
- 01:22:41,145 --> 01:22:43,750
- <i>and shies away from
- the press and public.</i>
- 1074
- 01:22:55,961 --> 01:22:58,160
- After we moved to Lebanon
- 1075
- 01:22:58,162 --> 01:23:00,229
- we got to spend more
- time together,
- 1076
- 01:23:00,231 --> 01:23:02,132
- we were able to do the things
- 1077
- 01:23:02,134 --> 01:23:03,733
- that maybe we didn't
- get a chance to do
- 1078
- 01:23:03,735 --> 01:23:05,003
- when I was younger.
- 1079
- 01:23:07,706 --> 01:23:10,243
- We spent a lot of time
- together around golf.
- 1080
- 01:23:11,210 --> 01:23:12,110
- He loved golf.
- 1081
- 01:23:13,112 --> 01:23:18,251
- And he wasn't a great
- player, but he loved it.
- 1082
- 01:23:26,625 --> 01:23:29,960
- As I got to know him,
- our friendship developed,
- 1083
- 01:23:29,962 --> 01:23:33,132
- we genuinely enjoyed one
- another's company,
- 1084
- 01:23:35,768 --> 01:23:38,238
- certainly on the golf course
- but socially as well.
- 1085
- 01:23:41,273 --> 01:23:43,040
- That I think then lead me
- 1086
- 01:23:43,042 --> 01:23:45,778
- to an ostentatious
- thought on my part.
- 1087
- 01:23:46,145 --> 01:23:48,611
- I wonder if he would be
- interested in joining
- 1088
- 01:23:48,613 --> 01:23:49,948
- my corporate board.
- 1089
- 01:23:52,818 --> 01:23:55,088
- Most people I invited,
- all really,
- 1090
- 01:23:55,820 --> 01:23:57,222
- they'd say yes immediately.
- 1091
- 01:23:58,189 --> 01:24:01,994
- I spent almost two hours
- with Neil in his office.
- 1092
- 01:24:02,795 --> 01:24:03,997
- He wanted to be sure,
- 1093
- 01:24:04,363 --> 01:24:06,599
- number one,
- that I wasn't using him.
- 1094
- 01:24:09,068 --> 01:24:11,701
- Also, he wanted
- to know why I thought
- 1095
- 01:24:11,703 --> 01:24:13,273
- he'd be a good board member.
- 1096
- 01:24:15,239 --> 01:24:18,144
- So answering those two
- questions to his satisfaction
- 1097
- 01:24:19,345 --> 01:24:20,547
- took some time.
- 1098
- 01:24:23,948 --> 01:24:26,685
- Neil became a spectacular
- board member,
- 1099
- 01:24:28,119 --> 01:24:29,988
- asked all the hard questions.
- 1100
- 01:24:32,157 --> 01:24:33,924
- In fact, I remember
- one board meeting
- 1101
- 01:24:33,926 --> 01:24:35,929
- he asked a particularly
- hard question
- 1102
- 01:24:36,228 --> 01:24:37,660
- and I couldn't help it,
- 1103
- 01:24:37,662 --> 01:24:39,062
- I said,
- "Who the hell invited you
- 1104
- 01:24:39,064 --> 01:24:40,731
- to get on this board
- in the first place",
- 1105
- 01:24:40,733 --> 01:24:41,798
- and we all laughed.
- 1106
- 01:24:41,800 --> 01:24:42,969
- He said, "You know who did."
- 1107
- 01:24:46,171 --> 01:24:49,208
- Not surprisingly, Neil went
- on several other boards,
- 1108
- 01:24:49,908 --> 01:24:51,711
- United and Learjet among them.
- 1109
- 01:24:52,877 --> 01:24:55,745
- He was even the founder
- of a Lloyds of London
- 1110
- 01:24:55,747 --> 01:24:58,585
- insurance business
- aptly named Apollo.
- 1111
- 01:25:03,788 --> 01:25:04,990
- Put that in the can.
- 1112
- 01:25:12,398 --> 01:25:14,000
- <i>Good roll program confirmed.</i>
- 1113
- 01:25:14,899 --> 01:25:16,802
- <i>Challenger now
- heading down range.</i>
- 1114
- 01:25:20,338 --> 01:25:23,706
- <i>Engines at 65 percent,
- three engines running normally.</i>
- 1115
- 01:25:23,708 --> 01:25:25,877
- <i>Three good fuel cells,
- three good APU's.</i>
- 1116
- 01:25:26,278 --> 01:25:28,114
- <i>Challenger, go at throttle up.</i>
- 1117
- 01:25:28,780 --> 01:25:30,248
- <i>Roger, go at throttle up.</i>
- 1118
- 01:25:39,024 --> 01:25:40,891
- - <i>Flight, FIDO.</i>
- - <i>Go ahead.</i>
- 1119
- 01:25:40,893 --> 01:25:42,060
- <i>RSO
- reports vehicle exploded.</i>
- 1120
- 01:25:43,796 --> 01:25:44,797
- <i>Copy.</i>
- 1121
- 01:25:48,233 --> 01:25:50,834
- Just as things
- are settling down,
- 1122
- 01:25:50,836 --> 01:25:52,736
- President Reagan asked my father
- 1123
- 01:25:52,738 --> 01:25:55,171
- to be involved
- in the investigation committee
- 1124
- 01:25:55,173 --> 01:25:58,744
- for the Challenger tragedy.
- 1125
- 01:26:01,313 --> 01:26:04,748
- The space program was
- at risk at that point
- 1126
- 01:26:04,750 --> 01:26:07,185
- and he just didn't feel
- like he could say no.
- 1127
- 01:26:08,854 --> 01:26:13,226
- And that took him right
- back into workaholic mode.
- 1128
- 01:26:17,195 --> 01:26:18,995
- Neil spent
- an enormous amount of time
- 1129
- 01:26:18,997 --> 01:26:20,800
- on the Challenger accident.
- 1130
- 01:26:21,233 --> 01:26:24,103
- He was very key
- in a situation like that.
- 1131
- 01:26:24,502 --> 01:26:29,973
- And I want to pay particular
- tribute and credit to Neil Armstrong
- 1132
- 01:26:29,975 --> 01:26:32,174
- because he's done a great job.
- 1133
- 01:26:32,176 --> 01:26:36,181
- He did so much of
- the engineering aspects of it.
- 1134
- 01:26:42,054 --> 01:26:44,390
- That was a year
- of being away from home,
- 1135
- 01:26:45,423 --> 01:26:48,027
- and I think that was very
- difficult for my mother.
- 1136
- 01:26:51,764 --> 01:26:53,496
- I think he just had
- his priorities
- 1137
- 01:26:53,498 --> 01:26:56,301
- and it depended on where you
- were on that priority list.
- 1138
- 01:26:57,869 --> 01:27:01,173
- And the truth was,
- I was pretty low.
- 1139
- 01:27:06,345 --> 01:27:08,410
- My father felt like
- there were things
- 1140
- 01:27:08,412 --> 01:27:09,848
- he just couldn't say no to,
- 1141
- 01:27:10,448 --> 01:27:14,183
- and my mother felt like
- she really wanted him
- 1142
- 01:27:14,185 --> 01:27:17,322
- to spend more time with her
- and with the family.
- 1143
- 01:27:19,824 --> 01:27:21,226
- He said he would change.
- 1144
- 01:27:22,493 --> 01:27:24,730
- He'd had 38 years to change,
- 1145
- 01:27:26,265 --> 01:27:29,102
- and I just didn't see
- that it would happen.
- 1146
- 01:27:32,203 --> 01:27:35,138
- We attempted counseling
- and see if we could
- 1147
- 01:27:35,140 --> 01:27:38,144
- help him save it
- but we were way over our heads.
- 1148
- 01:27:40,244 --> 01:27:42,849
- We'd been living
- separate lives for years.
- 1149
- 01:27:44,483 --> 01:27:49,521
- I just finally decided
- to make it final and I did.
- 1150
- 01:27:50,555 --> 01:27:54,223
- And it was
- the right thing to do,
- 1151
- 01:27:54,225 --> 01:27:55,994
- but it was difficult
- for the boys.
- 1152
- 01:27:59,264 --> 01:28:01,464
- <i>The one thing
- I regret is that my work</i>
- 1153
- 01:28:01,466 --> 01:28:04,267
- <i>required an enormous
- amount of my time</i>
- 1154
- 01:28:04,269 --> 01:28:05,805
- <i>and a lot of travel.</i>
- 1155
- 01:28:07,038 --> 01:28:09,371
- <i>I didn't get to spend the amount
- of time with my family</i>
- 1156
- 01:28:09,373 --> 01:28:11,077
- <i>I would've liked.</i>
- 1157
- 01:28:16,280 --> 01:28:18,283
- Ladies and gentlemen,
- Neil Armstrong,
- 1158
- 01:28:19,217 --> 01:28:23,421
- the first to plant his foot
- on the surface of the moon
- 1159
- 01:28:24,122 --> 01:28:26,225
- has been a pioneer in many ways.
- 1160
- 01:28:26,859 --> 01:28:30,029
- Mr. Armstrong, in asking
- you to come to the podium,
- 1161
- 01:28:30,429 --> 01:28:34,164
- may I say that millions
- of Americans have admired you
- 1162
- 01:28:34,166 --> 01:28:35,467
- not only for your achievement
- 1163
- 01:28:36,201 --> 01:28:39,035
- but for the quiet
- dignity with which
- 1164
- 01:28:39,037 --> 01:28:41,841
- you have conducted
- yourself and represented
- 1165
- 01:28:42,306 --> 01:28:45,177
- not only our country,
- but humankind.
- 1166
- 01:28:45,543 --> 01:28:47,509
- Ladies and gentlemen,
- Neil Armstrong.
- 1167
- 01:28:55,087 --> 01:28:57,590
- I kind of lost touch
- with him for some time.
- 1168
- 01:28:58,457 --> 01:29:02,528
- But then toward, starting around
- 2000 or somewhere in there,
- 1169
- 01:29:03,095 --> 01:29:07,567
- he got more available.
- 1170
- 01:29:08,199 --> 01:29:11,570
- Fellow astronauts,
- ladies and gentlemen.
- 1171
- 01:29:12,069 --> 01:29:14,206
- He was kind
- of back amongst us.
- 1172
- 01:29:14,538 --> 01:29:17,339
- He had served his time
- and kind of had gotten
- 1173
- 01:29:17,341 --> 01:29:19,612
- a little bit, maybe not
- so full of pressure.
- 1174
- 01:29:20,645 --> 01:29:23,048
- Wilbur Wright once noted
- 1175
- 01:29:23,948 --> 01:29:27,052
- that the only bird
- that could talk was the parrot,
- 1176
- 01:29:27,953 --> 01:29:30,053
- and he didn't fly very well.
- 1177
- 01:29:39,463 --> 01:29:40,966
- So I'll be brief.
- 1178
- 01:29:43,969 --> 01:29:47,137
- It was very nice,
- very pleasant to see Neil
- 1179
- 01:29:47,139 --> 01:29:48,306
- enjoying himself.
- 1180
- 01:29:50,309 --> 01:29:53,309
- I got a feeling
- that Neil really felt
- 1181
- 01:29:53,311 --> 01:29:55,711
- like he was in the right
- place at the right time,
- 1182
- 01:29:55,713 --> 01:29:58,283
- and he was enjoying
- what he was doing there.
- 1183
- 01:30:00,085 --> 01:30:02,485
- You want to make a mark.
- 1184
- 01:30:02,487 --> 01:30:06,423
- You'd like to leave
- the world a little better
- 1185
- 01:30:06,425 --> 01:30:09,528
- than when you came,
- that's my goal.
- 1186
- 01:30:17,336 --> 01:30:19,736
- He said he would change
- and I think he did,
- 1187
- 01:30:19,738 --> 01:30:23,175
- but it wasn't through me that
- that happened.
- 1188
- 01:30:26,345 --> 01:30:28,314
- I'm happy that he married Carol.
- 1189
- 01:30:29,448 --> 01:30:31,617
- I have no ax to grind at all.
- 1190
- 01:30:37,189 --> 01:30:41,290
- History is a sequence
- of random events
- 1191
- 01:30:41,292 --> 01:30:44,029
- and unpredictable choices,
- 1192
- 01:30:45,296 --> 01:30:49,434
- which is why the future is
- so difficult to foresee.
- 1193
- 01:31:01,380 --> 01:31:04,350
- Open heart surgery I
- think is always a cause for concern.
- 1194
- 01:31:06,118 --> 01:31:08,050
- You're not frighten,
- you're anxious for it
- 1195
- 01:31:08,052 --> 01:31:09,555
- to be over with, you know.
- 1196
- 01:31:14,792 --> 01:31:17,593
- Mark called me
- and he said,
- 1197
- 01:31:17,595 --> 01:31:22,067
- "Aunt June, if you're coming,
- you have to come now.
- 1198
- 01:31:22,667 --> 01:31:23,703
- Neil's dying."
- 1199
- 01:31:27,305 --> 01:31:31,210
- I was in there with him
- and I said this is your sister.
- 1200
- 01:31:34,813 --> 01:31:36,015
- He squeezed my hand.
- 1201
- 01:31:43,622 --> 01:31:44,490
- He knew.
- 1202
- 01:31:48,793 --> 01:31:50,395
- It was a tragic thing.
- 1203
- 01:31:55,067 --> 01:31:56,101
- He was a good guy.
- 1204
- 01:32:00,771 --> 01:32:03,505
- <i>We have lost
- an American icon.</i>
- 1205
- 01:32:03,507 --> 01:32:05,842
- <i>Neil Armstrong had heart
- surgery earlier this month</i>
- 1206
- 01:32:05,844 --> 01:32:08,710
- <i>just days after his
- 82nd birthday,</i>
- 1207
- 01:32:08,712 --> 01:32:10,412
- <i>his wife reportedly
- telling friends</i>
- 1208
- 01:32:10,414 --> 01:32:12,150
- <i>he was doing well
- with his recovery.</i>
- 1209
- 01:32:13,118 --> 01:32:15,151
- <i>The passing today
- of a true American hero</i>
- 1210
- 01:32:15,153 --> 01:32:17,623
- <i>carrying a pioneering
- spirit right into space.</i>
- 1211
- 01:32:34,305 --> 01:32:36,705
- I was honored
- to be one of the eulogists
- 1212
- 01:32:36,707 --> 01:32:38,210
- at his memorial service.
- 1213
- 01:32:40,345 --> 01:32:42,715
- Let me read the last
- paragraph of it,
- 1214
- 01:32:43,849 --> 01:32:45,784
- because I can't say
- it any better.
- 1215
- 01:32:47,652 --> 01:32:51,120
- "Let me close with this,
- Neil's historic statement
- 1216
- 01:32:51,122 --> 01:32:53,123
- from the surface of the moon
- 1217
- 01:32:53,125 --> 01:32:55,892
- said that it was one
- small step for a man,
- 1218
- 01:32:55,894 --> 01:32:57,630
- one giant leap for mankind.
- 1219
- 01:32:58,796 --> 01:33:00,465
- Well it may have been
- a small step,
- 1220
- 01:33:01,166 --> 01:33:03,302
- but it was taken
- by a giant of a man.
- 1221
- 01:33:03,734 --> 01:33:05,603
- He was that rarest of men.
- 1222
- 01:33:06,171 --> 01:33:08,340
- One who simply did what
- he believed was right,
- 1223
- 01:33:08,840 --> 01:33:11,444
- nothing more,
- nothing less, every time."
- 1224
- 01:33:16,381 --> 01:33:19,151
- He knew who he was
- and he knew what he wanted to do
- 1225
- 01:33:19,518 --> 01:33:22,919
- and he knew how to go after it,
- 1226
- 01:33:22,921 --> 01:33:25,821
- and I think he did just that.
- 1227
- 01:33:29,493 --> 01:33:31,262
- Everybody's proud
- of what he's accomplished.
- 1228
- 01:33:32,197 --> 01:33:33,530
- Could I have done that?
- 1229
- 01:33:33,532 --> 01:33:34,830
- I'm certain
- I could've done that,
- 1230
- 01:33:34,832 --> 01:33:36,768
- that's who we are.
- 1231
- 01:33:41,840 --> 01:33:46,276
- He was a wonderful
- representative of the United States,
- 1232
- 01:33:46,278 --> 01:33:49,548
- and beyond that he was
- a wonderful human being.
- 1233
- 01:33:55,487 --> 01:33:57,189
- I liked his humility.
- 1234
- 01:33:57,788 --> 01:34:00,490
- You see him on an airplane
- you'd never realize
- 1235
- 01:34:00,492 --> 01:34:01,627
- this guy was even a pilot.
- 1236
- 01:34:05,697 --> 01:34:08,601
- Obviously he was
- a great stick and rudder pilot
- 1237
- 01:34:09,600 --> 01:34:11,768
- and he'll be remembered
- in aviation
- 1238
- 01:34:11,770 --> 01:34:13,539
- and even space circles for that,
- 1239
- 01:34:13,904 --> 01:34:16,638
- but it's the more
- intellectual side of him
- 1240
- 01:34:16,640 --> 01:34:20,375
- and the fact that he was
- able to mix it all together
- 1241
- 01:34:20,377 --> 01:34:23,282
- and produce
- this beautiful blossom.
- 1242
- 01:34:27,752 --> 01:34:31,222
- Neil was a super
- guy, he was a class guy,
- 1243
- 01:34:32,591 --> 01:34:33,626
- and I loved him.
- 1244
- 01:34:46,971 --> 01:34:48,740
- <i>I am and ever will be</i>
- 1245
- 01:34:49,841 --> 01:34:53,945
- <i>a white socks pocket
- protector, nerdy engineer,</i>
- 1246
- 01:34:55,279 --> 01:34:58,449
- <i>born under the second
- law of thermodynamics,</i>
- 1247
- 01:35:00,284 --> 01:35:01,886
- <i>steeped in steam tables,</i>
- 1248
- 01:35:03,287 --> 01:35:04,856
- <i>in love with free body diagrams,</i>
- 1249
- 01:35:05,990 --> 01:35:11,697
- <i>transformed by lab-las and
- propelled by compressible flow.</i>
- 1250
- 01:35:19,604 --> 01:35:22,208
- God bless you,
- goodnight from Apollo 11.
- 1251
- 01:35:31,384 --> 01:35:33,549
- Subtitles by explosiveskull
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