Image source: NASA
Today marks the 40thAnniversary of the Apollo 11 mission lunar landing on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong took “one small step.” With help from NASA, Wired Science, and The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and
Museum, I put together some links, photos, and documents for a virtual celebration.
I. Features of particular note in honor of the
anniversary, via Wired Science:
a.
Audio time capsule:
NASA is playing the entire Apollo 11
mission audio in real time + 40 years.
b. New
photos from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, of five of
the six Apollo sites, with the remaining Apollo 12 site expected to be
photographed in the coming weeks. Even
shows astronaut footprints.
c. Restored historical video
footage of the landing.
NASA has released restored clips of some of the
key moments in the mission, including Neil Armstrong’s “one small step.”
d. Audio
that Earth didn’t hear. The on-board recordings from the mission:
You're
in a spacecraft, descending to land on the moon for the first time in history,
and the microphone to Earth is off. What do you say?
"I
would appreciate if you could … see if you could … find the map …"
"Trade
you that for a piece of gum. There it is."
And
so it went as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the surface of the
moon aboard the Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969. The world heard
communications between the crew and Mission Control live as they happened. But
Earth did not hear the conversation between Armstrong and Aldrin, although it
was recorded onboard the Eagle.
e. The Apollo 11 astronauts
will speak at a sold-out
event at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Watch it
live on NASA TV at 8 p.m.
EDT on July 19.
f. Apollo 40th
Anniversary News Conference at NASA Headquarters, July 20 at 9:30-10:30 EDT
from NASA headquarters. Also live
on NASA TV.
II.
Key
Apollo Source Documents.
Includes, for example, this memo (first few paragraphs copied below) from President John F. Kennedy that set in motion the
Apollo missions.
III. From The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs, President John F. Kennedy, Delivered in person before a joint session of Congress
Details:
The President discusses the nation’s space program and establishes a national goal “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”
Location: U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
Date: May 25, 1961
Running time: 7:56 minutes
Audio file and text transcript available here
IV. Apollo 40th Anniversary Website, here
Great post. Great memories!