"The Eagle has landed." 55 years ago today

[Hardline]

On July 20, 1969—55 years ago today—Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon. Later that day, NASA Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface.

I was 8 months old.

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." (Neil Armstrong)

 

[rags747]

My current iPhone and iPad have more computing power than that Apollo 8 computer. How is it that we find it so difficult to go back?!

 

[gtb1943]

My current iPhone and iPad have more computing power than that Apollo 8 computer. How is it that we find it so difficult to go back?!

part of it is money; lack of interest by many unlike the space race.
Part of it is that NASA is such a money pit now due to its absolutely screwed up systems that doing anything new with manned ships is all but impossible.
Orion is a modernized apollo in a lot of ways; but costs so much more.
a moonbase would be a very interesting thing but we would have to make it pay and I do not think anyone can do that yet

 

[Runwildboys]

I was 5 years old, but I do remember watching it, on our grainy, B&W TV, which sat atop our broken color console TV.

I don't remember if they were showing it on all 3 channels though.

 

[gtb1943]

I was 5 years old, but I do remember watching it, on our grainy, B&W TV, which sat atop our broken color console TV.

I don't remember if they were showing it on all 3 channels though.

I was 11 and yes they did have it on all three channels but most watched CBS because Walter Cronkite was there

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

still saxon's best song to date

 

[SlammedZero]

Back when they filmed it on a studio set.

I'm kidding!! I'm kidding. I'm not one of those. I actually believe in technology and science. Just had to tease.

 

[timb2]

part of it is money; lack of interest by many unlike the space race.
Part of it is that NASA is such a money pit now due to its absolutely screwed up systems that doing anything new with manned ships is all but impossible.
Orion is a modernized apollo in a lot of ways; but costs so much more.
a moonbase would be a very interesting thing but we would have to make it pay and I do not think anyone can do that yet

Yet NASA says they lost the technology to go back to the Moon. That makes absolutely no common sense.

 

[gtb1943]

Yet NASA says they lost the technology to go back to the Moon. That makes absolutely no common sense.

Of course not. The sixty year old tech that went to the moon which worked and worked well was discarded for new tech that has proven to be less reliable.
As I said ORION is basically a modernize Apollo fifty times more expensive and complicated.
The tech to go to the moon has always been there. There is no reason at all that we could not have gone back any time we wanted.
But we did not for three reasons: Cost, lack of interest and lack of a reason.

 

[Bobhaze]

I remember the moon landing event so well. I was 11 years old and my family had just moved into a new home in Ft Worth after living in 3 different places the previous year. I remember huddling around our small “color TV” set to watch it. Although the shots from the lunar surface were in black and white.

Later that night I remember walking in the backyard and looking up at the moon and thinking how cool it was that there were two men up there. One of the best moments in history I remember from childhood.

 

[SlammedZero]

I remember the moon landing event so well. I was 11 years old and my family had just moved into a new home in Ft Worth after living in 3 different places the previous year. I remember huddling around our small “color TV” set to watch it. Although the shots from the lunar surface were in black and white.

Later that night I remember walking in the backyard and looking up at the moon and thinking how cool it was that there were two men up there. One of the best moments in history I remember from childhood.

It was just before my time, as I was born a decade later, but it must have been an amazing thing to witness. While I believe it was undoubtedly astonishing to younger people, it's particularly astounding to think about what the older generation of that time experienced. Just 100 years earlier, modes of transportation relied on horseback. If someone was born around 1880, they would have been around 89 years old in 1969. This person would have seen the transition from a predominantly horse-driven society to the era of automobiles, airplanes, and then space travel, culminating in the moon landing.

Who knows what I might see if I make it to 89? I've witnessed a lot of technological evolution, but I'm not sure I've seen anything as monumental as the moon landing must have been for the people of 1969.

 

[gtb1943]

It was just before my time, as I was born a decade later, but it must have been an amazing thing to witness. While I believe it was undoubtedly astonishing to younger people, it's particularly astounding to think about what the older generation of that time experienced. Just 100 years earlier, modes of transportation relied on horseback. If someone was born around 1880, they would have been around 89 years old in 1969. This person would have seen the transition from a predominantly horse-driven society to the era of automobiles, airplanes, and then space travel, culminating in the moon landing.

Who knows what I might see if I make it to 89? I've witnessed a lot of technological evolution, but I'm not sure I've seen anything as monumental as the moon landing must have been for the people of 1969.

my grandfather did not speak a lot; but he later told me that he remembered as a child being amazed at seeing his first automobile.
they lived in the country and did not have running water, electricity, sewer etc. The small town he lived in did not have gas lights. HE lived far enough from the railroad to have never seen a steam engine.
IT was the first technology he had ever seen. He told me how glad he was that he had lived to see this. He lived long enough to see the space shuttle. Nearly made it to 2000. But he told me a year or so before he died that the moon landing was still the highlight of what he had ever seen.

Looking back on it now; and looking a head, I am not sure I will see anything to match it. Unless we go to Mars or Aliens show up to say hi.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Little fun story.
Everyone knows that Neil Armstrong was the first man to step on the moon.
But Buzz Aldrin was the first man to do something right after that...

 

[Streifenkarl]

To this day it is the greatest achievement of mankind. Even though I think the shuttle is the greatest machine ever built by man it was just unmatched as far as bravery, vision and working for a common goal goes. I envy the people of those days who could witness this endeavor.

Big fan of NASA, ESA and space travel all together. Yes we have an infinite amount of problems to solve on earth but we should never stop looking at the stars and trying to reach them. Sounds pathetic? Well I believe in it.

 

[gtb1943]

To this day it is the greatest achievement of mankind. Even though I think the shuttle is the greatest machine ever built by man it was just unmatched as far as bravery, vision and working for a common goal goes. I envy the people of those days who could witness this endeavor.

Big fan of NASA, ESA and space travel all together. Yes we have an infinite amount of problems to solve on earth but we should never stop looking at the stars and trying to reach them. Sounds pathetic? Well I believe in it.

I do agree that we need to strive for the stars. IF for no other reason is that the day is going to come when we simply have too many people on Earth and need somewhere else to go.

Sadly NASA is an incredibly incompetent organization now. I had the misfortune to have to work with them at White sands missile range when they were testing the Orion. They are so buried in bureaucracy and so terrified of taking chances they are all but worthless.

 

[Streifenkarl]

I do agree that we need to strive for the stars. IF for no other reason is that the day is going to come when we simply have too many people on Earth and need somewhere else to go.

Sadly NASA is an incredibly incompetent organization now. I had the misfortune to have to work with them at White sands missile range when they were testing the Orion. They are so buried in bureaucracy and so terrified of taking chances they are all but worthless.

Which isn't all their fault, right? That's society today.

 

[SlammedZero]

my grandfather did not speak a lot; but he later told me that he remembered as a child being amazed at seeing his first automobile.
they lived in the country and did not have running water, electricity, sewer etc. The small town he lived in did not have gas lights. HE lived far enough from the railroad to have never seen a steam engine.
IT was the first technology he had ever seen. He told me how glad he was that he had lived to see this. He lived long enough to see the space shuttle. Nearly made it to 2000. But he told me a year or so before he died that the moon landing was still the highlight of what he had ever seen.

Looking back on it now; and looking a head, I am not sure I will see anything to match it. Unless we go to Mars or Aliens show up to say hi.

While it's not quite on the same level as humans landing on the moon, having a robot on Mars is a remarkable technological achievement. Every time I look up at the night sky and see Mars, I can't help but think about how there is a little robot up there roaming around, taking pictures, and testing samples.
Kind of funny to think that we know of a planet that has an A.I. population of one.

 

[Streifenkarl]

Aren't there three robots on Mars currently? Still active I mean?

But I know that feeling. It just makes you smile when you think about it. Mankind really does create cool stuff sometimes.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I’m honestly shocked the OP believes we actually landed on the moon.

 

[Runwildboys]

While it's not quite on the same level as humans landing on the moon, having a robot on Mars is a remarkable technological achievement. Every time I look up at the night sky and see Mars, I can't help but think about how there is a little robot up there roaming around, taking pictures, and testing samples.
Kind of funny to think that we know of a planet that has an A.I. population of one.

I'm more awed that we now have 2 probes in interstellar space. That, to me, is the greatest scientific achievement to date.