Date: 4-11-01
EXPLORATIONS #1947 - PROJECT APOLLO (PART 2): APOLLO ELEVEN
By MARILYN RICE CHRISTIANOANNCR:
EXPLORATIONS -- A PROGRAM IN SPECIAL ENGLISH BY THE VOICE OF
AMERICA.
(THEME)
((SFX: APOLLO ELEVEN COUNTDOWN TAPE))
A ROCKET LAUNCH COUNTDOWN. A COMMON SOUND IN THE
NINETEEN-SIXTIES. BUT THIS WAS NOT JUST ANOTHER LAUNCH. IT WAS
THE BEGINNING OF AN HISTORIC EVENT. IT WAS THE COUNTDOWN FOR
APOLLO ELEVEN -- THE SPACE FLIGHT THAT WOULD CARRY MEN TO THE
FIRST LANDING ON THE MOON.
THE GROUND SHOOK AT CAPE KENNEDY, FLORIDA THE MORNING OF JULY
SIXTEENTH, NINETEEN-SIXTY NINE. THE HUGE SATURN FIVE ROCKET
MOVED SLOWLY UP INTO THE SKY. IT ROSE PERFECTLY. SOMEONE ON THE
LAUNCH CREW SPOKE THE WORDS, "GOOD LUCK. AND GODSPEED."
TODAY, STAN BUSBY AND JACK WEITZEL TELL THE STORY OF THE FLIGHT
OF APOLLO ELEVEN.
VOICE ONE:
IN THE SPACECRAFT AT THE TOP OF THE SPEEDING ROCKET WERE THREE
AMERICAN ASTRONAUTS WHOSE NAMES SOON WOULD BE KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD. NEIL ARMSTRONG, EDWIN ALDRIN AND MICHAEL COLLINS.
NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS THE COMMANDER OF THE SPACECRAFT. HE WAS A
TEST PILOT. HE HAD FLOWN EARLIER ON ONE OF THE TWO-MAN GEMINI
SPACE FLIGHTS. ARMSTRONG WAS A CALM PERSON, A MAN WHO TALKED
VERY LITTLE.
EDWIN "BUZZ" ALDRIN WAS PILOT OF THE MOON LANDER VEHICLE. THE
ASTRONAUTS GAVE IT THE NAME "EAGLE." ALDRIN HAD FLOWN ON THE
LAST OF THE GEMINI FLIGHTS. HE ALSO WAS A QUIET MAN, EXCEPT WHEN
HE TALKED ABOUT SPACE.
MICHAEL COLLINS WAS THE PILOT OF THE COMMAND MODULE VEHICLE,
"COLUMBIA." HE ALSO HAD MADE A GEMINI FLIGHT. HE WOULD WAIT IN
ORBIT AROUND THE MOON WHILE ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN LANDED AND
EXPLORED THE SURFACE. COLLINS WAS VERY POPULAR AND ALWAYS READY
WITH A SMILE.
VOICE TWO:
TWO-AND-ONE-HALF MINUTES AFTER THE APOLLO ELEVEN LAUNCH, THE
FIRST-STAGE ROCKET SEPARATED FROM THE SPACECRAFT. TWELVE MINUTES
LATER, THE SPACECRAFT REACHED ORBIT. ITS SPEED WAS
TWENTY-NINE-THOUSAND KILOMETERS AN HOUR. ITS ORBIT WAS
ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY-FIVE KILOMETERS ABOVE THE EARTH.
THIS WAS THE TIME FOR THE CREW TO TEST ALL THE SPACECRAFT
SYSTEMS. EVERYTHING WORKED PERFECTLY. SO, THE NASA FLIGHT
DIRECTOR TOLD THEM THEY WERE "GO" FOR THE MOON. THEY FIRED THE
THIRD-STAGE ROCKET. IT INCREASED THE SPEED OF THE SPACECRAFT TO
FORTY-THOUSAND KILOMETERS AN HOUR. THIS WAS FAST ENOUGH TO
ESCAPE THE PULL OF THE EARTH'S GRAVITY.
APOLLO ELEVEN WAS ON ITS WAY TO THE MOON. IN SEVENTY-SEVEN
HOURS, IF ALL WENT WELL, APOLLO ELEVEN WOULD BE THERE.
VOICE ONE:
HALFWAY TO THE MOON, THE ASTRONAUTS BROADCAST A COLOR TELEVISION
PROGRAM TO EARTH. THE BROADCAST SHOWED HOW THE ASTRONAUTS LIVED
IN THE SPACECRAFT. IT SHOWED THEIR INSTRUMENTS, FOOD STORAGE,
AND DETAILS OF HOW THEY MOVED AND WORKED WITHOUT GRAVITY TO GIVE
THEM WEIGHT. THE TELEVISION BROADCAST ALSO SHOWED THE EARTH
BEHIND APOLLO ELEVEN. AND IT SHOWED THE MOON GROWING LARGER IN
THE BLACKNESS AHEAD.
AS HOURS PASSED, THE PULL OF THE MOON'S GRAVITY GREW STRONGER.
NEAR THE MOON, THE ASTRONAUTS FIRED ROCKETS TO SLOW THE
SPACECRAFT ENOUGH TO PUT IT INTO MOON ORBIT.
VOICE TWO:
APOLLO ELEVEN CIRCLED THE MOON WHILE THE CREW PREPARED FOR THE
LANDING. FINALLY, SPACECRAFT COMMANDER ARMSTRONG AND NASA FLIGHT CONTROLLERS AGREED IT WAS TIME TO SEPARATE THE LANDER MODULE "EAGLE" FROM THE COMMAND MODULE "COLUMBIA."
ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN MOVED THROUGH THE SMALL OPENING BETWEEN THE TWO SPACECRAFT. THEN THEY MOVED EAGLE AWAY FROM COLUMBIA.
ARMSTRONG REPORTED, "THE EAGLE HAS WINGS!" THE LUNAR MODULE WAS
READY. MEN WERE ABOUT TO LAND ON THE MOON.
ON EARTH, ALL ACTIVITY SEEMED TO STOP. PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON
GAVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WORKERS THE DAY OFF TO WATCH THE MOON
LANDING ON TELEVISION.
AROUND THE WORLD, FIVE-HUNDRED-MILLION PERSONS WATCHED THE
TELEVISION REPORT. COUNTLESS MILLIONS MORE LISTENED ON THEIR
RADIOS.
VOICE ONE:
ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN FIRED THE LANDER ROCKET ENGINE. THE FIRING
SLOWED THE SPACECRAFT AND SENT IT DOWN TOWARD THE LANDING PLACE.
IT WAS IN AN AREA KNOWN AS THE "SEA OF TRANQUILITY."
THE LUNAR LANDER, CONTROLLED BY A COMPUTER, DROPPED TOWARD THE
AIRLESS SURFACE OF THE MOON. ONE-HUNDRED-FORTY METERS FROM THE
SURFACE, THE ASTRONAUTS TOOK CONTROL OF THE LANDER FROM THE
COMPUTER. THEY MOVED EAGLE FORWARD, AWAY FROM A VERY ROCKY AREA THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED A DIFFICULT LANDING.
THE VOICES OF ALDRIN AND ARMSTRONG COULD BE HEARD IN SHORT
MESSAGES. "FORWARD. . . FORWARD. . . GOOD. FORTY FEET. KICKING UP
SOME DUST. BIG SHADOW. DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT A LITTLE. CONTACT
LIGHT. OKAY. ENGINE STOP."
ARMSTRONG REPORTED, "TRANQUILITY BASE HERE. THE EAGLE HAS
LANDED!"
VOICE TWO:
NASA'S PLAN HAD CALLED FOR THE ASTRONAUTS TO TEST INSTRUMENTS,
EAT AND THEN REST FOR FOUR HOURS BEFORE LEAVING THE EAGLE. BUT
ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN ASKED TO CANCEL THE FOUR-HOUR SLEEP PERIOD.
THEY WANTED TO GO OUT ONTO THE MOON AS SOON AS THEY COULD GET
READY.
NASA CONTROLLERS AGREED.
IT TOOK THE ASTRONAUTS MORE THAN THREE HOURS TO COMPLETE THE
PREPARATIONS FOR LEAVING THE LANDER. IT WAS DIFFICULT -- IN
EAGLE'S SMALL SPACE -- TO GET INTO SPACE SUITS THAT WOULD PROTECT
THEM ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.
VOICE ONE:
FINALLY, ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN WERE READY. THEY OPENED THE DOOR.
ARMSTRONG WENT OUT FIRST AND MOVED SLOWLY DOWN THE LADDER. AT
TWO HOURS FIFTY-SIX GREENWICH MEAN TIME ON JULY TWENTY-FIRST,
NINETEEN-SIXTY-NINE, NEIL ARMSTRONG PUT HIS FOOT ON THE MOON.
"THAT IS ONE SMALL STEP FOR A MAN," HE SAID, "ONE GIANT LEAP FOR
MANKIND."
THE WORLD COULD SEE THE HISTORY-MAKING EVENT ON TELEVISION. BUT
THE MAN WHO WAS CLOSEST TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING, MICHAEL COLLINS,
COULD ONLY LISTEN. HE WAS ORBITING THE MOON IN THE COMMAND
MODULE COLUMBIA. IT DID NOT HAVE A TELEVISION RECEIVER.
VOICE TWO:
ARMSTRONG MOVED CAREFULLY AWAY FROM THE EAGLE. HE LEFT THE COLD
BLACK SHADOW OF THE LANDER AND STEPPED INTO THE BLINDING WHITE
LIGHT OF THE SUN.
ON EARTH, ALL WAS QUIET. NO SOUND CAME FROM TELEVISIONS OR
RADIOS. NO ONE FELT ABLE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
ARMSTRONG BEGAN TO DESCRIBE WHAT HE SAW. "THE SURFACE APPEARS TO
BE VERY, VERY FINE GRAIN, LIKE A POWDER. I CAN KICK IT LOOSELY
WITH MY TOES. I CAN SEE FOOTPRINTS OF MY BOOTS IN THE SMALL,
FINE PARTICLES. NO TROUBLE TO WALK AROUND."
VOICE ONE:
ALDRIN APPEARED ON THE LADDER. DOWN HE CAME, VERY SLOWLY.
SOON, BOTH MEN WERE BUSY PLACING EXPERIMENTS TO BE LEFT BEHIND ON
THE MOON. THEY COLLECTED MORE THAN THIRTY KILOGRAMS OF ROCK AND
SOIL TO TAKE BACK TO EARTH. THEY MOVED EASILY AND QUICKLY,
BECAUSE THE MOON'S GRAVITY IS SIX TIMES LESS THAN EARTH'S.
HOURS PASSED. TOO SOON, IT WAS TIME TO RETURN TO THE EAGLE.
ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN RE-ENTERED THE LANDER. THEY RESTED FOR A
WHILE. THEN THEY BEGAN TO PREPARE TO LAUNCH THE LANDER FOR THE
RETURN FLIGHT TO THE ORBITING COMMAND MODULE.
VOICE TWO:
LISTENERS ON EARTH HEARD THE COUNTDOWN FROM TRANQUILITY BASE.
"THREE, TWO, ONE. . . FIRST STAGE ENGINE ON ASCENT. PROCEED.
BEAUTIFUL. TWENTY-SIX. . . THIRTY-SIX FEET PER SECOND UP. VERY
SMOOTH, VERY QUIET RIDE." EAGLE WAS FLYING. MAN HAD BEEN ON THE
MOON FOR TWENTY-ONE AND ONE-HALF HOURS.
EAGLE MOVED INTO THE ORBIT OF THE COMMAND MODULE. IT CONNECTED
WITH COLUMBIA. ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN REJOINED COLLINS IN THE
COMMAND SHIP. THEY SEPARATED FROM EAGLE AND SAID GOODBY TO IT.
THE LANDER HAD DONE ITS JOB WELL.
VOICE ONE:
EIGHT DAYS AFTER IT STARTED ITS VOYAGE TO THE MOON, APOLLO ELEVEN
SPLASHED DOWN IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. LEFT BEHIND ON THE MOON WERE
THE FOOTPRINTS OF ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN, AN AMERICAN FLAG AND
SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT. ALSO LEFT FOREVER ON THE MOON IS A SIGN
WITH THESE WORDS:
"HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH FIRST SET FOOT ON THE MOON --
JULY, NINETEEN-SIXTY-NINE A. D. WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL
MANKIND."
(THEME)
ANNCR:
THIS SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN BY MARILYN RICE
CHRISTIANO. YOUR NARRATORS WERE STAN BUSBY AND JACK WEITZEL.
THIS IS SHIRLEY GRIFFITH. LISTEN AGAIN NEXT WEEK AT THIS TIME TO
EXPLORATIONS ON THE VOICE OF AMERICA AS WE CONTINUE THE STORY OF
THE APOLLO SPACE FLIGHT PROGRAM.
Source: www.voa.gov/special/