On this episode of Our Island Universe: The space race ends when Apollo 11 touches down on the Moon, July 20, 1969.
Experience the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Note: Throughout the month of July, Our Island Universe is celebrating the legacy of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Shanil Virani, Director of the John C. Wells Planetarium in Harrisonburg, VA.
Follow on Twitter as shanilv
Transcript:
Forty-six years ago, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong descended from the Eagle, set foot on the Moon, and with his statement “Its one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” added a monumental milestone to our species history. With those words, for the first time in the history of our planet, a species from Earth conquered the force of gravity. We left our “pale, blue dot” and put a footprint on another world.
The Moon Landing represents an enormous scientific and engineering accomplishment. It is the work of literally thousands of people working together as a team that made it happen. The computers used by NASA were no more powerful then a pocket calculator and occupied many rooms, but it did the job. We won. The United States had beat the Soviet Union to the Moon.
The story of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin navigating the lunar module on descent is truly heroic. On the final descent, Armstrong noticed that their intended landing site was littered with boulders. Flying literally on fumes and with only seconds to spare, Armstrong calmly took control and guided the lunar module to a soft landing in the Sea of Tranquility.
“Houston, Tranquility base here, the Eagle has landed.” With that sentence, millions of Americans could once again breathe. We now lived in a world where humans have walked on the Moon.
