HARMON MUSEUM & ART GALLERIES
  • Plan A Visit
    • Harmon Museum >
      • Harmon Museum >
        • History of Harmon Museum
      • The Museum Shop >
        • Finnegan Book
      • The Village Green
      • Research Library
      • Special Exhibits
      • Group Tours
    • 1795 Beedle Log Cabin >
      • 1795 Beedle Log Cabin
      • History of the Beedle Log Cabin
      • Relocation & Restoration
      • Saturdays at Beedle Cabin
    • WCHS Collection >
      • Art
      • Historical Artifacts
      • Textiles
      • Documents
      • Collection Information >
        • Collections Policy
  • Events
    • ⭐ Events Calendar ⭐
    • Adult History Camp
    • Antique Show
    • Art Contest: Golden Lamb 220 Years
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Black Bag Bingo
    • Cemetery Tours
    • Flea Market - Attic Treasures
    • Ghost Walk / Hunt
    • Glendower Christmas Sale 🎄
    • The Great Dinner Raffle
    • Lunch & Learn >
      • Lunch & Learn Tickets
      • Lunch & Learn Video Archive
    • Saturdays at the Beedle Cabin
    • Special Events
  • Get Involved
    • Membership
    • Donate >
      • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
  • Facility Rental
  • Kids & Education
    • Lena Iorns Award
    • Saturdays at the Beedle Cabin
    • Schools Tours
  • Blog
  • About
    • FAQ
    • About Us >
      • Board and Staff
      • History of Our Properties
      • History of WCHS
      • Research Library
      • WCHS Collection
    • Community History >
      • In Honor & Remembrance
      • Lunch & Learn Video Archive
      • William Elmer Harmon
    • Partner Organizations
  • Contact
  • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign

We've got History on our minds...

International History: Apollo 11 Moon Landing

6/20/2019

 

Fifty years ago today, 600 million people watched with bated breath as "the Eagle" would successfully land on the surface of the moon and Neil Armstrong would utter those now famous words: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." What the 600 million people may not have known was the stories behind that small step.

The Eagle lander had never been tested in the conditions before. Neil Armstrong and crewmate Michael Collins gave it a 50/50 shot at returning. President Richard Nixon prepared two speeches; one if the lander returned and another. "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice."

With even odds, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Neil Armstrong embarked toward the surface of the moon, a NASA landing program guiding them in. The program was to ensure the lander did so safely, however, part way into the process, the two men realized that the program was guiding them to land straight into a crater in which taking off from would have been nigh impossible. Armstrong got the go ahead to take control of the helm and land the Eagle in a new position, safely outside the crater, having only 20 seconds of landing fuel left. (Here's a wonderful video of the 13 minutes leading up to and the actual landing.)

The 600 million people watching Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon did so via an 80ft satellite in Australia. Only having confirmed a live broadcast several weeks before, NASA wasn't sure what to expect. On the day, they came to discover that, due to the positioning of the Earth and their satellites, the Eagle lander's signal wouldn't be receivable by NASA until several minutes AFTER this historic event. Not only would the millions of people around the world miss the landing but NASA would not have contact with its astronauts or their vitals during this crucial phase of the mission. Luckily Australia wasn't in the space race with the US. 

Armstrong would become the "first man" to step foot on the moon. Interestingly enough, on previous exploration missions, the commander would always stay behind while the subordinate did the exploring. Stories vary if NASA thought Armstrong should go first or if Aldrin deferred to his CO. In either case, Aldrin would still get to leave his footprints on the moon's surface 20 minutes later. However, out of jealousy, Aldrin took only five photographs of Armstrong while on the moon. The sixth image comes in the form of Armstrong's reflection in Aldrin's visor.

Michael Collins, often the forgotten member of Apollo 11, sat and had "a lonely cup of coffee" while Armstrong and Aldrin were on their mission. I'm sure he, as much as anyone, was glad his crewmates returned for their four day voyage home.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Various staff and volunteer writers.

    Categories

    All
    American History
    Art
    Beedle Log Cabin
    Bingo
    Call To Action
    Civil Rights
    Collection
    Events
    Exhibits
    Glendower Historic Mansion
    Harmon Museum
    Help
    Holiday
    International History
    In The News
    Inventions
    Local History
    Lunch & Learn Topics
    Meet The Artist
    Meet The Speaker
    Military History
    Natural History
    Oral History
    Textile

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    October 2017

    RSS Feed

Picture
Office Phone: 513 932-1817

Wchs Office/Harmon Museum

​Tues - Sat: 10am - 4pm
Year Round

1795 BEEDLE cABIN

Phone for hours
Year Round
Contact
Membership
Volunteer
Donate
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

harmon civic trust

  • Plan A Visit
    • Harmon Museum >
      • Harmon Museum >
        • History of Harmon Museum
      • The Museum Shop >
        • Finnegan Book
      • The Village Green
      • Research Library
      • Special Exhibits
      • Group Tours
    • 1795 Beedle Log Cabin >
      • 1795 Beedle Log Cabin
      • History of the Beedle Log Cabin
      • Relocation & Restoration
      • Saturdays at Beedle Cabin
    • WCHS Collection >
      • Art
      • Historical Artifacts
      • Textiles
      • Documents
      • Collection Information >
        • Collections Policy
  • Events
    • ⭐ Events Calendar ⭐
    • Adult History Camp
    • Antique Show
    • Art Contest: Golden Lamb 220 Years
    • Art Exhibitions
    • Black Bag Bingo
    • Cemetery Tours
    • Flea Market - Attic Treasures
    • Ghost Walk / Hunt
    • Glendower Christmas Sale 🎄
    • The Great Dinner Raffle
    • Lunch & Learn >
      • Lunch & Learn Tickets
      • Lunch & Learn Video Archive
    • Saturdays at the Beedle Cabin
    • Special Events
  • Get Involved
    • Membership
    • Donate >
      • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
  • Facility Rental
  • Kids & Education
    • Lena Iorns Award
    • Saturdays at the Beedle Cabin
    • Schools Tours
  • Blog
  • About
    • FAQ
    • About Us >
      • Board and Staff
      • History of Our Properties
      • History of WCHS
      • Research Library
      • WCHS Collection
    • Community History >
      • In Honor & Remembrance
      • Lunch & Learn Video Archive
      • William Elmer Harmon
    • Partner Organizations
  • Contact
  • "Celebrate Our Future" Capital Campaign