I was four, it was my birthday and I still remember it. Mostly just black and white pictures and generic sound but I still remember they were landing on the moon.

hard to believe it was 50 years ago - I remember parts of it like it was yesterday

it also makes me very sad, after being to both Kennedy and JSC and seeing the resources that were utterly laid to waste by short-sighted politicians

I had envisioned given the progress between 11 and 17 that we'd be living and working on the moon within 10 years and we'd already be on Mars by now (2019) had we kept the momentum

for me the saddest place on the planet isn't Arlington, its the Saturn V museum at KSC

I spent some summers on an island on Lake of the Woods, Ontario. Helping my grandfather at his cabin. I was often sent into town, six miles by boat to get groceries, mail and hardware. I was 14 and my 10 year old cousin went with me on July 21, 1969. I followed the space program and knew that day was the first moon walk. I scouted the town to see where a TV was and hoped I could see it. I was probably expected back at the cabin before 5 and knew my grandfather would be worried if I stayed, but had no way to tell him where I was.

I made the decision to stay, one I am proud I made, and my cousin appreciates. Watched it on a little TV in a tourist shop, and had the feeling that Americans were the best.

Boat ride back to the island in the dark, no lights on in the cabin. Expected to get bawled out but my grandfather just wanted us to tell him about it.

An amazing day to be an American. One of the best days.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:

I had envisioned given the progress between 11 and 17 that we'd be living and working on the moon within 10 years and we'd already be on Mars by now (2019) had we kept the momentum

What happened was we had a goal and achieved it. Kennedy set that goal that the US "should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." That was it.

Even as Apollo 11 was being recovered, later missions to the moon were being cancelled. The entire manned space effort was focused on building a transport system to the moon. Orbiting space stations? Permanent colonies? Mars? All were pushed aside to get to the moon.

There is a tale of a football team that visualized running out onto the field for the Super Bowl. They won their games, ran out onto the field, and lost badly. Later someone asked the team “Did you visualize winning the Super Bowl?”

quote:

Originally posted by Icabod:

Even as Apollo 11 was being recovered, later missions to the moon were being cancelled. The entire manned space effort was focused on building a transport system to the moon. Orbiting space stations? Permanent colonies? Mars? All were pushed aside to get to the moon.

Going to the Moon didn't cancel a Mars Mission or permanent colony on the... Moon..? (not sure how a permanent colony on the Moon would have happened without getting to the Moon in the first place).

An orbiting Space Station (Skylab) DID happen, which cost Apollo 20. But the money just ran out, or rather it was diverted to the Space Shuttle, which was to build more orbiting space stations, but they only had $$$ for one, so it took another 20 years of flying it around, proving it couldn't really do all of what it was supposed to (high flight tempo of the shuttle).

Sure, we could have not flown to the Moon and maybe done some other things it didn't cost us Mars or Colonies. Lack of National Will and politics cost us those.

Somewhat related – The Orion crew capsule is like an Apollo crew capsule on steroids.

“They recently marked the 50th anniversary of the world's first-ever successful space mission [lunar landing].

But NASA officials have another reason to celebrate, this week, after confirming that the Orion crew capsule is officially complete.

It will now be ready to tests and preparations for the 2020 lunar orbit timeline and a crewed launch two years afterwards.

Vice President Mike Pence made the official announcement at NASA headquarters in Florida on Saturday afternoon…”

https://mol.im/a/7272127

I was in the Air Force at the time and watched the landing while working in Vientiane, Laos.

I just read where one of the driving forces at NASA - Chris Kraft, one of the flight directors, passed away today at 95

Rest easy Mr. Kraft - you did great

NDT stepped on his dick again. How stupid can a smart guy get? Obviously it was a human achievement. It can be an American achievement, and still be a human achievement, genius. Get out of your bubble. You don't have to hate America all the time.



https://twitter.com/neiltyson/.../1152696180989747201


The Apollo 11 mission patch:
No American flag.
No space hardware.
No Astronaut names.
In that regard, unique among space emblems.

Affirmation that walking on the Moon was an achievement of the human species, to be shared by all.