Lest we forget...

[khaosworks]

33 years ago... and 250,000 miles away...

102:44:29 Armstrong (on-board): I got a good spot (garbled).

102:44:31 Aldrin: 160 feet, 6 1/2 down.

102:44:33 Aldrin: 5 1/2 down, 9 forward. You're looking good.

102:44:40 Aldrin: 120 feet.

102:44:45 Aldrin: 100 feet, 3 1/2 down, 9 forward. Five percent (fuel remaining). Quantity light.

102:44:54 Aldrin: Okay. 75 feet. And it's looking good. Down a half, 6 forward.

102:45:02 Duke: 60 seconds (of fuel left before the 'Bingo' call).

102:45:08 Aldrin: 60 feet, down 2 1/2. (Pause) 2 forward. 2 forward. That's good.

102:45:17 Aldrin: 40 feet, down 2 1/2. Picking up some dust.

102:45:21 Aldrin: 30 feet, 2 1/2 down. (Garbled) shadow.

102:45:25 Aldrin: 4 forward. 4 forward. Drifting to the right a little. 20 feet, down a half.

102:45:31 Duke: 30 seconds (until the 'Bingo' call).

102:45:32 Aldrin: Drifting forward just a little bit; that's good. (Garbled) (Pause)

102:45:40 Aldrin: Contact Light.

102:45:43 Armstrong (on-board): Shutdown

102:45:44 Aldrin: Okay. Engine Stop.

102:45:45 Aldrin: ACA out of Detent.

102:45:46 Armstrong: Out of Detent. Auto.

102:45:57 Duke: We copy you down, Eagle.

102:45:58 Armstrong (on-board): Engine arm is off. (Pause) Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

-- from The Apollo Lunar Surface Journal.

We did that once back then - why can't we do that again?

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

khaosworks, thank you. :)

A.

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

This is one of my earliest memories, listening to that transmission on television. I was three.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

Ah, the reason Barney and I picked this day 11 years ago to get married. I wanted a date he would never be able to forget.

[surrdave.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I was hung up on the futility of doing things for people who don't appreciate it, and this put it in perspective. Some things intrinsically are worth doing.

[merde.livejournal.com]

there are photocs of me, at two years old, watching the tv raptly during the landing. i remember it largely because my dad was so worked up that even my tiny toddler brane grasped that this was something important and i should remember it. and so i did.

last year, i threw a moon landing anniversary party. this year, i wasn't feeling up to it. and besides, on i'm crazy enough to sit through the same set of documentaries again. (and surely no one would voluntarily sit through "nude on the moon" a second time.)