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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Today in History: the Eagle lands |
| 2008-07-20 |
| 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). [The accompanying 16-mm film clip (4.0Mb) by Gerald Megason covers the last forty seconds of the descent. The camera was mounted in Buzz's window and, when the clip starts, East Crater is visible at the bottom of the window.] 102:45:04 Aldrin: (Velocity) light's on. 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. [Armstrong, from a 1996 letter - "The Attitude Control Assembly [ACA] was the control stick. It had potentiometers or transducers or something similar to provide an output proportional to stick position. Output went to the LGC (LM Guidance Computer) to command the RCS jets to fire. 'Out of Detent' simply means the stick was moved away from its centered position. It was spring/detent centered like the turn signal control on your car."] 102:45:47 Aldrin: Mode Control, both Auto. Descent Engine Command Override, Off. Engine Arm, Off. 413 is in. 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. 102:46:06 Duke: (Momentarily tongue-tied) Roger, Twan...(correcting himself) Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #6 This is landing on the moon, not stepping onto it. First word from the lunar surface: "Houston"! |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-07-20 22:52 |
| #5 I thought Neil Armstrong's first words were, "It's some kind of soft stuff. I can kick it around with my foot". |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-07-20 19:52 |
| #4 I shook Collins hand one. The first human ever to be 2,000 miles from anyone. (when he was on the far side of the orbit) |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-07-20 18:24 |
| #3 I helped Neil Armstrong open a window. My brush with greatness. |
| Posted by: mrp 2008-07-20 14:27 |
| #2 I heard they left a Torah behind |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-07-20 12:14 |
| #1 When we started opressing the Moon. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-07-20 12:09 |