“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. . . .”
— John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Thirty-Fifth President of the United States of America, in a speech at Rice University, Houston, Texas, 12 September 1962.
And so, 2,500 days later. . .
© 2018, Bryan R. Swopes
21 July 1969: Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr. on the surface of The Moon in a photograph taken by Neil Alden Armstrong.
The reflection of the Lunar Module Eagle and of Armstrong can be seen in Aldrin’s face plate.
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. . . .”
—President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
© 2017, Bryan R. Swopes
102:45:25 Aldrin: Four forward. Four forward. Drifting to the right a little. Twenty feet, down a half.
102:45:31 Duke: Thirty seconds (until the ‘Bingo’ call).
102:45:32 Aldrin: Drifting forward just a little bit; that’s good.
(Pause)
102:45:40 Aldrin: Contact Light.
102:45:43 Armstrong: Shutdown.
102:45:44 Aldrin: Okay. Engine Stop.
102:45:45 Aldrin: ACA out of Detent.
102:45:46 Armstrong: Out of Detent. Auto.
102:45:47 Aldrin: Mode Control, both Auto. Descent Engine Command Override, Off. Engine Arm, Off. Four-thirteen is in.
102:45:57 Duke: We copy you down, Eagle.
102:45:58 Armstrong: Engine arm is off. (Pause) Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
© 2018, Bryan R. Swopes