I remember that summer night over thirty years ago when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. I tell my kids this story, and I know that for them, it is a story from another lifetime. They are growing up knowing that man can walk on the moon, explore the surface of Mars, and that a computer is simply a household appliance.
"The first manned journey to the Moon began at Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida with the liftoff of Apollo 11 at 9:32 a.m. EDT on July 16, 1969." This collection of photos, short blurbs and sound files was created by the National Space Science Data Center to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 flight. For more detailed coverage of the historic mission, follow the links at the bottom of the page.
For years, hours and hours of recorded conversations between the astronauts and Mission Control languished on a shelf somewhere. Now, astronomer and historian Eric Jones has published them online for the world to enjoy. For those looking for a glimpse into the nitty-gritty of the Apollo experience, you will find it here. In addition to the transcripts and RealAudio recordings, Jones has added astronaut commentary, garnered through personal interviews.
"This web site offers a nostalgic and personal look back at man's first voyages to the Moon, not from the perspective of a participant, nor from that of a historian, but instead from my own perspective as a young teenager and avid follower of the space program and Project Apollo." Kipp Teague recalls his thirteenth birthday. He remembers the embarrassment of the singing Black Angus waitresses as they delivered a cupcake topped with a sparkler, and the thrill of watching the "black & white images as Armstrong and Aldrin hopped about on the moon." "At about 1 a.m., I switched off the TV. July 20, 1969 had come to an end, and along with it had also ended my first day as a teenager."
The Moon, the only natural satellite of Earth, was called Luna by the Romans, Selene and Artemis by the Greeks. It is the second brightest object in the sky, outshone only by the Sun. In addition to succinct scientific data about the Moon, this great page includes literary links (don't miss Face of the Moon, an exhibit of rare books).
"The Space Race grew out of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the most powerful nations after World War II. For a half-century, the two superpowers competed for primacy in a global struggle pitting a democratic society against totalitarian communism." President Kennedy's declaration in 1961 that we should land a man on the moon before the end of decade focused the space race on a clear goal: getting there before the Soviets. "For years, the Soviets officially denied being in a race to the Moon. Now there is ample evidence, including items displayed here, that they indeed competed to reach the Moon first."
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
Apollo 11 Flight PlanHitchhiker's Guide to the Moon | Project ApolloWhere No Man Has Gone Before |
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