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Apollo 11's 35th Anniversary
colonist writes "35 years ago, on July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 began to achieve the goal set by the late President Kennedy: '...before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth'. On July 20, Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module Columbia while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the lunar module Eagle. The descent engine was halfway through its final 12-minute burn when a yellow caution light lit up on the display of the lunar module computer. [ARMSTRONG: Program Alarm... It's a 1202. ALDRIN: 1202. (Pause) ARMSTRONG: (To Buzz) What is it? Let's incorporate (the landing radar data). (To Houston) Give us a reading on the 1202 Program Alarm.] Buzz Aldrin's recollection: 'Back in Houston, not to mention on board the Eagle, hearts shot up into throats while we waited to learn what would happen. We had received two of the caution lights when Steve Bales the flight controller responsible for LM computer activity, told us to proceed... We received three or four more warnings but kept on going. When Mike, Neil, and I were presented with Medals of Freedom by President Nixon, Steve also received one. He certainly deserved it, because without him we might not have landed.' Fred Martin describes the incidents, and Peter Adler looks at the design of the system."
Tranquility Base: This is Tranquility Base. The Eagle has Landed. Jesus H. Christ, Houston. We're on the fucking moon. Over.
HOUSTON: Roger, Tranquility, we copy you. We cannot believe you are walking on the fucking moon. Repeat: Cannot Fucking believe it. Over.
Tranquility: It was a smooth touchdown. The moon, for Christ's sake, the moon. Over.
HOUSTON: Roger that. Roger that. You're clear for T1, walking on the moon.
Tranquility: We copy. Walking on moon. Jesus. Over.
Soon thereafter:
HOUSTON: Tranquility?
Tranquility: Holy (pause) living (long pause) fuck. (Long pause) Fuck!
HOUSTON: Tranquility, do you copy?
Tranquility: Are you fucking believing this? Over.
HOUSTON: We read you. Over.
Tranquility: I abso-fucking-lutely am standing on the surface of the fucking moon. I am talking to you from the god-damned fucking moon. Jesus H. Christ in a chicken basket.
HOUSTON: Holy Shit.
Eh, the whole story is better, so go read it. Those are just a couple exerpts. Someone tell me why we could do it 35 years ago, but it would take 8 years to do it today? To those who would say it holds no value: screw you. It made the whole country (and large parts of the world) dream for a couple decades. Hell, for a few the dream has yet to die. There are value benefits you can't describe in a spreadsheet sometimes.