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Computer Analysis Sets NASA History Straight

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the darn-it-i-said-it-right dept.

Ellis D. Tripp writes, "A computer analysis has upheld Neil Armstrong's version of the first words spoken on the lunar surface. The word 'a' was dropped due to a communications glitch, and Armstrong has been accused of flubbing his words since the historic 1969 landing. The corrected statement was 'That's one small step for *A* man, One giant leap for mankind.'"

8 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Good news by Linker3000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, I am glad that's finally sorted - I've been losing sleep over the issue for years.

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    AT&ROFLMAO
    1. Re:Good news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      In this context, man would be short for mankind, so in effect Neil would have been saying "That's one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind". Which is totally stupid. What he thought he was saying was: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind", which means that Neil (personally, aka: A man) took one small (1 ft or so off the ladder) step to reach the moon, but it took a giant leap in mankind (Engineering: physical and social) to put a man on the moon.

  2. Well by Sv-Manowar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I doubt this will ever become realised in the mainsteam concious, it's been ingrained on the entire world and I don't think there is anyone (english speaking) who wouldn't be able to quote it. I don't think it's ever really been an issue of dropping the 'a', the line gains memorability for that. At the end of the day I think this research will end up as a nice section of trivia somewhere, but we will all remember the quote that came through on that day, and surely the communications glitch was a part of history too, so it should be remembered that way IMHO.

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    Business Voyeur
  3. And in other news... by techno-vampire · · Score: 5, Funny

    This just in: computer analysis has revealed that Han Solo did, in fact, shoot first!

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    Good, inexpensive web hosting
  4. NASA Alzheimers by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    First NASA loses Apollo TV master tapes, and now it loses pronouns. At this rate it will lose a planet within a decade such that we'll have only 8.

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    Table-ized A.I.
  5. Re:What he really said: by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    I would be pretty nervous to. Who hasn't had something come out wrong, when they were making a presentation,

    Indeed. If they sent me, it probably would have gone down something like this:

    That's one sman, uh, that's one step for a small man, I mean one man for a small, I mean one step on a small, I mean one man is a small....Oh fuck! People of Earth, I'm on the goddam fucking moon, okay? And, hey, fuck those ruskies, eh?

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    Table-ized A.I.
  6. Re:*Ahem* by Kahless2k · · Score: 5, Funny

    Would you people stop modding my parents; They're starting to complain.

    *ducks*

  7. Greedo by SeaFox · · Score: 5, Funny
    Well, I am glad that's finally sorted

    Yup, the Moon spoke first! No, wait...