Deseret News | Let's hear what you remember about the moon landing

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Let's hear what you remember about the moon landing

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KathyBeeBee | 6:36 a.m. July 8, 2009

It was my 17th birthday, and my sweetheart called me from his base in South VietNam. It was mid-day where I was but night in VietNam. He told to look up at the moon that night, that Americans were walking around there. We'd done it! We'd achieved President Kennedy's challenge! My Marine's birthday was Nov 22, now my birthday was historic.

Patrick Casaday | 7:51 a.m. July 8, 2009

I was serving an LDS mission in Mexico. We had heard reports during the week that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were about to take that "one giant step." That evening, our landlord invited us to his room to watch as Armstrong stepped off the ladder and made history. Certainly an event I will never forget.

First Sound Byte | 8:01 a.m. July 8, 2009

I was 13 years old and, like most adolescents, becoming very aware of the world around me. Naturally I was fasinated by the space program and astronauts. But what stayed with me about that event was what Neil Armstrong said as he stepped out onto the moon, "One step for man, one giant leap for mankind." I thought it was brilliant!

That comment was played over and over and over again on the news. I wonder if it could be considered the first real sound byte of the modern age.

Comments continue below

michael | 10:06 a.m. July 8, 2009

I was on the beach at fishing bridge at yellowstone park with my future wife and did not even know that they had landed.

JJ - Florida | 11:54 a.m. July 8, 2009

I sat with my family and watch on the black & white TV, with tubes humming, as those steps down the latter were taken and that first lunar footprint was made.

It was a time where our family gather together, where hope was a constant - optimism was the norm. We didn't have political naysayers at every turn. The Vietnam War was simple to us - something our President and government had decided was necessary, and we had confidence in their motives.

We also lived in a time and place where we saw the results of the space program, children were excited to learn science and math, new gadgets and plastics were showing up in the home (a result of the space program). It was not long before we had microwave ovens, Tupperware, or non-stick surfaces on pans.

People lived and planned for tomorrow, and lived by a President's words from earlier in the decade: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country".

Big Dave | 12:11 p.m. July 8, 2009

I was 10 years old at the time. I remember the grainy black and white images with shadows of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin hoping around on the lunar surface. It was amazing! Years later I look at all that moon footage and I wonder what we gained from all of it other than great TV. We are now talking about going back to the moon and I have to think this is a HUGE waste of money. The moon (as we have learned) is a dead rock and nothing more. Yes we could put a base on the moon and monkey around doing research like we did with the shuttle missions but in the end we have spent billions and gained nothing. Not sure what value lunar missions have going forward.

Raymond | 1:29 p.m. July 8, 2009

I dont remember which grade in elementary school I was in, but they had a tv set up in class as they launch the rocket for the moon. For days days we watched the tv till they landed on the moon, it seemed so far away but so close. It made us so proud that they were doing this, but so scare because it was the unknown. It made us all want to be like them, they were heres to all of us, and we tried not to take our eyes off what was happening. when they stepped on the moon it seemed like the world stopped for a second, and that anything was possible for anyone who had a dream. Now it seems like so long ago. What a great feeling we could have again, if we could be standing there one more time.

Anonymous | 1:48 p.m. July 8, 2009

In 1969 I was 10 years old. My father, who was watching our old black and white tv, called us into the room and told us, "This is a moment you will never forget!" I never have. Our family slept outside in the backyard that night and I remember getting goosebumps looking at the moon and imagining that man could actually travel that far in space. The boundaries of our world changed that night for me. It was one of the most exciting memories of my childhood.

Joy Sweet | 5:54 p.m. July 8, 2009

I wasn't born, but I've heard stories about how my grandfather was involved with the mission. He designed the space robots that were put on the moon before man set foot on the moon and how he was the communication specialist. My father said he was nervous at one point because they lost contact with the shuttle. Its amazing hearing stories about obstacles that we had to go through in order to get to the moon.

Mary G. | 9:45 p.m. July 8, 2009

I was just 10 years old at the time but I remember watching it on tv with my family in awe. We watched all of the space launches and never stopped being amazed. The space program is what helped us make such great advances with computers & other things. My cousin is actually married to Neil Armstrong's cousin. I've never met Neil but I have met some of his extended family.

cnnhansen 10.33 p.m.Jul 8th 2009 | 10:34 p.m. July 8, 2009

It was truly an historic day for our nation and it was the birthday of our first child, a girl.
I went into the MOUNTAIN VIEW HOSPITAL early that
morning and was in labor a good part of the day and
I had just delivered and was wheeled into the ward where all the other mother's were and came just in time to see Neil Armstrong take his first steps out of the space ship on to the moon. What a day!
She will turn 40 July 20th, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.

Tom Slack,Greenwood, IN | 1:05 a.m. July 9, 2009

My father had been attending summer school at the University of Minnesota. I had flown student stand-by from Salt Lake so we could drive home together. I had never been further east than Evanston, Wyoming, so this was an adventure. We rode in his 1957 Volkswagen beetle and camped each night. On the night of the moon landing, we were at a campground near Joliet, Illinois. We opened the hood of the car and turned on the radio. It caused the sound to broadcast out to us. We were laying in our sleeping bags inside the tent. The doorway was open. The moonlight shined in on us. We were looking up at the moon as the radio broadcast Neil Armstrong's voice saying "There's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." My father passed away in 1991, but this memory will last forever.

JP Atoa, Provo | 4:05 a.m. July 9, 2009

I was screaming my head off as any 18 month old would somewhere over the Pacific on my first Pan Am flight back to the US with my mom. As the pilot was making the announcement of the moon landing, my screaming not only interrupted his great news, but throughly embarrassed my poor mom.

Thanks Mom.......for not beating the holy (you know what) out of me. And to all the passengers on the flight that had to bear with my vocal outbursts for 5 hours, at least I didn't have a poopy diaper.:)

never forget | 8:10 a.m. July 9, 2009

I will carry that memory with me into the next life.

Age 20- had served 2 years in Vietnam and was 30,000 feet over the Pacific ocean headed back to the good old US of A.

Beautiful round eyed girls with blond hair were serving us coca colas-
No alcohol allowed for military personnel,
but the cigarette smoke bothered me.

The pilot came across the intercom and said "Bill Armstrong just stepped out of the moon." We all laughed. Then he said- " Sorry we air force pilots are really excited about this."
then he said.
"Neil Armstrong just made one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind." I thought what a great comment- later found out that Neil had said that.
But I looked around and saw mean tough combat vets were laughing and crying.

I sat down and put a pillow over my face and cried like a baby.
So happy to be alive but missed my friends that never got to enjoy the beauty of that moment.

Vietnam and a moon landing- Unbelievable.

correction | 10:17 a.m. July 9, 2009

The actual quote is: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

You can't really hear the "a" before man, but Neil Armstrong always claimed he said it. And just a year or so ago, the folks at NASA have played it back, fine tuned it and you can hear the "a."

LMG | 3:34 p.m. July 9, 2009

I was serving an LDS mission in Eastern Atlantic States. A rarity in those days as a sister mirssionary. After a day of contacting my compaion and I stayed up late to see the replay. What a wonderful day it had been and continued to be as we watched on our landladies TV. Our children knew what their Mom and Dad was doing that day. Tonight I will tell our grandsons.

Vic | 5:27 p.m. July 9, 2009

I remember Walter Cronkite giving everyone instructions on how to set up their cameras so that they could take pictures of the screen of the TV and record the event for posterity. When Armstrong finally got out of the LM and made his "giant leap for Mankind," I remember how choked up Cronkite, the gizzled brodcast veteran who had covered WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, got at that moment. In a lot of ways it really was the climax of his career. He had pushed the space program more than anyone else except President Kennedy. About 14, I ran outside with my dad's binoculars and looked at the moon with it, and imagined seeing Armstrong and Aldrin up there. That day is one I will never forget, and I've been waiting 40 years for us to have the courage to return and go beyond.

william of san antonio | 5:55 p.m. July 9, 2009

i was a news editor for a houston morning newspaper -- now deceased (thanks hearst & company) -- and i had the job that night (19-20 july) for design and responsibility of page one. wrote the main hed, too: 'neil, buzz walk moon'.

good days, those were. good days.

John Clark | 10:24 p.m. July 9, 2009

We were LDS missionaries walking past some country homes in Sweden when a woman waved us in, saying, "Hey, aren't you Americans? You have to see this!" We didn't know what she was talking about until we went in and saw a little after-the-fact coverage.

I was struck by how proud so many of the Swedes were of the accomplishment. (One of the astronauts was of Swedish descent--characterized in a Swedish newspaper as a modern day Viking.) Normally we Americans were scolded because of the current war in Vietnam and other political differences.

It was nice for the moment, but we couldn't convince her that we had more important things to talk about.

ssmelden | 10:33 p.m. July 9, 2009

I remember that in California everyone was sitting on their roofs watching their TV's and attempting to experience this marvel first hand. Hundreds of people all on their roofs looking at the moon, JFK was president and Walter our commentator, it was a warm summer and a full glowing amber moon. What childhood memories we had then. America the land of the free America the land of the brave, us baby boomers what a history we had to begin our life's. We could do anything and we have. God Bless America.

Armstrong's Real Quote | 10:43 p.m. July 9, 2009

I agree with "Correction" at 10:17 a.m. Neil Armstrong insists that his first words were "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." And when you think about it, that quote makes great sense and is very appropriate for the occasion.

One other thing about the first moon landing that no one has mentioned: The Russians DID try to beat us to the moon. They launched an unmanned rocket to the moon a couple of days before Apollo 11 was launched. Their hope was that a robotic lander could collect some moon rocks/dust and return it to earth before Armstrong/Aldrin/Collins could do so. The thing crash-landed.

I remember news commentators at the time speculating (because no one really knew for sure what they were doing) that the Russians had sent their rocket to the moon as a possible "life raft" for the American astronauts in case their ship became disabled.

Swimming | 11:26 p.m. July 9, 2009

I recall hanging with a couple thousand buddies, saying, "Dude! Don't go into the light!"

I was born in '71.

regina | 11:30 p.m. July 9, 2009

The Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC were deserted since everyone was home watching their TV. We watched it and for some reason we then had to go to a neighboring town to pick someone up. It was eerie to be the only ones on the road in such a heavily populated area where there were usually lots of people out and about no matter the time of day or night.

Barbie45 | 4:22 a.m. July 10, 2009

I was 16 and driving in my car to run an errand for my mom. I remember pulling over and sitting in the car, just listening to what was happening. I rushed home and turned on the TV hoping to see the landing. I was awestruck and so proud of our accomplishment.

justin Credible | 7:19 a.m. July 10, 2009

It was the summer after I graduated from high school, I was with some friends at lagoon when we heard the news. I was always interested with NASA moon shot program.

Realist? | 8:43 a.m. July 10, 2009

I had just celebrated my 75th birthday, and was getting ready to run in a marathon!

barbara | 9:07 a.m. July 10, 2009

Happy Birthday, Realist! You are now 115 years old. Or, did you just type your age wrong?????

kevinb, salem OR | 10:06 a.m. July 10, 2009

I remember sitting in my grandma's basement in Provo watching on the ol'd black and white TV. My uncle worked for the Jet Propulsion Labratory in Pasedena, and he sent us a press packet that included the astronauts' schedules, schematics of the command module and the LEM, and press releases about the mission. Even though I was very young, I remember vividly the chills that ran up my spine when I heard the words, "Tranqulity Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Anonymous | 10:52 a.m. July 10, 2009

Did we have a man walk on the moon? I thought is was staged! Just like global warming, and Obama controlling everything, and we are either a socialist state or a fascist state. Someone, please tell me the truth! lol

William R. Kiehn | 12:51 p.m. July 10, 2009

I was about 3 years old, sitting in the living room watching a black and white zenith television, standing directly in front of the television set, it looked kind of phony to me, and was still contiplating if this was actually reality or just a setup or something. I still wonder If actually a man really landed on the moon, its hard to believe because the technology at that time was great, but not that great, anyway If we did make it on the moon, why hasn't a colony been built there by now and access for people to travel and vacation on the moon. Anyway, you can probably imagine a small child watching this event, and just wonder what was going through that childs mind at that time. My mother says I am crazy, how could I remember things like that when I was so young, I told here that my mind is mine, and you would be surprized what a small boy could remember. Personally, I remember almost everything from my first year and after, believe it or not.

Human choices | 1:08 p.m. July 10, 2009

I guess because my head was filled with Star Trek and other science fiction of the time, I took the moon landing for granted. Of course we would land on the moon and soon go beyond that, was my attitude.

How sad that the cost of wars since then have prevented further manned space exploration.

Chris | 2:18 p.m. July 10, 2009

Sorry folks, but we didn't go to the moon in 1969, we couldn't go today and we won't be going anytime in the next 10 years, if ever. Set aside your lofty aspirations and emotions for just a few minutes and think about the sheer magnitude of the math problem. Nobody (not the US, not anyone) has the solution to the math problem that would land a man on the moon and return them safely to earth. I'm not discounting the sheer awesomeness of our space program. I know only a handful of people that stands more in awe of what we've accomplished as a nation that me. But the moon thing just ain't true. Somebody just wanted us to believe more than what was possible. Whatever. No harm done. We can move past this. I hope we do make it to the moon one day.

For Chris, the misguided skeptic | 5:44 p.m. July 10, 2009

"Chris | 2:18 p.m. July 10, 2009
Sorry folks, but we didn't go to the moon in 1969, we couldn't go today and we won't be going anytime in the next 10 years, if ever. Set aside your lofty aspirations and emotions for just a few minutes and think about the sheer magnitude of the math problem. Nobody (not the US, not anyone) has the solution to the math problem that would land a man on the moon and return them safely to earth. I'm not discounting the sheer awesomeness of our space program. I know only a handful of people that stands more in awe of what we've accomplished as a nation that me. But the moon thing just ain't true. Somebody just wanted us to believe more than what was possible. Whatever. No harm done. We can move past this. I hope we do make it to the moon one day."

Sorry Chris, but you're just an idiot and I'm not afraid to tell you so.

Dan Maloy
Enid, OK

To Chris | 6:34 p.m. July 10, 2009

The astronauts brought back moon rocks much older than Earth rocks, and of different compositions, including a new mineral, armalcolite, named for the three astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission: Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins.

So yes, men have walked on the moon and safely returned. It does seem miraculous, I know, but don't underestimate human inventiveness.

But then, you was probly just funnin' us.

CJ3 | 7:24 p.m. July 10, 2009

I personally know a couple of the fellows that worked on Viking and the Apollo missions. They are gettin' up there, if you know what I mean, and Fred never hesitates to remind you, "We put a man on the moon, ya know."

Emery? Well, he's still sharp as a tack!

Don't believe that bologna propoganda that we never landed on the moon.

For Chris | 9:27 p.m. July 10, 2009

Chris -

Moon rock samples and personal testimonyies/witnesses aside, do you have ANY idea how hard it would be to keep something like that a secret????

You've watched "Capricorn One" a few too many times.

People talk. Sure, not everyone would talk but surely after 40 years SOMEBODY in the know would talk.

It hasn't happened. Not even once. Rather, those who should be in the know, astronauts, scientists and engineers by the thousands, all claim the same thing: we went to the moon.

DIANA | 9:18 a.m. July 11, 2009

My parents woke us up from sleep. It was so exciting. I was a senior in high school at the time. It was surreal. I remembering looking up at the moon for several nights after thinking....WOW It's so far away!

Mark | 8:14 a.m. July 12, 2009

I wasn't alive back then, but I saw an excellent documentary with all the astronauts that went on it. I'm convinced -- it definitely was real and not filmed in Hollywood. If anyone wants to see a good show, rent "In the Shadow of the Moon" directed by Ron Howard. I recommend it.

Priscilla Hanlon | 11:34 a.m. July 12, 2009

I remember my dad saying to a friend that we had to hurry to get home after church so we could watch the moonlanding on TV, which we did. In school we had drawn pictures and tried to imagine what it would be like on the moon. That was before. Now we knew.

R Jensen | 11:41 a.m. July 12, 2009

I was 19 and in the US Marine Corps. I had been in Vietnam for about 3 weeks. I knew the lunar landing was planned and tried to get information, which mainly came from Armed Forces Vietnam radio. I remember the night of the landing ... watching the flares and tracers from the gunships with the moon in the background. My thoughts were focused on the great irony: "How strange, to have a man walking on the moon while we are here trying to destroy one another".

Thane | 11:59 a.m. July 12, 2009

It was my 2nd birthday!!!

Sally | 3:20 p.m. July 12, 2009

I remember being being with my family on July 20, 1969. I was having my 6th birthday! My great grandmother was there, and as we all watched this on TV together, I remember my Great Grandmother saying with a tear in her eye that she never thought she would see a man walk on the moon in her lifetime. She was born in the late 1800's and had seen many amazing things come to be during her lifetime.....but this, by far, was the most amazing thing she had ever seen! I will never forget this day....celebrating my birthday and celebrating man's walk on the moon, together!

Miguel | 5:11 p.m. July 12, 2009

I was ten years younger. I was born in 1979, so I don't remember much. ; )

justicesword | 5:17 p.m. July 12, 2009

It was the year I graduated from high school and must say that I believed that NASA had indeed landed men on the moon. After doing some personal research, I now know that no mortal being can escape the bounds of the Van Allen radiation belt without being fried to death. All space flight for man has been and always will be limited to low earth orbit, which is where Armstrong's capsule was while NASA's theatrical production team broadcast the "moon landing". NASA is directly owned and controlled by the Federal Reserve, a private banking corporation making profits at the expense of the American taxpayers. All of this makes sense if you understand that charging bogus war and space race programs to the credit of the american taxpayers feathers the nest of the international banking cartel/federal reserve bank. Wake up Des news readers to the reality of the deception of the acedemic/ news media control over your minds.
These institutions are also controlled by the above interlocking corporate force that will soon have the USA under it's total control as all bailouts are also being charged to the taxpayers. Enjoy your ignorance is bliss mentality.

Mark | 7:11 p.m. July 12, 2009

I was 14 years old and at my cousin's home in North Philadelphia. We were gathered around the TV. As we watched Armstrong step down on the moon my uncle said, "How about that. Can you believe that?" Then we went outside to look up at the moon to see if we could see the men walking up there. (We couldn't)

To justicesword | 12:14 a.m. July 13, 2009

The Van Allen belt is made of charged particles from solar wind that get trapped in the Earth’s magnetic atmosphere. It is strong over the equator and weak over the poles.

Spacecraft are well shielded against these particles.

For justicesword @ 5:17 | 12:50 a.m. July 13, 2009

Hey "justicesword", concerning your no lunar landing comment above, here's your sign.

If you have to ask "what sign", I rest my case.

Dan Maloy
Enid, OK

al | 8:25 a.m. July 13, 2009

My parents purchased a television so that we could watch it!

sunnyboy_esquire, Sweden | 9:35 a.m. July 13, 2009

I was in the army, in Sweden. We found a small restaurant, where we had the possibility to watch the moon-landing on the television. The company-officers were just as interested as the rest of us were. In Sweden, we had a very strong left wing support going, but even those who were left wing supporters were cheering when the pictures of Niel Armstrong came up on the television.

CJ3 | 10:18 a.m. July 13, 2009

Concerning the Van Allen radiation belt, it is stronger closest to Earth (there are two belts), as well, so a comment that manned spacecraft can't go farther than low-earth orbit makes little sense. That's where the biggest danger lies.

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Let's hear what you remember about the moon landing