July 20th, 1969 - "One giant leap for Mankind."

3 months before my 15th birthday we landed on the Moon. The decade long quest to reach the seemingly unattainable was at an end. Or, perhaps it was only the beginning. 

It was a Sunday, and we were all sitting in front of our television sets, wondering,  hoping, for the landing to go well. It did. The actual landing took place at 1:47 PM, with only 40 seconds of fuel left. It wasn't until 10:56 PM that Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lander. 

As he descended the ladder from the Lunar Module, which had been attached to the Apollo 11 spacecraft, he uttered the words he had so carefully gone over in his head during the 5 day, 240,000 mile journey. "That's one small step for (a) man. And one giant leap for Mankind." Almost 30 minutes later he was joined by Edward "Buzz" Aldrin on the srface. Michael Collins was orbiting in the Apollo 11 capsule.

The next day, a Monday, the nespapers in New York City carried the dateline on their front pages as "Moonday, July 21, 1969." It was a time of elation and a time of wonder. It was a day which no one could ever forget. 

Flying to the Moon

Tommorrow is the 41st anniversary of Apollo 11 and the historic Moon Landing. I'm not one of those that believe it was a hoax. I really do believe we landed on the Moon. That's why I am so puzzled by the recent buzz concerning the building of new rockets etc to land on the Moon again. Why can't we use the extra Saturn and Atlas rockets that were so successful in getting us there years ago? That is a topic for another time.

What has always put me at odds with some of my friends over the Moon Landing is the interview that I heard, via shortwave radio, out of Australia one night, maybe 20 years ago. In it, Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the lunar surface, spoke of UFO's that he and the other two crew members saw enroute. I have tried, unsuccessfully over the years, to get a recording, or even a transcript of this interview. Well, thanks to youtube I have got this video, taken from a British documentary, in which Mr. Armstrong explains the event and the cryptic message sent back to Mission Control, two days after they ejected the last stage of the booster rocket. It seems that something was traveling along with the Apollo craft. Here is the video, it has a few unnecessary things in it, but take the time to see and hear Mr. Armstrong talk about the incident in his own words. Remember, as you listen to this, that the astronauts are prohibited, for life, from discussing this on U.S. soil. And, much to their credit, none have broken that agreement. But, Mr. Armstrong has given these interviews in other countries, and they are public record.

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=jIB25KGjLaY&feature=related

I have never believed that we are alone in the Universe. I don't live in fear of UFO's. I just wonder why the government goes to such lengths to deny the existence of such craft. Watch the video and draw your own conclusions. I am just posting this as a way of letting myself know that I'm not nuts. I really did hear Mr. Armstrong say this.