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Emmett : Now, you fellas all know what we're
doing here, right?
Neil Armstrong : Think so.
Emmett : Just shootin'
the shit. Informal. No big
deal. Coffee
klatch, kind of stuff we can
cut into anytime during our broadcast of the
mission.
Mike Collins : Say, are we underdressed, Emmett?
Emmett : Oh no, not at all, boys. I'm just a
creature of habit. I can't go on
the air without puttin' on my
tie. We'll be on the air from the moment you
cross through the equigravisphere right up
through the big moment. And to tell you the
truth I'm gonna need all the help I can get.
Neil Armstrong : I don't know, Emmett. Cronkite
worked
us over. I don't know how
much we have left for you.
Emmett : You let me worry about Cronkite.
I've got good
stuff on each of you, but
don't get too formal about it. Say any damn
thing you please, any damn thing you want.
Now, Neil, I'll start with you. Then you,
Buzz. Mike, you'll be Tail-End
Charlie.
Mike Collins : So I'm always Tail-End Charlie on
these scenes.
Emmett : Forget what I just said. We'll start
with you. Now, Mike, you have a role unlike
any other human being in the world.
Buzz : So, are we beginning now?
Emmett : Oh, yeah. They started rolling the
minute I sat down. And we are having an
informal chat with these three men who need
no introduction.
Reporter : This is Apollo Saturn Launch
Control. We can now count
down for Apollo 11 the flight
to land the first men on the moon. We're on
time at the present time for our planned
liftoff of 32 minutes past the hour. "T"
minus 60 seconds and counting. We've passed
"T" minus 60. Fifty-five seconds and
counting. Last I reported back when we
received the good wishes. "Thank you very
much. We know it will be a good flight." Good
luck and Godspeed. Forty
seconds away from the Apollo 11 liftoff. All
second-stage tanks now pressurized.
Thirty-five seconds and counting. We are
still go with Apollo 11. Thirty seconds and
counting. Astronauts report it feels good.
"T" minus 25 seconds. Twenty seconds and
counting. "T" minus 15 seconds. Guidance is
internal. Twelve, eleven, ten,
nine--Ignition sequence starts. Six, five,
four, three, two, one--Liftoff. We have a
liftoff.
Emmett : That was four days ago. It was
witnessed in
person by over a million
people in Florida and billions of people on
television around the world. It was history.
I'm Emmett Seaborn. You are watching NTC's special
coverage of Apollo 11 to the Sea
of Tranquility. The date is
July 20 of the year 1969. If everything goes
according to plan an event will take place
today that will forever mark the 20th day of
the seventh month of the year.
Buzz : You're even. That's good. You have plenty of
room on your left. You're a little close on
the right. Pack down a little bit. Pack
down. That's it. Doin' fine. You got it.
Neil Armstrong : Okay, Houston, I'm on the porch.
Mission center : Roger,
Neil. Standing by for your TV. Okay, we're
getting a picture on the TV.
Neil Armstrong : Okay, I just checked this.
Getting back up to that first step. It's,
it’s not even collapsed too far, but it's
adequate to get back up. I'm at the foot of
the ladder. The LEM footpads are only
depressed in the surface about one or two
inches although the surface appears to be
very, very fine grain, when you get close to
it. It's almost like a powder. I'm gonna
step off the LEM now. That's one small step
for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind. |
