A Small Step for (a) Man

A Small Step for (a) Man July 21, 2017

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It was on this day, the 21st of July, in 1969, at 2:56 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) the American astronaut Neil Armstrong put his foot on the surface of the moon. And with that he became the first human being to walk on a natural surface other than the Earth.

Yesterday, I reflected a little on how this and the day before when the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed touches my own heart and imagination.

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Wikipedia gives us the details:

Although the official NASA flight plan called for a crew rest period before extra-vehicular activity, Armstrong requested that the EVA be moved to earlier in the evening, Houston time. Once Armstrong and Aldrin were ready to go outside, Eagle was depressurized, the hatch was opened and Armstrong made his way down the ladder first.

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At the bottom of the ladder Armstrong said, “I’m going to step off the LEM now” (referring to the Apollo Lunar Module). He then turned and set his left boot on the lunar surface at 2:56 UTC July 21, 1969, then spoke the famous words, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.

And with that step things would never again be the same…

 


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