It was 40 years ago today...
By ShepherdSpy
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
Omagh, Northern Ireland
July 16, 2009 9:51am CST
when The first Men to land on the Moon took off to visit our closest neighbour in space..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8150559.stm
Were you around at that time to watch the TV coverage? Did you have expectations of where space exploration would lead to at this point 40 years on? Or is it simply an entry on a history book page for You? Thanks for responses!
3 responses
@kookiman (25)
• United States
17 Jul 09
I was fortunate enough to have watched the lift off of Apollo 11 from a spot across the river from Kennedy Space Center, and watched the TV coverage in awe as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon for the first time. The Saturn V and the space shuttle rattle the windows in my house when they launched and I even got to work at the space center during Apollo 14, so I've always been a huge fan of the space program. I'm amazed at how little progress we've made in the last forty years and I'm saddened by the impending lull in the space program as they get the next launch vehicle ready. It's going to mean many lay offs for an area already deeply affected by the current economic situation....
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
18 Jul 09
That one takes the prize..You saw a Saturn V liftoff?! wow..I've yet to visit Florida,so a visit to where it all started is one thing I'd like to do at some time..So far,I've only visited the Smithsonian Air/Space Museum in DC...
@kookiman (25)
• United States
21 Jul 09
The Visitors Information Center at the entrance to Kennedy Space Center is a must see if you're in the area. It is one of the most visited attractions in the U.S. and offers a guided bus tour of the restricted areas of the Space Center.I'm not sure what they charge for that but I think there is no charge to get in to the VIC. Yep, the Saturn V launches were more impressive to me to watch than the Shuttles because of the height difference. When I worked out there I drove on the road right next to the crawler way while a Saturn V was being transported out to the pad...really amazing.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
16 Jul 09
wow, i heard this on the radio this morning and it is very cool. i dont remember the coverage (i was 7 or 8 and didnt pay attention) but i have watched apollo 13 a bunch of times and that sort of sparked my interest in the apollo landings. i am a history fanatic and have looked into apollo 11 and neil armstrong too.
1 person likes this
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
18 Jul 09
It makes you think,when We are able to say we were around at the time events like this took place and are able to remember them!
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
22 Jul 09
I stumbled on this page of archive photos ranging from JFK giving his "To the Moon" Speech before congress,to the Apollo 11 crew being given their ticker tape parade on their safe return..some amazing photos on there..
http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2009/07/17/apollos-historic-lunar-landing/
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
18 Jul 09
It's a long time ago if you weren't around then...It's still a long time if you were,but it doesn't seem that long when you can remember such events happening during your lifetime!And how the technology has moved on..they talk about how little computing power the Lunar landers had compared to a modern PC..amazing progress in some ways,not so much in what was "The space race"...
