• Security incident: ISF was recently accessed by intruders. Please change your password, and change it anywhere else you used it. Read more

Moon Landing - Where were you?

I was 12. A perfect age for space enthusiasm. And I was already a science geek. (Had my own "chemistry set," and my own telescope shortly thereafter.) I remember the TV being on all day and being glued to it. There's been a lot of talk of Cronkite lately, but for me, Jules Bergman on ABC was the man! Cronkite seemed genuinely interested and amazed, but Bergman seemed to know everything! He always had all those models of the rockets. I thought the lunar missions were the coolest things ever.
 
I was likely looking forward to my 11th birthday presents. I have no specific memory of the birthday or the landing, though. I've always been a space nerd, so I'm sure I saw it live, just can't distinguish it from all the rerun memories. I have a vague memory of trying to see one of the Apollo missions on the moon through a telescope, unsuccessfully.

My first memory is being upset that saturday cartoons were not on because every channel was following the train Kennedy's body was on.

Not much else imprinted until I was 13/14, and not much since then.:confused:
 
I was in the Air Force, stationed at Pope AFB, NC, doing my last shift before taking off on leave, to Seattle.

Some of the guys at the fire station were excited to be watching it, some were saying "So what?"

One was muttering something about "blasphemy.."

I never felt totally comfortable in North Carolina.
 
I was 14, on summer vacation. We all crowded around the TV in my parents' bedroom, watching it on a little 14" black & white TV, since our other one was broken. I was transfixed by the whole thing, and was also wondering if there was any way that I was related to Neil Armstrong. Since then, found out I'm not, but still, it would have been so cool!
 
I remember being sat down in front of the TV and told to watch because it was an important historical event, but cannot reconstruct exactly what. The moon walk would have been too late, and I'd remember staying up past my bed time, given a 5 year old's priorities. Maybe the launch, or the landing of the LEM? In any case, I also remember not understanding what the big deal was because I did not realize it was something we hadn't done before! They were flying all around the galaxy in Star Trek, after all.
 
We bought a color TV (first on the block) just to watch that mission -- we had it for the launch IIRC. I do remember watching, and *understanding*, that it was a man on the moon. That we were on another planet. And I remember me, and all the other kids, practicing our slow-mo "moon walk" out in the street and our yards for weeks thereafter.

The other thing I remember is that my cat, who usually ignored the TV, used to watch intently during the splashdown, and attack the helicopter with the astronauts in it! He'd then go back to acting as though he couldn't see the TV until the next splashdown, and again, attack the helicopter. Go figure.

--MK
 
At the age of 7 I can see the landing was one of the seminal momments of my life. In Australia I got up early with the rest of my family to watch the landing live

Live - in terms of a dinky animation of the Luna Module landing on a Destination Moon like setting. Even then I smiled when my Grandmother screamed I can not watch anymore and covered her eyes lol

Later that day, we were let of school early. And this touches me so deeply. I jumped into the car and Richard Nixion was giving a speech on the radio. I asked mum why he was doing this on such an important day

She said....because today history is being made. That momment was like a lightbulb going of inside my head. History had sort of been this old stuff, wars, old pictures and such. Suddenly I saw history as this dynamic thing and OMG I was being part of it.

Perhaps of even more importance, it is the only time I can recall the entire planet looking up and going "Hey thats cool"
 
Foster Zygote said:
In me mum's tummy, about two months along.
Click to expand...

Same here, but you beat me out by one day. It must have had some kind of effect on my family though, as I remember being completely fascinated with space exploration growing up. Mind you, I didn't want to got to space myself, I wanted to build and design the technology.

I wish I could have seen that live as well. Considering how much awe and wonder I got from watching the shuttle missions as a teenager, I can only imaging how much more intense it would have been watching the Gemini and Apollo missions.
 
I'm surprised at all the people outside of America that were watching. For some reason I had always thought that pretty much only Americans had watched or even cared about Apollo.
 
Travis said:
For some reason I had always thought that pretty much only Americans had watched or even cared about Apollo.
Click to expand...

Wha? Eh? Huh?

A species from this planet landed on another celestial body for the first time in Earth's four billion year history. Half a Billion people watched it.
 
Last edited:
What Undesired Walrus said, plus in Australia in the 60s we lacked independence and were in awe of anything and everything british and american.
 
lionking said:
What Undesired Walrus said, plus in Australia in the 60s we lacked independence and were in awe of anything and everything british and american.
Click to expand...

Tables have turned, since Americans seem to be in awe of all things Australian, such as Elle McPhereson, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman ... :eye-poppi
 
lionking said:
What Undesired Walrus said, plus in Australia in the 60s we lacked independence and were in awe of anything and everything british and american.
Click to expand...

Not to mention Australia was an intergral part of the program. Parkes and Honeysuckle Creek radion telescopes were used to transmit to the world that first Moon Walk.

And remember Australia was in the space race back then as well. Ultimately becoming the 4th nation in the world to successfully launch a satellite into space
 
Travis said:
I'm surprised at all the people outside of America that were watching. For some reason I had always thought that pretty much only Americans had watched or even cared about Apollo.
Click to expand...


WHAT????

HUMAN BEINGS were landing on the moon. Armstrong got it right. One giant leap for MANKIND. Who the hell cared which nationality he was? Except, well done you.

Rolfe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

ISF - Join now!

Every member here is approved by hand. No bots, no spam, just people who care about evidence and honest debate.

Membership is free!

Create your free account

Back
Top Bottom