Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Deborah, Wasilla AK on July 20, 2009:

Great story!

One of the reasons that the module was being hand flown was that NASA had not accounted for the small push that the leftover air in the hatch would give to space landing vehicle. It was enough of a push to require them to select an alternate field, as they would miss the original planned landing field (a nice, safe, flat area) and end up over a rocky one. So... hats off even more to the pilot who had to deal with what could have easily been a total disaster.

Posted by George, Ouray on July 20, 2009:

I too had a real interest in the space program. My dad was an engineer for Aerojet General, the Liquid Propolusion side of things. Aerojet was responsible for the Saturn V rocket so I recall watching every launch and splashdown! Thanks for bringing back such a great memory.

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Very cool, George! We lived in Burbank, on a hill overlooking Burbank airport, where there was a big Lockheed facility. Some of my earliest memories involve sonic booms from the various experimental aircraft Lockheed was developing at its "Skunkworks". -rc

Posted by Ken, Fallon, NV on July 20, 2009:

July 20, 1969 Hollywood, FL

I was 16 years old and sick with the mumps, something considered quite hazardous for boys my age. I had been confined to my bed for a long time already and asked frequently to be allowed to see the planned moon landing.

Finally, when the astronauts were at the moon, but had not yet landed, I was allowed to walk slowly and with assistance to the other end of the house where our television was located.

As the lunar module was piloted down I almost passed out. I had forgotten to breathe. Such was the excitement of the event. Never before and nearly never since, has anything impressed me to that point. It truly was a miracle for mankind.

Posted by Chris, Colfax, CA on July 20, 2009:

My 107-year-old great aunt and her family were sitting in front of a 25 inch color television watching the first step on the moon.

She recalled the first time she saw a man fly when she was a little girl. It was a Frenchman in a hot air balloon at a World's Fair. She said that was just as exciting as the moon landing.

Posted by Michael, La Grande, Oregon on July 20, 2009:

I was nineteen that summer, and stationed on a fire lookout about 50 miles from Portland, Oregon, and at least 20 miles from the nearest thing that could be called "civilization". I watched the landing on a 4" Sony portable television. It was roughly 12" x 15" x 6" and weighed nearly 15 lbs; I had to steal dry cell batteries from my communication radio to power it. By today's standards, that is ancient technology, but I was filled with wonder at the time to be able to see pictures direct from the Moon in my remote location. Even today, I still tear up when I hear Armstrong say, "The Eagle has landed."

Posted by naleta Michigan on July 21, 2009:

I was 11 when this happened. My family had a small black and white television set that we watched it on. My mother and I both loved to read science fiction stories, and here we were living one vicariously. Back then, we were sure that by 40 years later, there would be permanent settlements on the Moon. *sigh*

Posted by Mary in VA now, St. Louis at the time on July 21, 2009:

My husband and I had been intrigued with the previous programs and were following every step of the Apollo flights.

He was fossil hunting with friends that weekend but made it home before the scheduled broadcast. Our older son was 6 months old and we sat with him in my lap to watch.

Four years later, my husband was in charge of producing the map of the moon landing site for Apollo 17! That was the flight when the fender was damaged and the astronauts used copies of the map and duct tape to create a new fender for the Lunar Explorer. They brought it back and it hangs in the Space Display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Posted by Jeremy - Virginia on July 21, 2009:

July 20th is my birthday, and on July 20, 1969 I received the best birthday present of my life, thanks to NASA, the Apollo astronauts, and a country then not afraid to lead.

Posted by Robert, Wilmington NC on July 21, 2009:

Just a minor correction; the Command Module was, if memory serves, in an elliptical orbit with perilune (closest approach to the moon) about 60 miles, and apolune (furthest distance) about 120.

I too have distinct memories of being permitted to stay up late to watch the first steps on the moon. A real high point, if not *the* high point (so far), for our species.

PS: if you haven't done a Zero Gravity training flight yet, do so. My entire family flew one last year, and it is worth every penny. In all the accounts I have read on space flight, I have never seen a really good description of what freefall feels like, and now I know why -- it is very hard to describe (but it doesn't feel like you're falling!)

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I agree that the use of "circled" is misleading, since he didn't stay in a

On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the LM again, made a final check, and at 100 hours, 12 minutes into the flight, the Eagle undocked and separated from Columbia for visual inspection. At 101 hours, 36 minutes, when the LM was behind the moon on its 13th orbit, the LM descent engine fired for 30 seconds to provide retrograde thrust and commence descent orbit insertion, changing to an orbit of 9 by 67 miles, on a trajectory that was virtually identical to that flown by Apollo 10. At 102 hours, 33 minutes, after Columbia and Eagle had reappeared from behind the moon and when the LM was about 300 miles uprange, powered descent initiation was performed with the descent engine firing for 756.3 seconds.

And it continues from there. (Source: NASA) -rc

Posted by Karl Decorah, IA on July 21, 2009:

My folks dragged the TV into the dining room so we didn't miss anything. I wanted to stay up to see them jettison their trash, but the excitement wore me down. It's disturbing how little media coverage there is of space exploration today. All the gadgets that allow us to tweet and Facebook are possible because of the engineering that space exploration required. I also think it's interesting that the astronauts don't consider themselves heroes. To a man, they said they were just doing their jobs. As an aside, RIP Uncle Walter.