Quote:
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Originally Posted by merlin66
Where were you when Apollo 11 landed?
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Thanks for the post.
Do you mean the
landing or the
walk?
I note that you are in the UK but most of the respondents are in Australia.
In Australia, unless they were incredibly eager school goers, nobody would have been at
school for the landing.
Touchdown was at around 06:18am Australian Eastern
Standard Time (AEST) which was the morning of the 21st July.
As you will recollect, Armstrong and Aldrin skipped the rest period (how they
ever expected them to sleep is beyond me
) and brought the walk forward.
Armstrong stepped onto the Moon at approx. 12:56pm AEST on the afternoon
of 21 July. In the UK, it was 02:56 in the morning of 21 July.
It was the walk that most respondents will be recollecting watching on the
fuzzy black and white TV at school.
As for myself, my brother and I stayed at home and watched it on TV.
I would certainly regard it as the most historically significant event in my life
and I actually feel sorry for anyone that was either too young to remember it
or not born at the time as they missed out on an event that rivaled all
milestones in human exploration that had ever come before it.
Of the major events in the mission - liftoff, docking, lunar orbit, landing, the walk,
the ascent, rendevouz and splashdown, for spectators here on Earth, it was the liftoff,
the walk and splashdown that probably remain the most vivid because there
was live television coverage. There was also live television during parts of the
trans-lunar phase. During the actual landing sequence one had to listen
to the commentary between the astronauts and mission control and I still
remember wishing at times that the television commentators would just
keep quiet for long enough during the lead-up so that we could hear for
ourselves what was happening.
The actual walk was made all the more indelible because there was live
television coverage from the camera on the LM. Neil was part way down the
ladder when the camera was first turned on and initially the picture
was upside down.
However, for all that witnessed it, the moment of the
walk is a permanent memory of the type that you don't forget where
you were at the time.
I remember standing in George Street, Sydney for the motorcade
as Armstrong, Aldrin & Collins drove past standing up in an open
top Rolls Royce, waving as they went by in November of '69.
Afterwards, I even remember us going immediately into seeing
the movie the "Battle of Britain" in the cinema, which was a
big screen smash at the time.
Prior to Apollo 11, the first Apollo 8 lunar orbit was among the most heart-stopping
moments of the Apollo missions. These were the first guys ever to circle
around the far side of the Moon and during that time they are out of radio
communication with Earth. There was that interminably long anxious wait
whilst all of us back here waited for their first words as they came back around.
It was hard not to be affected by it.
Thanks again for the post and I look forward to reading other's recollections!
Best Regards
Gary
Mt. Kuring-Gai NSW Australia
P.S.
Thanks to Les for posting his Apollo 11 patch. I had one of these too and
they were popular at the time. The newspapers would offer them as a memento
you could buy.
as long as I am around to hear and see them do it 
