Neil Armstrong, In His Own Words
The first moonwalker's storied aviation career
- By Tony Reichhardt
- AirSpaceMag.com, August 27, 2012
NASA/Andrew Chaikin
There are few photos of Armstrong on the lunar surface (he was operating the camera most of the time), but Apollo historian Andrew Chaikin uncovered this gem while looking at frames of 16 mm film shot during the first moonwalk: a picture of Armstrong with his gold visor raised, so that his face is visible.
During the Apollo 11 crew's debriefing following their mission, Armstrong gave this description of the first moonwalk:
“I went the farthest. While Buzz was returning from [setting up an experiment], I went back to a big crater behind us. It was a crater that I’d estimate to be 70 or 80 feet in diameter and 15 or 20 feet deep. I went back to take some pictures of that; it was between 200 and 300 feet from the [Lunar Module]. [Note: Armstrong's tracks are still visible on the moon, extending to the right of the LM in this image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.] I ran there and ran back because I didn’t want to spend much time doing that, but it was no trouble to make that kind of a trek—a couple of hundred feet or so. It just took a few minutes to lope back there, take those pictures, and then come back. …
I can best describe a lope as having both feet off the ground at the same time, as opposed to walking where you have one foot on the ground at all times. In loping, you leave the ground with both feet and come down with one foot in a normal running fashion. It’s not like an earth run here, because you are taking advantage of the low gravity.
… It was fairly comfortable, but at the end of this trip, going out there and back, I was already feeling like I wanted to stop and rest a little. After about 500 feet of this loping with a 1-minute stop out there in the middle to take pictures, I was ready to slow down and rest. There were a lot of interesting areas within 500 feet or so to go and look at if we had had the time. It would have been interesting to take that time and go out and inspect them closely and get some pictures, but that was a luxury we didn't have.”
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Comments (6)
A brush with death and he bites his tongue, is that the secret to a successful carrier that includes Washington? I was just exiting teenage hood when he and Buzz landed, a young adult who had followed the race and was ready to do my part when reality and the economy of the '70s hit. When someone tries to win an argument with things were different then say yes, there were not as many negative people then. After the moon many of us felt we could solve any problem with out today's collateral damage with today's solutions. Enough regulations now there are few home built solar collectors compared to then. Those were heady times to bad we ruined it with the Department of Education. Neil and Buzz will always be my role models.
Posted by Terry on August 27,2012 | 04:40 PM
Who shall be the next Amstrong in America. Who shall be fearless like the late hero?
Posted by Gift on August 29,2012 | 01:47 AM
There shall never be another Armstrong in America....another fearless hero. We are too advanced now...or, in the words of William Shatner's narrative during the opening credits of Star Trek: "Space, the final frontier." Space truly is the final frontier and now matter now if we put a man (or woman) on Mars, Venus or Jupiter, it will not have the same excitement or drama as Armstrong's lunar landing. It was the FIRST time man ventured from the earth and stood on ground not part of the earth. We were still relatively naive with regards to space travel. It hadn't been that long since the Apollo 1 fire claimed the lives of three American astronauts. There were still many questions regarding whether Armstrong and Aldrin could safely lift off of the moon and return to earth.
Now, spaceflight has become so routine, we hardly pay any attention to a launch or a landing.
No, there will never again be a hero the likes of Neil Armstrong. There will never be a "next" one...
Posted by Thomas Carr on August 30,2012 | 04:58 PM
He was a quiet emissary for Earth and for the United States. I was a little kid when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon but recall all the excitement. It changed history and brought President Kennedy's challenge to fruition.
We need more challenges that make us stretch and grow, and less challenges like militarism and arms races that simply waste our precious resources -- including human life. Thank of all that we can accomplish by working together as a species!
Posted by Ken O'Brien on September 5,2012 | 12:00 PM
Neil Armstrong like Charles Lindbergh were "Firsts", neither basked in the limelight. Just quietly moving into history without fanfare, unique American qualities.
Posted by Ben M. Colcol on September 22,2012 | 06:17 PM
Why do we not have a national holiday for Neil Armstrong??? He is clearly one of the bravest men this country and the world has ever known.
Posted by Don Bille on January 2,2013 | 11:01 PM