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Subtitles by explosiveskull
www.OpenSubtitles.org
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[interviewer] This is
astronaut Neil Armstrong,
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command pilot for the Apollo
11 moon landing mission.
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Columbus explored one New World,
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how do you feel about
such comparisons?
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First, he wasn't sure
where he was going.
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At least he thought
he was going to China
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or the Indies
and ended up of course
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in a completely new world.
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Now I very much hope that
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we won't terminate at some place
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that we didn't expect to,
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some planet that we hadn't
planned to visit.
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[epic music]
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[light switches churning]
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[narrator] We're
going to the moon
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because it's in the nature
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of the human being
to face challenges.
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It's by the nature
of his deep inner soul.
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We're required
to do these things,
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just as salmon swim upstream.
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[Armstrong] I wouldn't say that
fear is an unknown emotion to us
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the work that goes into
the preparation for flight
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does everything it can
toward erasing those kinds
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of possibilities
and I would say that
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as a crew, we among
the three of us,
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really have no fear of launching
out on this expedition.
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[sirens wailing]
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[Rick] The night before
he went to the Cape,
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he said, "I just want
you to know that
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we're confident
we're coming back.
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But yeah, there is
some risk in this mission."
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And he just sort of stated
it, not dramatically at all,
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because that wasn't how he was.
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"So, okay, good,
see you when you get back."
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[Mark] At six years old,
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I was sheltered
from a lot of the dangers,
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a lot of the risks,
a lot of the worries.
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My Mom carried them all
and she carried them in a way
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that I did not know
that she had them.
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[Janet] We did not know that Apollo
11 would make it to the moon,
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we only knew that
that was an attempt.
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Everything had to work
and it just wasn't likely
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that everything was gonna
work out fine,
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that there wouldn't be a glitch
somewhere along the line.
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[inspirational music]
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[narrator] Looking back,
we were really very privileged
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to have lived in that
thin slice of history,
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where we changed how
man looks at himself...
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and what he might become.
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[helicopter chopping]
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[people chattering]
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[intense music]
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[reporter] There
it sits out there,
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the culmination
of somewhere between
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25 and 33 billion dollars.
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The skills and dedication
of about 300,000 technicians,
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the solemn but certainly risk
filled pledge of a President,
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some heartbreaking failures
and some stirring successes.
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[astronaut] This is
Apollo 10 in Launch Control,
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we've passed the six minute mark
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in our countdown for Apollo 11,
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the flight to land
the first men on the moon
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and all is still go as
we monitor our status quo.
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[Mark] I remember getting
onto a little boat
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and we watched the
launch from there.
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My guess is that this was
in case something went wrong.
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[mission control] T-minus three,
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we are go with all elements
for the mission at this time.
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Firing commands coming in now,
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we are on
the automatic sequence.
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We are still go on
Apollo 11 at this time.
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[typing]
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[Ernie] I didn't know
it was Neil
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until they named him on TV
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and I said I know him well!
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I didn't know he had
progressed this far.
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But here he was in command
of the moon landing.
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Hard to believe.
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But, if it was anybody,
it was gonna be Armstrong.
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Neil Armstrong
from Wapakoneta, Ohio,
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he's gotta be the guy.
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[interviewer] When did you
last talk to your son?
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Yesterday about noon,
we had a nice long talk with him
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on various subjects mostly
pertaining to the family.
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And the rest of the family
is close at the Cape.
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[distorted voice]
About what you expect.
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With all of our technology,
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we're having difficulty
getting pictures
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from Wapakoneta, Ohio.
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[birds chirping]
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[slow music]
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[June] We're at my grandparents'
home, Wapakoneta, Ohio.
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Neil was born in this house
in the living room
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August fifth, 1930.
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Couldn't have been better.
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[Mark] Growing up
in a small Midwestern town
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with parents of German descent
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gave my father
very strong values.
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That's where he came from,
those were his roots.
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You work hard,
keep your nose clean.
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Really that kind of simple.
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[June] This is a picture
with Dean, one and a half,
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I'm 18 months older
and Neil is three years older.
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We called each other
Neil the Peel,
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Dean the Bean, June the Prune.
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[reporter on radio] The experts
give 10 to one she can't fly.
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[June] Neil was sort of
lost in his own world.
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[reporter on radio] Look,
he's set on taking a chance
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and there he goes!
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[June] We often found
him in the corner
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reading his books.
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We liked to tease him,
but he accepted it with a big smile.
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[reporter on radio] And that's
the time the experts got fooled.
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Good boy, George.
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[inspirational music]
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[Stephen] He was interested
in airplanes
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from the time he was
a little boy.
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His mother bought him a 20 cent
airplane and he built that.
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Then from the 20 cent
he went to a 50 center
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and he went all the way up.
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Pretty soon he was building
them with motor [indistinct],
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flying them and testing them.
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[narrator] I knew what I wanted
to be when I grew up,
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I wanted to be
an airplane designer.
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I wanted to spend
my life in aviation.
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[airplane engine revving]
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[Mark] He got
his pilot's license
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before he got
his driver's license.
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It was more important
to him to be able to fly
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than to be able to drive.
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[narrator] The first
time you solo any airplane
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is a special day.
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The first time ever you solo,
is an exceptionally special day.
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There was a great deal
of excitement in my mind
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when I got to do
that first flight.
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He had turned 17 in August,
he went to college.
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He was doing a Navy scholarship.
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[narrator] I couldn't
have been happier
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with what I was doing,
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Going into engineering.
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Two years of study, then into
the Navy, flight training
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and then three years
of active duty.
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[foreboding music]
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[reporter] The highly
trained and well equipped
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North Korean Army swarmed
across the 38th parallel
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to attack unprepared
South Korean defenders.
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Caught off guard, they were
all but overwhelmed
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until the United Nations
took its historic vote
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to intervene.
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[guns firing]
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[water splashing]
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[planes roaring]
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[narrator] I got
my wings in August of 1950
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so I was then assigned
to a jet fighter squadron.
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We immediately prepared
for the Korean action.
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I was very young, very green.
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[Ernie] Neil was just
another name on a list
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when he came to the squadron.
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He was quiet and poised
and very confident.
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[Tom] He was unusually quiet,
I would say.
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Reserved to himself.
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Nobody was concerned
about him at all.
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We knew he was a good aviator,
good aviator.
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[plane roaring]
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[Tom] At that time they're
flying the F9F-2, the Panther.
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[Ernie] Very honest airplane.
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Do everything you wanted it
to do except climb.
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[guns firing]
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[Tom] Our job was
to support our ground forces,
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in our case mostly the Marines.
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We learned flak suppression
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and how to knock down
the bridges and the railroads.
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You understand that there's
gonna be casualties when you go,
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so you've probably made
most of that adjustment
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in your mind ahead of time.
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[narrator] Many younger
people are uncomfortable
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with the idea of death.
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I shared that uneasiness.
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[exploding]
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[narrator] Dear folks, we had a
terrible accident aboard our ship.
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Four were killed
and five missing.
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Approximately 15 others
were badly burned.
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I knew well four
of the nine dead
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and five of the injured.
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It was a tragedy.
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Took me a long time
to get over it.
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[Ernie] I wouldn't say we
weren't scared because we were,
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but your training takes over.
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That gets you through
the sticky parts.
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[narrator] Dear folks, there's
a lot of war to go yet.
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Last Monday, September third,
while on armed reconnaissance
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I was hit by enemy
anti-aircraft fire.
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I was diving on
a target at the time,
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and narrowly averted
hitting the ground,
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but hit some electric lines.
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Shaving off about five feet
of the Starboard wing.
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I was able to nurse
the aircraft back across
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to friendly territory
where I bailed out.
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No other news right now,
same old Neil.
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[Ernie] He was just one
of the boys
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until that incident
and when we started evaluating
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his decision making and his
skill in flying that airplane
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to where he did, that made
him kind of head and shoulders
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above the rest.
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[narrator] I value those
experiences very highly,
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because you build
a lot of character,
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and you build a lot of backbone
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and you're a better person
for having learned
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to endure that situation
and those risks.
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[mission control] T-minus one
minute and counting,
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we've passed T-minus 60.
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[inspirational music]
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[mission control]
55 seconds and counting.
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We launched
and we pulled it back
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when we received the good
wishes,
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thank you very much.
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We know it will be
a good flight.
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Good luck and Godspeed.
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[intense music]
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[mission control] T-minus 15
seconds, guidance is internal.
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[blast]
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[Rick] Saturn V launch
is so sensory overload.
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No video system
or audio system I've ever heard
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captures the way
that really sounds.
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[Mark] Sort of the cracking
of the exhaust going up.
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It's almost like
you're being shaken,
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but you're not moving, right?
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So it's a very odd thing, but
it's, it's incredibly powerful
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and something
that I will never forget.
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[inspirational music]
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[narrator] The Saturn V
was a 3,000 ton machine
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with an energy more than that
to lift you off the pad.
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It felt like a train on
a bad railroad track,
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shaking in every direction.
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And it was loud, really loud.
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It was an honest to God
go to the moon machine.
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[Rick] The thing
that I remember is the exhaust
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obscured the initial
movement of the rocket.
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You're like okay,
you know, where is it?
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I didn't perhaps realize
how slow that Saturn V,
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you know, sort of
lumbers off the pad.
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Finally we could start
to see the top of the rocket
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peer up above the clouds,
it was like, okay.
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[radio chattering]
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[Bruce] This is Houston,
you are go for [indistinct].
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This is the beginning of the
most audacious undertaking
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that man has ever attempted.
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00:19:07,002 --> 00:19:08,270
We'll be back in just a moment.
250
00:19:08,938 --> 00:19:13,377
["Earth Angel" by The Penguins]
251
00:19:14,343 --> 00:19:19,080
♪ Earth angel, earth angel ♪
252
00:19:19,082 --> 00:19:21,849
♪ Will you be mine? ♪
253
00:19:21,851 --> 00:19:23,217
[narrator] My time
in Korea expired
254
00:19:23,219 --> 00:19:25,052
and I thought it was
important to go back
255
00:19:25,054 --> 00:19:26,823
and finish my education.
256
00:19:28,290 --> 00:19:31,994
When I went back to university,
the kids looked so young.
257
00:19:32,929 --> 00:19:36,963
♪ A fool in love with you ♪
258
00:19:36,965 --> 00:19:40,167
[Janet] I met him at Purdue,
he was a freshman.
259
00:19:40,169 --> 00:19:44,071
♪ Earth angel, earth angel ♪
260
00:19:44,073 --> 00:19:47,141
♪ The one I adore ♪
261
00:19:47,143 --> 00:19:49,211
[Janet] He didn't like
to talk about much.
262
00:19:50,313 --> 00:19:52,282
And he never did talk
about much,
263
00:19:52,981 --> 00:19:56,920
but what he did say
was seemed to be meaningful.
264
00:19:57,487 --> 00:20:00,421
♪ I fell for you ♪
265
00:20:00,423 --> 00:20:02,959
[Janet] I just thought
he was honest,
266
00:20:03,192 --> 00:20:06,326
very good looking, very funny.
267
00:20:06,328 --> 00:20:08,999
♪ Loveliness ♪
268
00:20:10,298 --> 00:20:13,366
After that evening he went
home and told somebody
269
00:20:13,368 --> 00:20:15,204
that I was the one
he was going to marry.
270
00:20:17,205 --> 00:20:20,376
But he never asked me out
until he got out of school.
271
00:20:24,313 --> 00:20:26,479
♪ A fool in love... ♪
272
00:20:26,481 --> 00:20:30,052
And he came up to visit me
on his way to Edwards.
273
00:20:40,328 --> 00:20:42,028
[presenter] Edwards
Air Force Base
274
00:20:42,030 --> 00:20:43,834
in the Mojave Desert
in California.
275
00:20:44,866 --> 00:20:47,066
This is where test flights
of all high speed
276
00:20:47,068 --> 00:20:48,938
research aircraft
have taken place.
277
00:20:51,339 --> 00:20:53,140
[Joe] Being assigned
to Edwards Air Force Base
278
00:20:53,142 --> 00:20:56,844
was I think the goal
of every pilot
279
00:20:56,846 --> 00:20:58,411
and certainly anyone
who thought about
280
00:20:58,413 --> 00:20:59,782
ever being a test pilot.
281
00:21:02,484 --> 00:21:04,384
[narrator] This was one
of the most exciting places
282
00:21:04,386 --> 00:21:06,455
to work in the world
at that time.
283
00:21:08,223 --> 00:21:13,295
Dozens and dozens of new concepts,
configurations and tests.
284
00:21:16,499 --> 00:21:19,169
Something new to talk
about every day.
285
00:21:19,602 --> 00:21:22,339
[plane roaring]
286
00:21:23,205 --> 00:21:26,375
[Dave] At Edwards, more and more
technology was being introduced.
287
00:21:26,875 --> 00:21:29,045
So there was
this crossover between
288
00:21:29,444 --> 00:21:33,346
flying an airplane manually,
the old stick and rudder days,
289
00:21:33,348 --> 00:21:36,452
and managing a sophisticated
system in the air.
290
00:21:38,153 --> 00:21:41,023
So it was a challenging period.
291
00:21:43,392 --> 00:21:45,327
[crashing]
292
00:21:47,096 --> 00:21:48,899
[Frank] It was
a dangerous business.
293
00:21:51,067 --> 00:21:54,538
Everybody knew it,
and those of us that survived
294
00:21:55,503 --> 00:21:58,140
I don't think dwelled much on
the failures, on the deaths.
295
00:22:13,388 --> 00:22:15,925
[soft music]
296
00:22:20,195 --> 00:22:22,598
[Janet] We were married in 1956.
297
00:22:24,299 --> 00:22:26,302
January 1956.
298
00:22:30,105 --> 00:22:32,442
After that, we went
up to the desert.
299
00:22:36,345 --> 00:22:37,514
Bought a house up there.
300
00:22:42,919 --> 00:22:44,421
It was a cabin that we bought.
301
00:22:45,288 --> 00:22:47,857
A cabin that only had
a fireplace for heat.
302
00:22:50,192 --> 00:22:53,563
Neil was trying to work
on that and improve it.
303
00:23:01,671 --> 00:23:03,073
[June] And they had Ricky.
304
00:23:04,606 --> 00:23:06,172
He was a good kid.
305
00:23:06,174 --> 00:23:07,610
He still is.
306
00:23:08,210 --> 00:23:10,544
["Let The Good Times Roll"
by Shirley & Lee]
307
00:23:10,546 --> 00:23:13,580
♪ Come on baby
Let the good times roll ♪
308
00:23:13,582 --> 00:23:16,717
♪ Come on baby
Let me thrill your soul ♪
309
00:23:16,719 --> 00:23:18,288
[Rick] We moved when I was five.
310
00:23:19,721 --> 00:23:22,957
So I do remember it
although I tend to remember
311
00:23:22,959 --> 00:23:26,360
just little snippets
or almost like still pictures
312
00:23:26,362 --> 00:23:30,333
of it rather than longer scenes.
313
00:23:30,700 --> 00:23:33,734
♪ Come on baby
Let the good times roll ♪
314
00:23:33,736 --> 00:23:37,071
♪ Roll all night long ♪
315
00:23:37,073 --> 00:23:39,472
I remember walking on
a path to a neighbor's house
316
00:23:39,474 --> 00:23:42,209
and a big rattlesnake
went right across
317
00:23:42,211 --> 00:23:45,645
and I just kind of jumped
over it and kept going.
318
00:23:45,647 --> 00:23:49,182
♪ Rock me all night long ♪
319
00:23:49,184 --> 00:23:52,219
♪ Come on baby
Let the good times roll ♪
320
00:23:52,221 --> 00:23:53,720
[June] When Karen was born,
321
00:23:53,722 --> 00:23:55,524
she was the sweetest thing
in the whole wide world.
322
00:23:56,258 --> 00:23:59,058
♪ Come on baby
Let the good times roll ♪
323
00:23:59,060 --> 00:24:01,230
[June] He called her Muffy
right away.
324
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,366
He absolutely loved that girl
325
00:24:06,368 --> 00:24:08,634
and he paid all
of his attention to her
326
00:24:08,636 --> 00:24:10,373
like there was nobody else.
327
00:24:13,075 --> 00:24:15,174
[Janet] Karen was
a precious thing
328
00:24:15,176 --> 00:24:17,246
and she was Rick's best friend.
329
00:24:20,449 --> 00:24:22,415
In order to keep track
of the children
330
00:24:22,417 --> 00:24:25,221
I would put cowbells
on their back
331
00:24:26,055 --> 00:24:29,256
and tie them so when
they walked they would clank
332
00:24:29,258 --> 00:24:32,328
and that way I could hear
them above the roaring wind.
333
00:24:32,728 --> 00:24:35,398
♪ Rock me all night long ♪
334
00:24:36,031 --> 00:24:39,099
♪ Come on baby
Let the good times roll ♪
335
00:24:39,101 --> 00:24:40,370
[June] What a life that was.
336
00:24:41,670 --> 00:24:45,072
They were both very happy
in those times,
337
00:24:45,074 --> 00:24:46,172
those were good times.
338
00:24:46,174 --> 00:24:49,511
♪ Roll all night long ♪
339
00:24:54,717 --> 00:24:57,053
[beeping]
340
00:25:02,090 --> 00:25:03,592
[reporter on radio]
Moscow newspapers were first,
341
00:25:04,226 --> 00:25:06,759
then headlines around
the world echoed the news,
342
00:25:06,761 --> 00:25:10,265
Russia had blasted a man-made
moon into outer space.
343
00:25:11,099 --> 00:25:13,066
On every continent
and in every land,
344
00:25:13,068 --> 00:25:15,605
the story of Sputnik 1
dominated the front pages.
345
00:25:16,071 --> 00:25:17,539
[radio signals]
346
00:25:19,808 --> 00:25:24,346
When Sputnik, the Russian
satellite, orbited the Earth,
347
00:25:25,314 --> 00:25:30,784
it was a shocking moment
for the world, I suppose,
348
00:25:30,786 --> 00:25:32,788
but certainly
for the United States.
349
00:25:36,125 --> 00:25:39,295
[Christopher] Can you drop the
atomic bomb from a satellite?
350
00:25:40,362 --> 00:25:43,430
What can they do from that
thing that we can't do now,
351
00:25:43,432 --> 00:25:45,235
because we don't have
any space vehicles?
352
00:25:46,201 --> 00:25:47,403
That's where it started.
353
00:25:49,171 --> 00:25:51,374
[blast]
354
00:25:58,646 --> 00:26:03,182
[narrator] On April 12th, 1961,
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin
355
00:26:03,184 --> 00:26:06,221
flew once
around the world in 89 minutes.
356
00:26:14,462 --> 00:26:18,364
On April 14th,
President Kennedy called NASA
357
00:26:18,366 --> 00:26:19,368
into the White House.
358
00:26:20,470 --> 00:26:22,372
"Is there any place
we can catch them?
359
00:26:22,837 --> 00:26:23,839
What can we do?
360
00:26:24,973 --> 00:26:27,576
Can we put a man
on the moon before them?"
361
00:26:40,689 --> 00:26:43,226
[Dave] At Edwards
in the early 60's
362
00:26:43,692 --> 00:26:46,162
there was the transition
into space flight
363
00:26:47,163 --> 00:26:48,865
and Neil was
on the forefront of that.
364
00:26:53,602 --> 00:26:55,138
Neil flew the X-15.
365
00:26:56,704 --> 00:26:59,174
Everybody admired everybody
that flew the X-15.
366
00:26:59,842 --> 00:27:01,711
That was one
of the ultimate goals.
367
00:27:02,344 --> 00:27:05,347
If you could get in that program,
that was the best, right.
368
00:27:11,252 --> 00:27:12,719
[narrator] The X-15 was
a little airplane
369
00:27:12,721 --> 00:27:15,125
powered by a big rocket.
370
00:27:16,791 --> 00:27:19,559
Dropped from the wing
of a B-52 bomber,
371
00:27:19,561 --> 00:27:21,897
its rocket would burn
for a minute and a half,
372
00:27:23,832 --> 00:27:26,169
accelerate to about Mach 6,
373
00:27:26,769 --> 00:27:29,239
coast up to 60 miles altitude,
374
00:27:30,806 --> 00:27:32,509
then glide to a landing.
375
00:27:34,710 --> 00:27:37,447
[Joe] Took you high enough,
we were flying into space,
376
00:27:37,779 --> 00:27:39,746
and more importantly
we were learning how to fly
377
00:27:39,748 --> 00:27:41,683
back into the atmosphere.
378
00:27:45,887 --> 00:27:49,291
[Mike] I'm not sure who was
the best pilot of the X-15.
379
00:27:49,557 --> 00:27:52,327
There were seven, eight of them,
they were all very good.
380
00:27:54,230 --> 00:27:56,563
But Neil I think had
a better concept
381
00:27:56,565 --> 00:28:00,667
of how and why the machine was
put together
382
00:28:00,669 --> 00:28:02,238
and how it should be tested.
383
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:06,305
[Joe] Therein is an area
that I think Neil
384
00:28:06,307 --> 00:28:07,943
filled a very unique slot.
385
00:28:09,845 --> 00:28:11,413
Neil was a hell of an engineer.
386
00:28:13,515 --> 00:28:14,948
A pretty good pilot too.
387
00:28:14,950 --> 00:28:16,318
[laughing]
388
00:28:17,885 --> 00:28:18,954
[pilot] Release.
389
00:28:26,795 --> 00:28:28,728
[narrator] This particular
flight we went to somewhat
390
00:28:28,730 --> 00:28:30,299
about 200,000 feet.
391
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,867
[pilot on radio] Looking
pretty good at 250.
392
00:28:34,869 --> 00:28:36,636
[narrator] In the process
I got the nose up
393
00:28:36,638 --> 00:28:37,806
above the horizon.
394
00:28:39,642 --> 00:28:42,042
I tried to push down,
but discovered I had
395
00:28:42,044 --> 00:28:43,980
no aerodynamic controls.
396
00:28:47,583 --> 00:28:49,919
It was actually skipping
outside the atmosphere.
397
00:28:51,553 --> 00:28:54,287
It wasn't going down
because there was no air
398
00:28:54,289 --> 00:28:54,957
to bite into.
399
00:28:58,294 --> 00:29:00,393
[Joe] It's like being on
a very fast horse
400
00:29:00,395 --> 00:29:01,761
and riding it at full speed.
401
00:29:01,763 --> 00:29:03,498
You've got to be
looking out way ahead
402
00:29:04,066 --> 00:29:05,798
where the fences are,
where the rocks are
403
00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:07,700
and start to avoid them early.
404
00:29:07,702 --> 00:29:09,335
You can't wait till
the last minute
405
00:29:09,337 --> 00:29:10,505
and then jerk on a range.
406
00:29:16,077 --> 00:29:18,444
[narrator] I just had
to wait until I got enough air
407
00:29:18,446 --> 00:29:21,783
to have aerodynamic control
and some lift on the wings,
408
00:29:23,352 --> 00:29:25,755
and immediately started
to make a turn back.
409
00:29:32,928 --> 00:29:34,631
[pilot on radio]
Beginning to turn in.
410
00:29:37,932 --> 00:29:39,269
Got plenty of room.
411
00:29:42,371 --> 00:29:46,105
- [mission control] Take it easy, would you.
- [pilot on radio] You got it.
412
00:29:46,107 --> 00:29:48,510
[mission control] You have to hold it
steady and you're settled right there.
413
00:30:00,556 --> 00:30:02,491
[Mike] Neil could do
things like that.
414
00:30:03,692 --> 00:30:08,964
His credentials of performing
under stress were clearly there.
415
00:30:10,065 --> 00:30:12,835
[Joe] That was Neil,
did a magnificent job.
416
00:30:14,803 --> 00:30:17,036
But I've got to say that
he was not the type of person
417
00:30:17,038 --> 00:30:20,509
who would run out and say, "Look
at me, I'm Neil Armstrong."
418
00:30:22,144 --> 00:30:25,013
Neil was the kind of person
you just wanted to like.
419
00:30:29,451 --> 00:30:30,853
[plane roaring]
420
00:30:40,695 --> 00:30:43,398
[Janet] When Neil was
still working at Edwards,
421
00:30:44,031 --> 00:30:48,437
Karen developed
a tumor in her brain
422
00:30:49,805 --> 00:30:52,442
under the age of three.
423
00:30:55,877 --> 00:30:57,710
[Rick] I knew something
was wrong with her
424
00:30:57,712 --> 00:30:59,446
because she had balance troubles
425
00:30:59,448 --> 00:31:01,046
and I think I told my mom,
426
00:31:01,048 --> 00:31:03,418
"Yeah, she's having
a hard time walking again."
427
00:31:07,122 --> 00:31:09,859
But I couldn't put
that together with the disease.
428
00:31:14,596 --> 00:31:16,665
[Janet] The tumor grew
very, very fast.
429
00:31:17,499 --> 00:31:18,800
We tried radiation.
430
00:31:20,169 --> 00:31:22,638
[sad music]
431
00:31:25,540 --> 00:31:28,110
[June] All through
her radiation,
432
00:31:28,743 --> 00:31:32,548
she smiled
and never complained once.
433
00:31:33,648 --> 00:31:35,817
Never, never, never once.
434
00:31:37,952 --> 00:31:39,721
She was a gift to both of them.
435
00:31:50,865 --> 00:31:54,836
[Mark] She died on
their wedding anniversary.
436
00:32:04,112 --> 00:32:05,615
[Janet] Neil missed her dearly.
437
00:32:12,988 --> 00:32:14,854
[narrator] I thought
the best thing for me to do
438
00:32:14,856 --> 00:32:17,660
in that situation was
to continue with my work.
439
00:32:19,060 --> 00:32:21,096
Keep things as normal as I could
440
00:32:22,196 --> 00:32:24,631
and try as hard as I could not
to have it affect
441
00:32:24,633 --> 00:32:27,002
my ability to do useful things.
442
00:32:29,070 --> 00:32:30,639
I was doing the best I could.
443
00:32:56,832 --> 00:33:00,136
[Janet] After Karen died,
I was ready to go anywhere.
444
00:33:01,036 --> 00:33:02,772
I thought a change
would be good.
445
00:33:05,773 --> 00:33:07,776
[narrator] There was
this project down in Houston,
446
00:33:08,743 --> 00:33:09,911
the Apollo program.
447
00:33:11,179 --> 00:33:13,716
They didn't really know
what to test for exactly,
448
00:33:14,282 --> 00:33:15,614
so they did everything.
449
00:33:15,616 --> 00:33:18,788
[upbeat music]
450
00:33:19,820 --> 00:33:21,857
[narrator] They didn't miss
anything as far as I knew.
451
00:33:24,625 --> 00:33:26,796
They did every test
known to man.
452
00:33:32,166 --> 00:33:36,605
[Janet] Neil finally decided that
he would try for this program
453
00:33:37,739 --> 00:33:39,805
and he got accepted.
454
00:33:39,807 --> 00:33:42,811
[upbeat music]
455
00:33:47,015 --> 00:33:48,618
[film reel whirring]
456
00:33:50,051 --> 00:33:53,054
[Janet] When we moved to Houston,
I was pregnant with Mark.
457
00:33:56,592 --> 00:33:58,995
Mark was born. Yippee, Mark!
458
00:34:01,863 --> 00:34:04,100
He's so totally different
from Rick, you know.
459
00:34:05,032 --> 00:34:06,201
They're two opposites.
460
00:34:09,104 --> 00:34:11,641
[soft music]
461
00:34:20,349 --> 00:34:21,951
[Janet] The neighborhood
in Houston,
462
00:34:22,351 --> 00:34:25,153
there wasn't much of a
neighborhood, it was all trees.
463
00:34:26,387 --> 00:34:29,324
It hadn't even been
made into a street yet.
464
00:34:37,032 --> 00:34:39,633
[narrator] Ed White and I
bought some property together
465
00:34:39,635 --> 00:34:40,303
and split it.
466
00:34:41,304 --> 00:34:43,302
I built my house
on one half of it,
467
00:34:43,304 --> 00:34:45,240
and he built his house
on the other.
468
00:34:47,309 --> 00:34:49,644
We were good friends, neighbors.
469
00:34:54,215 --> 00:34:56,048
[Mark] All the people
in the neighborhood
470
00:34:56,050 --> 00:34:59,052
had someone that worked for NASA
471
00:34:59,054 --> 00:34:59,989
in one respect or another.
472
00:35:03,759 --> 00:35:07,262
That whole community was
very self-supporting.
473
00:35:10,398 --> 00:35:12,000
Everyone was in it together.
474
00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:19,809
[upbeat music]
475
00:35:34,989 --> 00:35:36,891
[Frank]
How I would characterize Neil,
476
00:35:37,192 --> 00:35:39,628
he was quiet, introspective,
477
00:35:40,394 --> 00:35:43,162
much more interested
in the details of things
478
00:35:43,164 --> 00:35:44,199
than I ever was.
479
00:35:46,934 --> 00:35:49,436
You look at a watch,
Neil wants to know how it runs
480
00:35:49,438 --> 00:35:51,073
and I want to know
what time it said.
481
00:35:54,443 --> 00:35:58,278
[Mike] Neil lived in a shell
and in order to get Neil
482
00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:02,782
out of his shell you had
to introduce a subject
483
00:36:02,784 --> 00:36:04,383
that he was interested in
484
00:36:04,385 --> 00:36:06,853
and you had to convince him
that you knew something
485
00:36:06,855 --> 00:36:09,822
about that subject.
And if you pass that test
486
00:36:09,824 --> 00:36:13,193
and he'd pop out of his shell,
big smile on his face
487
00:36:13,195 --> 00:36:14,163
and be your best buddy.
488
00:36:19,266 --> 00:36:20,735
[Gerry] He listened a lot.
489
00:36:21,902 --> 00:36:24,673
And when he spoke,
he didn't use a lot of words,
490
00:36:25,005 --> 00:36:29,242
but it was very clear that he
had thought through something
491
00:36:29,244 --> 00:36:31,247
and had come to a conclusion.
492
00:36:34,014 --> 00:36:35,315
[narrator] I was
so pleased to be
493
00:36:35,317 --> 00:36:36,918
associated with the program.
494
00:36:38,219 --> 00:36:40,689
The goals, I thought, were
important to society in general
495
00:36:41,322 --> 00:36:43,055
and I would've been
happy doing anything
496
00:36:43,057 --> 00:36:44,092
they asked me to do.
497
00:36:51,132 --> 00:36:53,168
[reporter] Before men
ever stand on the moon,
498
00:36:53,534 --> 00:36:56,137
many technical hurdles
must be overcome.
499
00:36:58,039 --> 00:37:01,173
The steps remaining parallel
the steps undertaken
500
00:37:01,175 --> 00:37:03,078
in the development of aviation.
501
00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:06,979
Project Mercury put us through
502
00:37:06,981 --> 00:37:08,983
the Kitty Hawk stage in space.
503
00:37:09,818 --> 00:37:12,455
Our second step, Project Gemini.
504
00:37:16,824 --> 00:37:18,727
[roaring sound]
505
00:37:32,373 --> 00:37:34,907
[Dave] I'd been CAPCOM
on Gemini 5.
506
00:37:34,909 --> 00:37:36,344
They just splashed out.
507
00:37:37,278 --> 00:37:40,045
My boss came up and said, "I'd
like you to start working
508
00:37:40,047 --> 00:37:41,750
with Neil as prime on Gemini 8."
509
00:37:42,150 --> 00:37:45,454
I thought, "Really, really?"
510
00:37:49,090 --> 00:37:51,490
He said he's waiting for you
in his office, go see him.
511
00:37:51,492 --> 00:37:54,159
So I went over
and there was Neil, big smile
512
00:37:54,161 --> 00:37:55,329
as he always had, you know?
513
00:37:56,264 --> 00:38:00,333
Okay, so here we go, let me
tell you what we're gonna do.
514
00:38:00,335 --> 00:38:03,338
[inspiring music]
515
00:38:07,342 --> 00:38:08,443
[narrator] We were in a race,
516
00:38:09,610 --> 00:38:11,112
and it was very evident
to us all the time.
517
00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:14,880
You wanted not to be
diverting your attention
518
00:38:14,882 --> 00:38:17,819
in any way to things you really
didn't need to worry about.
519
00:38:21,956 --> 00:38:23,623
You could stand across
the street
520
00:38:23,625 --> 00:38:26,228
and you could not tell
when quitting time was.
521
00:38:27,896 --> 00:38:29,899
People didn't leave
at quitting time.
522
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,804
Fourteen hours a day,
six and a half days a week,
523
00:38:36,905 --> 00:38:39,275
it was just insane.
524
00:38:41,509 --> 00:38:44,280
[Rick] Dad was training a lot.
525
00:38:46,614 --> 00:38:48,149
He was not home very often.
526
00:38:50,452 --> 00:38:52,988
My mother was very much
of an unsung hero.
527
00:38:54,088 --> 00:38:59,559
And Dad not being the most
verbose person you ever met,
528
00:38:59,561 --> 00:39:03,265
he had been guilty of not
being very communicative.
529
00:39:08,335 --> 00:39:11,072
So she wasn't always
well informed
530
00:39:12,072 --> 00:39:15,009
about where Dad was going,
what he was doing.
531
00:39:17,378 --> 00:39:21,115
That just left mom
to figure things out on her own,
532
00:39:21,449 --> 00:39:24,220
and I think she did that,
she did it very, very well,
533
00:39:25,686 --> 00:39:28,289
and she did it
without complaint.
534
00:39:32,626 --> 00:39:34,128
[rattling sound]
535
00:39:40,467 --> 00:39:41,569
[thumping]
536
00:39:51,413 --> 00:39:54,347
The objective of Gemini 8
was to rendezvous
537
00:39:54,349 --> 00:39:57,983
and dock with the first target
vehicle anybody would have,
538
00:39:57,985 --> 00:39:59,888
the Agena for the first time.
539
00:40:01,255 --> 00:40:03,625
People didn't know whether
rendezvous would work or not.
540
00:40:05,994 --> 00:40:08,396
Once we got docked,
I would do an EVA,
541
00:40:09,130 --> 00:40:10,396
I was going to walk
around the world,
542
00:40:10,398 --> 00:40:11,567
I had a 90 minute EVA,
543
00:40:13,101 --> 00:40:16,070
and then a controlled re-entry
544
00:40:17,972 --> 00:40:21,507
so it was our job to put
all these pieces together
545
00:40:21,509 --> 00:40:23,945
in a full spectrum
of space flight.
546
00:40:25,045 --> 00:40:27,382
[applauding]
547
00:40:34,556 --> 00:40:37,590
[Rick] We had a squat box in the
house installed for the mission
548
00:40:37,592 --> 00:40:42,295
so you could hear Mission
Control communications
549
00:40:42,297 --> 00:40:45,067
all the time rather
than just what might be on TV.
550
00:40:46,768 --> 00:40:48,266
[mission control] Phase two
pre-valves coming open,
551
00:40:48,268 --> 00:40:48,936
five seconds.
552
00:40:50,739 --> 00:40:52,608
T-minus 20 seconds, mark.
553
00:41:06,186 --> 00:41:12,527
Five, four,
three, two, one, ignition.
554
00:41:15,429 --> 00:41:16,561
Liftoff.
555
00:41:16,563 --> 00:41:17,966
[blast]
556
00:41:29,710 --> 00:41:32,981
- [mission control] Roger
- [astronaut] Fuel pressure running a little high.
557
00:41:33,380 --> 00:41:35,148
- [astronaut] Roger.
- [mission control] Roger, understand.
558
00:41:35,150 --> 00:41:36,318
[astronaut]
How's it looking, guys?
559
00:41:37,518 --> 00:41:38,117
[mission control] It's
looking good, flight.
560
00:41:38,119 --> 00:41:39,153
[astronaut] Roger.
561
00:41:43,724 --> 00:41:45,059
[Dave] The launch was great,
562
00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:47,663
the second stage was
all in the mail,
563
00:41:48,596 --> 00:41:50,595
and then you're going
through the rendezvous,
564
00:41:50,597 --> 00:41:53,599
seeing the Agena,
just actually spectacular,
565
00:41:53,601 --> 00:41:54,536
spectacular view.
566
00:41:55,769 --> 00:41:59,108
[inspirational music]
567
00:42:00,842 --> 00:42:03,208
[astronaut] That's beautiful!
568
00:42:03,210 --> 00:42:05,413
[mission control] And that's
great, way to go, partner.
569
00:42:06,313 --> 00:42:08,548
[astronaut] You done it, boy,
you done a good job.
570
00:42:08,550 --> 00:42:09,585
[mission control] Do the thing.
571
00:42:19,094 --> 00:42:20,827
[mission control] OK, Gemini 8,
572
00:42:20,829 --> 00:42:23,097
you're looking good on
the ground, go ahead and dock.
573
00:42:24,798 --> 00:42:28,036
[Dave] Neil did the docking,
smooth as you would expect.
574
00:42:29,503 --> 00:42:30,371
[thump]
575
00:42:32,474 --> 00:42:33,475
[astronaut]
To flight, we are docked.
576
00:42:35,510 --> 00:42:39,144
Shortly after I looked over
and saw Neil's eight ball,
577
00:42:39,146 --> 00:42:41,549
the altitude horizon
was in a 30 degree bank.
578
00:42:43,451 --> 00:42:45,219
There was no horizon
out the window.
579
00:42:45,487 --> 00:42:47,119
I said, "Neil, we're in a bank."
580
00:42:47,121 --> 00:42:49,190
And he looked out
and he said, "We are in a bank."
581
00:42:52,594 --> 00:42:54,526
- [astronaut] On a flight CSQ.
- [mission control] Go ahead.
582
00:42:54,528 --> 00:42:57,266
[astronaut] The Agena is
tumbling violently at this time.
583
00:43:00,335 --> 00:43:03,836
[astronaut]On the Gemini 8
CSQ, com check out, do you read?
584
00:43:03,838 --> 00:43:08,407
[indistinct radio commotion]
585
00:43:08,409 --> 00:43:09,577
[astronaut] Okay.
586
00:43:11,411 --> 00:43:13,612
[Dave] Neil says, "Turn
the Agena off", which I did.
587
00:43:13,614 --> 00:43:16,284
He turned on the Gemini
and then everything stabilized
588
00:43:16,617 --> 00:43:18,219
for about four, five minutes,
589
00:43:19,153 --> 00:43:21,521
and then it started to turn,
started to roll again.
590
00:43:21,523 --> 00:43:24,159
[tense music]
591
00:43:24,659 --> 00:43:27,193
[narrator] When the rates
became quite violent,
592
00:43:27,195 --> 00:43:28,430
it was a bit dicey.
593
00:43:31,298 --> 00:43:33,932
They say Murphy's law
says bad things happen
594
00:43:33,934 --> 00:43:35,570
as the worst possible time.
595
00:43:37,271 --> 00:43:40,442
And in this case,
we were out of radio contact.
596
00:43:41,643 --> 00:43:45,177
We got down to about
13 percent propeller
597
00:43:45,179 --> 00:43:47,148
and decided we have
to get off of the Agena.
598
00:43:49,951 --> 00:43:51,349
I hit the undock switch.
599
00:43:51,351 --> 00:43:52,221
[thump]
600
00:43:54,588 --> 00:43:56,322
[Dave] And when we pulled off
the Agena,
601
00:43:56,324 --> 00:43:58,691
we found out the problem
was not the Agena,
602
00:43:58,693 --> 00:43:59,828
it was the Gemini.
603
00:44:01,396 --> 00:44:03,632
And then we started
a very rapid roll rate.
604
00:44:06,333 --> 00:44:10,204
[indistinct radio commotion]
605
00:44:16,777 --> 00:44:20,412
I have to check the spacecraft
[indistinct]
606
00:44:20,414 --> 00:44:21,617
[Janet] Things were just awful.
607
00:44:23,684 --> 00:44:26,889
They were spinning at maybe
a revolution per second,
608
00:44:27,588 --> 00:44:31,456
and there was
a very strong concern
609
00:44:31,458 --> 00:44:32,393
that they would black out.
610
00:44:33,327 --> 00:44:35,163
And that would be it,
he would be over.
611
00:44:36,831 --> 00:44:38,463
[astronaut] I wonder
if there's any chance
612
00:44:38,465 --> 00:44:39,367
of something like
that happening.
613
00:44:40,534 --> 00:44:41,636
[mission control] I don't know.
614
00:44:42,838 --> 00:44:45,740
At that point, Mission Control
turned the squawk box off.
615
00:44:45,974 --> 00:44:47,609
[mission control] We're trying
to check all that out now,
616
00:44:48,009 --> 00:44:49,411
we're trying to get some.
617
00:44:54,449 --> 00:44:58,016
Mission Control did not
know what was happening,
618
00:44:58,018 --> 00:45:01,354
and they didn't want
to expose a tragedy
619
00:45:01,356 --> 00:45:03,458
without being able
to manage the situation.
620
00:45:05,994 --> 00:45:08,329
That was something that my
mother was not happy about.
621
00:45:08,663 --> 00:45:10,996
She wasn't happy about that
and she went over
622
00:45:10,998 --> 00:45:13,768
to Mission Control
to find out what was going on.
623
00:45:16,003 --> 00:45:18,903
And I was refused entry.
624
00:45:18,905 --> 00:45:20,706
I would not have wanted
to been the one
625
00:45:20,708 --> 00:45:22,878
to tell her
that she couldn't come in.
626
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:26,648
That wouldn't have
gone well for them.
627
00:45:29,449 --> 00:45:32,584
[tense music]
628
00:45:32,586 --> 00:45:34,552
[Dave] We got down
to no other options
629
00:45:34,554 --> 00:45:38,590
and Neil finally said,
"We gotta activate the RCS."
630
00:45:38,592 --> 00:45:42,295
Now the RCS was a small
re-entry control system
631
00:45:42,297 --> 00:45:43,398
in the nose of the spacecraft.
632
00:45:44,898 --> 00:45:47,969
[Gerry] Once you activate that
system, that's your last gas.
633
00:45:48,835 --> 00:45:51,706
If you lose it, you can't
get back into the atmosphere.
634
00:45:52,806 --> 00:45:55,807
He probably deduced that,
"This is all I can do,
635
00:45:55,809 --> 00:45:57,878
is try this and see
if it works."
636
00:46:00,347 --> 00:46:02,548
[Dave] He had to reach up
to an overhead panel
637
00:46:02,550 --> 00:46:03,485
to get a hold of switches.
638
00:46:07,422 --> 00:46:09,722
That's amazing physiologically
639
00:46:09,724 --> 00:46:13,325
that in this high speed roll
he could turn his head up
640
00:46:13,327 --> 00:46:14,362
and get the right switches,
641
00:46:16,097 --> 00:46:18,000
which he did
and he stopped the roll.
642
00:46:20,501 --> 00:46:22,467
[astronaut] We do have
the spacecraft under control
643
00:46:22,469 --> 00:46:25,006
at the present time, we're
in slowly drifting flight.
644
00:46:28,742 --> 00:46:31,010
[Gerry] At that time, they
could see on the monitor
645
00:46:31,012 --> 00:46:34,516
that he had activated
the re-entry control system.
646
00:46:35,817 --> 00:46:38,717
So almost immediately we knew
we were going to have
647
00:46:38,719 --> 00:46:39,920
to get them down quickly.
648
00:46:41,188 --> 00:46:43,392
[man 1] Okay, you're
sending all of that in ASAP?
649
00:46:43,590 --> 00:46:45,726
- [man 2] Affirmative.
- [man 1] Okay, let's expedite.
650
00:46:47,128 --> 00:46:50,365
[mission control] CAPCOM Houston
flight, we are primed for air to ground.
651
00:46:50,797 --> 00:46:51,932
[astronaut] Roger. Go.
652
00:46:53,034 --> 00:46:56,371
[inspirational music]
653
00:47:00,675 --> 00:47:02,608
[narrator] I took
great pride in landing
654
00:47:02,610 --> 00:47:04,980
close to the aircraft carrier
that was awaiting us.
655
00:47:07,148 --> 00:47:09,651
My carrier was located
in the Caribbean.
656
00:47:11,085 --> 00:47:12,788
I landed near Okinawa.
657
00:47:14,422 --> 00:47:16,757
That's the furthest
anyone's ever missed.
658
00:47:18,992 --> 00:47:21,329
I don't expect that
record to be broken.
659
00:47:29,070 --> 00:47:31,436
[Frank] Some of the people were
second guessing Neil
660
00:47:31,438 --> 00:47:32,673
about his performance.
661
00:47:33,974 --> 00:47:35,976
I never did, I thought
he did a good job.
662
00:47:37,744 --> 00:47:40,081
There's a lot of that among
very competitive people.
663
00:47:43,617 --> 00:47:45,119
[film reel whirring]
664
00:47:52,025 --> 00:47:54,663
[Gerry] Neil's action
I think saved the mission.
665
00:47:55,663 --> 00:47:57,998
It upped my view of
Neil at that point.
666
00:47:58,565 --> 00:48:00,601
You knew he had the right stuff.
667
00:48:01,568 --> 00:48:03,771
[cheering]
668
00:48:04,806 --> 00:48:07,106
[Christopher] Stayed calm,
didn't get excited.
669
00:48:07,108 --> 00:48:08,840
That's what we were looking
for in the first place
670
00:48:08,842 --> 00:48:10,578
for using test pilots.
671
00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:14,979
A guy that was used to putting
his life on the line
672
00:48:14,981 --> 00:48:16,083
every time he flew.
673
00:48:20,755 --> 00:48:22,590
[narrator] There are
a lot of people here,
674
00:48:23,523 --> 00:48:25,025
most of them seem
to be my family.
675
00:48:25,626 --> 00:48:26,828
[laughter]
676
00:48:33,201 --> 00:48:35,971
You're my people and I'm
proud to be one of you.
677
00:48:37,170 --> 00:48:39,707
[crowd applauding]
678
00:48:48,148 --> 00:48:49,483
[Janet] They could've lost
their life.
679
00:48:50,184 --> 00:48:51,749
There was no point
in talking about it,
680
00:48:51,751 --> 00:48:53,188
you either do or you don't.
681
00:48:54,956 --> 00:48:57,759
That's the way it is, you know.
682
00:48:59,126 --> 00:49:00,829
This spacecraft you're
going to ride on
683
00:49:01,128 --> 00:49:02,961
is to a certain extent untried.
684
00:49:02,963 --> 00:49:05,164
You approach it
with any apprehension
685
00:49:05,166 --> 00:49:07,969
as compared to the Gemini
which had been flown before?
686
00:49:08,902 --> 00:49:11,839
There's a great deal
of pride involved
687
00:49:12,106 --> 00:49:13,141
in making a first flight.
688
00:49:14,141 --> 00:49:17,108
So I think I'm
looking forward to the flight
689
00:49:17,110 --> 00:49:18,811
with a great deal
of anticipation.
690
00:49:18,813 --> 00:49:21,950
[dramatic music]
691
00:49:26,721 --> 00:49:28,720
[Jules] It was
all over in one stunned
692
00:49:28,722 --> 00:49:30,090
horrifying second.
693
00:49:37,264 --> 00:49:39,867
At T-minus 10 minutes
in a simulated countdown,
694
00:49:40,568 --> 00:49:42,735
an electrical spark
apparently shot out
695
00:49:42,737 --> 00:49:45,507
and ignited the 100 percent
oxygen in the cabin.
696
00:49:46,873 --> 00:49:49,941
Horrified engineers watched
the burst of flames and smoke
697
00:49:49,943 --> 00:49:51,980
envelop Grissom,
White and Chaffee.
698
00:49:53,648 --> 00:49:56,485
They heard their last words
of shock and surprise.
699
00:49:58,152 --> 00:49:59,920
The crewmen never had a chance.
700
00:50:02,088 --> 00:50:05,092
[sad music]
701
00:50:09,096 --> 00:50:09,965
It was terrible.
702
00:50:10,831 --> 00:50:13,201
I could hear his voice
in that thing.
703
00:50:15,101 --> 00:50:18,037
You could hear, I could
hear all three of them.
704
00:50:18,039 --> 00:50:19,671
They didn't last
very long either,
705
00:50:19,673 --> 00:50:21,909
they only lasted
10 or 15 seconds.
706
00:50:32,085 --> 00:50:35,287
It was a very depressing sight,
707
00:50:35,289 --> 00:50:37,158
everything was burned
and gray and melted.
708
00:50:38,025 --> 00:50:38,994
It was a disaster.
709
00:50:47,101 --> 00:50:51,539
[Christopher] The management were
running, running to get to the moon,
710
00:50:54,608 --> 00:50:58,179
and I think they were
willing to take some chances,
711
00:51:00,014 --> 00:51:03,816
and I think that had
they been thinking properly,
712
00:51:03,818 --> 00:51:04,853
they wouldn't have taken them.
713
00:51:09,757 --> 00:51:11,960
[narrator] Some very
traumatic times.
714
00:51:15,795 --> 00:51:17,329
I suppose you're
much more likely
715
00:51:17,331 --> 00:51:19,768
to accept the loss
of a friend in flight,
716
00:51:20,300 --> 00:51:23,137
but it really hurt to lose
them in a ground test.
717
00:51:24,371 --> 00:51:27,007
That was an indictment
of ourselves.
718
00:51:37,818 --> 00:51:40,084
[Frank] There was never
any commotion about it
719
00:51:40,086 --> 00:51:41,289
like there would be today.
720
00:51:43,224 --> 00:51:48,196
So you mourn, but briefly
and then get on with the job.
721
00:51:50,364 --> 00:51:53,168
[planes roaring]
722
00:52:00,173 --> 00:52:01,710
[gears churning]
723
00:52:04,210 --> 00:52:07,381
[Christopher] It took the fire
to rebuild the vehicle
724
00:52:10,851 --> 00:52:13,088
and I think that was
the secret to Apollo.
725
00:52:13,920 --> 00:52:16,220
Without it, it just
wouldn't have happened.
726
00:52:16,222 --> 00:52:17,726
I don't think we would've
gotten to the moon.
727
00:52:26,766 --> 00:52:30,235
[Gerry] The Apollo missions
came close enough together
728
00:52:30,237 --> 00:52:34,142
that we were in this constant
one more step, one more step.
729
00:52:38,344 --> 00:52:42,884
Then, when 11 came along,
it all seemed different.
730
00:52:46,253 --> 00:52:49,224
You know, this time,
we are really gonna go land.
731
00:53:01,101 --> 00:53:03,434
[Joe] There were 30 people
vying to be
732
00:53:03,436 --> 00:53:05,739
the first man on the moon.
733
00:53:10,277 --> 00:53:12,880
I think they could've
all done the job,
734
00:53:14,081 --> 00:53:15,717
no question in my mind about it.
735
00:53:25,092 --> 00:53:27,159
It was Deke Slayton
who was responsible
736
00:53:27,161 --> 00:53:28,096
for crew scheduling,
737
00:53:29,230 --> 00:53:31,764
had developed a program where
738
00:53:31,766 --> 00:53:33,865
if you were backup
for one flight,
739
00:53:33,867 --> 00:53:35,836
then three flights later
you became the prime.
740
00:53:36,103 --> 00:53:38,871
They all say there was
a rotation method in it.
741
00:53:38,873 --> 00:53:41,208
Well if it was, it was
a hard one to understand.
742
00:53:43,777 --> 00:53:48,782
[Mike] One seat and in it was
a fellow named Neil Armstrong.
743
00:53:50,784 --> 00:53:52,052
Now why was that?
744
00:53:52,987 --> 00:53:56,054
What were the reasons
that he was the one
745
00:53:56,056 --> 00:53:57,958
and the others were rejected?
746
00:54:05,498 --> 00:54:07,367
If you take the short view,
747
00:54:08,536 --> 00:54:11,438
it is that he was probably
the best qualified.
748
00:54:13,106 --> 00:54:16,141
He had been a combat
pilot during Korea,
749
00:54:16,143 --> 00:54:18,179
he proved his mettle there.
750
00:54:19,947 --> 00:54:25,016
He was flying the X-15 and
that put him above and beyond
751
00:54:25,018 --> 00:54:26,787
all the rest of the candidates.
752
00:54:29,123 --> 00:54:30,856
If you want to take
a longer view
753
00:54:30,858 --> 00:54:32,291
then you want to consider,
754
00:54:32,293 --> 00:54:35,296
what was he gonna be
like after the flight?
755
00:54:36,197 --> 00:54:37,532
That was equally important.
756
00:54:39,333 --> 00:54:42,367
He wasn't gonna go out
and drink too much,
757
00:54:42,369 --> 00:54:44,038
make a fool of himself.
758
00:54:44,538 --> 00:54:46,306
He was a straight arrow.
759
00:54:51,878 --> 00:54:54,315
A lot of people criticize Neil
760
00:54:54,614 --> 00:54:58,318
because he didn't, quote, "get
out and sell the program."
761
00:55:00,487 --> 00:55:03,992
But I think he was much more
effective in his quiet way.
762
00:55:17,271 --> 00:55:19,503
Did I have anything
to do with Neil
763
00:55:19,505 --> 00:55:20,942
being the first man on the moon?
764
00:55:21,307 --> 00:55:22,976
Yes, I did it.
765
00:55:24,612 --> 00:55:27,045
Deke Slayton said, "Aldrin
is gonna be the first guy
766
00:55:27,047 --> 00:55:27,949
on the moon."
767
00:55:31,652 --> 00:55:33,985
Up here says,
"We don't want Aldrin
768
00:55:33,987 --> 00:55:35,389
the first guy on the moon."
769
00:55:41,327 --> 00:55:45,333
I just felt like Buzz was
not the right personality
770
00:55:45,666 --> 00:55:49,470
and would not be
the best representative
771
00:55:50,570 --> 00:55:52,239
for the United States.
772
00:55:53,974 --> 00:55:55,476
I thought Neil would do better.
773
00:55:58,978 --> 00:56:01,048
I didn't dislike Aldrin.
774
00:56:04,284 --> 00:56:05,519
Didn't like him either.
775
00:56:08,621 --> 00:56:10,923
We all had weaknesses.
776
00:56:10,925 --> 00:56:12,160
I haven't met that guy yet.
777
00:56:12,592 --> 00:56:13,560
I didn't know Jesus.
778
00:56:16,963 --> 00:56:18,229
[cameras snapping]
779
00:56:18,231 --> 00:56:19,400
[indistinct chatter]
780
00:56:23,103 --> 00:56:24,873
[narrator] We were
a congenial bunch,
781
00:56:25,371 --> 00:56:27,574
but really focused on the job.
782
00:56:30,411 --> 00:56:32,209
Buzz and I had both
flown in Korea
783
00:56:32,211 --> 00:56:34,581
and his flying skills
I was sure were good.
784
00:56:36,150 --> 00:56:39,354
His intelligence was high,
he was a creative thinker,
785
00:56:39,987 --> 00:56:41,588
and he was willing
to make suggestions.
786
00:56:43,023 --> 00:56:45,559
I'm not sure I recognized
at that point in time
787
00:56:46,327 --> 00:56:49,063
what might be considered
eccentricities.
788
00:56:51,364 --> 00:56:53,533
Mike Collins was
a joy to work with.
789
00:56:54,367 --> 00:56:56,136
Able, cheerful and relaxed.
790
00:56:58,472 --> 00:57:01,139
He'd be the sole occupant
of the command module
791
00:57:01,141 --> 00:57:03,278
whilst we descended
to the moon surface.
792
00:57:05,980 --> 00:57:08,615
[Mike] We were working
night and day.
793
00:57:09,717 --> 00:57:13,552
We felt the whole weight
of the world on our shoulders,
794
00:57:13,554 --> 00:57:15,222
everybody was looking at us.
795
00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:22,226
[narrator] There were some
things that were done
796
00:57:22,228 --> 00:57:23,996
specifically for the benefit
of giving the press
797
00:57:23,998 --> 00:57:26,166
the opportunity
to either talk with us,
798
00:57:28,034 --> 00:57:30,637
or take pictures of our
activities in preparation.
799
00:57:32,139 --> 00:57:35,576
We probably resented
that to some extent.
800
00:57:37,311 --> 00:57:39,144
[reporter] How would you
describe your attitude
801
00:57:39,146 --> 00:57:40,348
just before flight?
802
00:57:44,184 --> 00:57:45,219
[laughing]
803
00:57:46,186 --> 00:57:49,490
- I certainly wouldn't...
- Not to draw straws.
804
00:57:56,396 --> 00:57:58,429
[narrator] I was asked
by the bosses,
805
00:57:58,431 --> 00:58:00,400
"Do you think you
and the guys are ready?"
806
00:58:01,467 --> 00:58:02,636
And I had to say, "Well,
807
00:58:03,704 --> 00:58:05,206
it would be nice
to have another month,
808
00:58:06,507 --> 00:58:10,177
but we were in a race here
and I had to say, "We're ready,
809
00:58:11,077 --> 00:58:11,980
we're ready to go."
810
00:58:18,818 --> 00:58:21,621
[dramatic music]
811
00:58:28,094 --> 00:58:29,795
[mission control]
This is Apollo Control
812
00:58:29,797 --> 00:58:32,766
at 102 hours, 12 minutes
into the flight of Apollo 11.
813
00:58:35,202 --> 00:58:37,769
We're now 21 minutes, 23 seconds
814
00:58:37,771 --> 00:58:40,171
from the beginning
of the powered descent
815
00:58:40,173 --> 00:58:41,242
to the lunar surface.
816
00:58:45,478 --> 00:58:48,648
[Mark] As we approached
the landing, mom woke me up.
817
00:58:49,516 --> 00:58:52,586
So I was little,
probably groggy eyed.
818
00:58:55,121 --> 00:58:57,688
But it was all fun and no worry
819
00:58:57,690 --> 00:58:59,593
from my six year old
point of view.
820
00:59:02,628 --> 00:59:04,699
[indistinct]
821
00:59:08,101 --> 00:59:10,670
[narrator] I was more
than just a little amazed.
822
00:59:12,338 --> 00:59:15,273
Amazed not only because of
the unlikely chain of events
823
00:59:15,275 --> 00:59:16,807
and quirks of fate that had put
824
00:59:16,809 --> 00:59:19,780
an Ohio farm boy
in that remarkable position,
825
00:59:21,481 --> 00:59:24,719
but amazed even more
because everything was working.
826
00:59:26,820 --> 00:59:28,487
[Charlie]
Eagle, Houston. If you read,
827
00:59:28,489 --> 00:59:30,324
you're go for
powered descent, over.
828
00:59:43,769 --> 00:59:45,170
[astronaut] Five by,
Eagle, we're standing by,
829
00:59:45,172 --> 00:59:46,574
for your burn report, over.
830
00:59:51,277 --> 00:59:53,580
[mission control] Columbia,
Houston, we've lost Eagle again.
831
00:59:55,315 --> 00:59:58,619
[Duke] They lit the engine and
the wheels came off of the thing.
832
01:00:01,155 --> 01:00:03,822
We started having
communication drop outs,
833
01:00:03,824 --> 01:00:08,325
landing radar problems,
we were off trajectory
834
01:00:08,327 --> 01:00:10,797
so we were gonna land short.
835
01:00:13,233 --> 01:00:14,699
[astronaut]
Our position checks downrange
836
01:00:14,701 --> 01:00:16,601
show us to be a little long.
837
01:00:16,603 --> 01:00:18,403
[mission control] Roger, copy.
And, Eagle, Houston,
838
01:00:18,405 --> 01:00:19,740
we've got data dropout.
839
01:00:21,507 --> 01:00:23,810
[Charlie] We couldn't understand
why this was happening.
840
01:00:24,777 --> 01:00:25,679
[astronaut] Program alarm.
841
01:00:28,681 --> 01:00:30,581
[astronaut] 1202, 1202.
842
01:00:30,583 --> 01:00:31,518
[mission control] Roger, copy.
843
01:00:35,222 --> 01:00:39,327
In Mission Control
it got very, very quiet.
844
01:00:43,396 --> 01:00:44,461
[narrator] You're
always concerned
845
01:00:44,463 --> 01:00:46,433
when any kind of alarm comes on.
846
01:00:47,467 --> 01:00:50,637
I didn't understand the nature
of this particular alarm.
847
01:00:52,606 --> 01:00:54,742
The computer had
a lot of complaints,
848
01:00:55,442 --> 01:00:57,641
but my own feeling was
as long as the engine
849
01:00:57,643 --> 01:00:59,813
was operating right,
I had control.
850
01:01:01,648 --> 01:01:03,682
I would be in favor
of continuing
851
01:01:03,684 --> 01:01:06,220
no matter what the computer
was complaining about.
852
01:01:07,621 --> 01:01:10,222
- [astronaut] 1202 alarm.
- [mission control] It's executive overflow.
853
01:01:10,224 --> 01:01:12,557
If it does not occur
again, we're fine.
854
01:01:12,559 --> 01:01:13,592
[astronaut] We're going.
855
01:01:13,594 --> 01:01:15,429
We're going that alarm.
856
01:01:17,931 --> 01:01:20,867
[radio commotion]
857
01:01:23,971 --> 01:01:26,403
When Neil pitched over
and he said, "Hey,
858
01:01:26,405 --> 01:01:29,376
we got a bunch of rocks out
there, we can't land here",
859
01:01:30,409 --> 01:01:33,878
that was potentially
the end if he couldn't find
860
01:01:33,880 --> 01:01:34,916
a place to land.
861
01:01:39,786 --> 01:01:41,987
[narrator] The autopilot
was taking us in towards
862
01:01:41,989 --> 01:01:46,423
a very large crater about the
size of a big football stadium
863
01:01:46,425 --> 01:01:48,760
with steep slopes
covered with large rocks
864
01:01:48,762 --> 01:01:50,530
about the size of automobiles.
865
01:01:51,565 --> 01:01:53,800
Not a good place to land at all,
866
01:01:55,469 --> 01:01:58,570
so I took over manually
and flew it like a helicopter
867
01:01:58,572 --> 01:01:59,539
out to the west.
868
01:02:04,443 --> 01:02:05,909
[Rick] I just remember
them saying,
869
01:02:05,911 --> 01:02:09,282
"Yeah, he's off flying it
himself for some reason."
870
01:02:10,284 --> 01:02:11,715
And they were asking,
871
01:02:11,717 --> 01:02:13,486
"Can anybody tell us
where this thing is?"
872
01:02:19,293 --> 01:02:20,891
[Gerry] He was moving
across the lunar surface
873
01:02:20,893 --> 01:02:22,529
at pretty great speed.
874
01:02:28,802 --> 01:02:31,372
We kept hearing the fuel
call outs and that was
875
01:02:32,306 --> 01:02:33,407
grabbing all of our attention.
876
01:02:35,409 --> 01:02:38,512
[radio commotion]
877
01:02:40,579 --> 01:02:42,313
[Christopher] We knew
he should be landing.
878
01:02:42,315 --> 01:02:43,682
We knew how much
fuel we do have,
879
01:02:43,684 --> 01:02:44,986
we were timing it on the ground.
880
01:02:46,420 --> 01:02:47,519
[Christopher] What's
going through your mind,
881
01:02:47,521 --> 01:02:49,320
he's gonna run out of petrol.
882
01:02:49,322 --> 01:02:50,958
That's what's going
through your mind.
883
01:02:53,025 --> 01:02:55,025
[astronaut on radio] 60 seconds.
884
01:02:55,027 --> 01:02:58,896
[Charlie] He had 60 seconds to
land or we would call an abort.
885
01:02:58,898 --> 01:03:00,768
Then I called 30 seconds.
886
01:03:06,672 --> 01:03:08,408
[pilot] We're out of fuel.
887
01:03:08,942 --> 01:03:11,878
[mission control]
Roger that. Anybody?
888
01:03:16,983 --> 01:03:18,619
[Charlie]
Tension was increasing,
889
01:03:19,619 --> 01:03:22,490
literally holding our breath,
are we gonna make it?
890
01:03:36,536 --> 01:03:38,001
[Buzz] Four forward,
891
01:03:38,003 --> 01:03:39,037
drifting to the right a little,
892
01:03:39,039 --> 01:03:40,574
okay, down a half.
893
01:03:42,742 --> 01:03:45,543
[Gerry] Buzz said, "We're
picking up some dust."
894
01:03:45,545 --> 01:03:48,012
I can remember thinking,
"My God, we're there,
895
01:03:48,014 --> 01:03:50,885
we are blowing dust off
the surface of the moon."
896
01:04:00,025 --> 01:04:03,797
I heard "contact" and then
there was a pregnant pause.
897
01:04:08,402 --> 01:04:13,470
[Neil] Houston,
Tranquility Base here.
898
01:04:13,472 --> 01:04:14,738
The eagle has landed.
899
01:04:14,740 --> 01:04:16,840
[applauding]
900
01:04:16,842 --> 01:04:20,413
[dramatic music]
901
01:04:21,681 --> 01:04:24,749
It was the same old Neil,
just calm as you can imagine,
902
01:04:24,751 --> 01:04:26,519
you know, unflappable.
903
01:04:31,557 --> 01:04:33,758
I don't see how
he did that so calmly
904
01:04:33,760 --> 01:04:35,193
because I was shouting it out.
905
01:04:35,195 --> 01:04:37,461
[mission control]
We copy you down, Eagle.
906
01:04:37,463 --> 01:04:39,463
[Duke radio voice] You got a
bunch of guys about to turn blue,
907
01:04:39,465 --> 01:04:40,734
we're breathing again.
908
01:04:41,969 --> 01:04:44,969
[Charlie] It was just a
celebration, we pulled it off,
909
01:04:44,971 --> 01:04:46,373
we actually did it.
910
01:04:50,443 --> 01:04:51,411
[narrator] We made it.
911
01:04:52,646 --> 01:04:54,115
The thought finally
reached my consciousness.
912
01:04:55,483 --> 01:04:59,387
I clasped the bulky glove
of Buzz Aldrin on my right.
913
01:05:00,186 --> 01:05:03,891
The silent handshake was the
only congratulations necessary.
914
01:05:14,668 --> 01:05:16,700
[reporter] How did it feel
at the moment of touchdown?
915
01:05:16,702 --> 01:05:19,137
Oh it was exciting,
just a marvelous thing
916
01:05:19,139 --> 01:05:21,505
that we have successfully
917
01:05:21,507 --> 01:05:24,141
managed to land safely
on the moon.
918
01:05:24,143 --> 01:05:26,713
[reporter] Did Neil carry
anything for you to the moon?
919
01:05:28,547 --> 01:05:29,914
Yes, but that's private.
920
01:05:29,916 --> 01:05:30,882
[reporter] You're
not gonna tell us?
921
01:05:30,884 --> 01:05:31,751
No.
922
01:05:33,552 --> 01:05:36,156
[dramatic music]
923
01:05:44,597 --> 01:05:45,963
[Bruce on radio]
Okay Neil, we can see you
924
01:05:45,965 --> 01:05:47,534
coming down the ladder now.
925
01:05:51,070 --> 01:05:52,871
[Charlie] When Neil stepped out,
926
01:05:52,873 --> 01:05:55,476
that's when you could
really hear a pin drop
927
01:05:58,878 --> 01:06:00,811
because people were
trying to listen
928
01:06:00,813 --> 01:06:02,482
to everything that was going on.
929
01:06:07,554 --> 01:06:09,887
[Neil on radio]
I'm at the foot of the ladder.
930
01:06:09,889 --> 01:06:13,858
The surface appears
to be very, very fine grained
931
01:06:13,860 --> 01:06:15,260
as you get close to it.
932
01:06:15,262 --> 01:06:16,630
It's almost like a powder.
933
01:06:18,831 --> 01:06:20,634
I'm gonna step off the LM now.
934
01:06:23,168 --> 01:06:27,271
[Duke] Just the thought of the
first step of a human being
935
01:06:27,273 --> 01:06:32,145
on another heavenly body was
to me personally overwhelming.
936
01:06:37,951 --> 01:06:39,751
[Dave] Nobody knew
he would say anything,
937
01:06:39,753 --> 01:06:43,121
I mean there was no big plan
for him to do anything,
938
01:06:43,123 --> 01:06:45,893
and then he came up
with the right words as usual.
939
01:06:51,231 --> 01:06:53,601
[Neil] That's one small
step for man,
940
01:06:55,802 --> 01:06:58,239
one giant leap for mankind.
941
01:06:59,940 --> 01:07:03,010
[inspirational music]
942
01:07:15,789 --> 01:07:18,255
[Rick] The thing that I remember
about the first step
943
01:07:18,257 --> 01:07:22,161
was that nobody heard the first
words in our living room.
944
01:07:22,896 --> 01:07:25,633
That's kind of,
"What'd you say?"
945
01:07:27,934 --> 01:07:29,833
Something about one
small step, you know.
946
01:07:29,835 --> 01:07:31,869
Man, where'd he get that from?
947
01:07:31,871 --> 01:07:33,106
That was perfect!
948
01:07:39,612 --> 01:07:42,380
[narrator] I thought
well, when I step off
949
01:07:42,382 --> 01:07:44,882
I'm just gonna be
making a little step
950
01:07:44,884 --> 01:07:46,686
from there down to there.
951
01:07:49,222 --> 01:07:51,926
But when I thought about
all those 400,000 people
952
01:07:52,358 --> 01:07:55,028
that had given me the
opportunity to make that step
953
01:07:56,128 --> 01:08:00,233
I thought it's gonna be a big
something for all those folks
954
01:08:00,800 --> 01:08:02,967
and indeed a lot of others
who weren't even involved
955
01:08:02,969 --> 01:08:03,938
with the project.
956
01:08:06,739 --> 01:08:09,742
So it was kind of a simple
correlation of thoughts.
957
01:08:13,079 --> 01:08:15,615
I think he said it pretty
well, don't you?
958
01:08:21,420 --> 01:08:24,223
[narrator]
It was special and memorable,
959
01:08:25,891 --> 01:08:27,694
but we weren't there
to meditate.
960
01:08:28,028 --> 01:08:29,697
We were there
to get things done,
961
01:08:30,930 --> 01:08:32,066
so we got on with it.
962
01:08:39,104 --> 01:08:41,738
There were a lot of
proposals for what to do
963
01:08:41,740 --> 01:08:43,777
on the lunar surface
by different people.
964
01:08:44,877 --> 01:08:47,411
Some people thought
a UN flag should be there,
965
01:08:47,413 --> 01:08:49,414
and some people thought
there should be flags
966
01:08:49,416 --> 01:08:50,818
of a lot of nations.
967
01:08:51,850 --> 01:08:54,387
My job was to get
the flag there.
968
01:08:55,320 --> 01:08:57,155
I was less concerned
about whether it was
969
01:08:57,157 --> 01:08:58,926
the right artifact to place.
970
01:09:00,126 --> 01:09:02,293
I let other wiser
minds than mine
971
01:09:02,295 --> 01:09:04,131
make those kinds of decisions.
972
01:09:10,703 --> 01:09:13,937
[Charlie] We were watching it
in our living room
973
01:09:13,939 --> 01:09:15,373
and the fascinating thing was
974
01:09:15,375 --> 01:09:18,244
how each of the three
generations reacted.
975
01:09:19,311 --> 01:09:22,245
My wife and I,
of course were overwhelmed
976
01:09:22,247 --> 01:09:23,850
with the achievement.
977
01:09:25,217 --> 01:09:26,953
My Dad was speechless.
978
01:09:27,820 --> 01:09:30,220
Having been born in
1893 when there were
979
01:09:30,222 --> 01:09:32,192
no automobiles
or buggies or anything.
980
01:09:32,891 --> 01:09:35,662
To see this, he could
hardly comprehend it.
981
01:09:36,462 --> 01:09:38,297
My two teenagers were sort of,
982
01:09:38,864 --> 01:09:42,670
"Yeah, I think maybe I saw
this on a TV show last week."
983
01:09:44,270 --> 01:09:46,173
- [Buzz] Beautiful view.
- [Neil] Isn't that something!
984
01:09:47,439 --> 01:09:48,875
Magnificent sight out here.
985
01:09:53,479 --> 01:09:55,879
[Frank] I was with the President
during the landing
986
01:09:55,881 --> 01:09:56,949
in the White House.
987
01:09:58,885 --> 01:10:00,518
You know that could've
been a disaster for him
988
01:10:00,520 --> 01:10:02,285
if something
would've gone wrong,
989
01:10:02,287 --> 01:10:03,456
who would've got the blame?
990
01:10:04,690 --> 01:10:07,193
I tried to tell him that,
and I also tried to keep him from
991
01:10:07,527 --> 01:10:09,494
taking too much credit
because he didn't deserve
992
01:10:09,496 --> 01:10:11,097
either the credit or the blame.
993
01:10:12,765 --> 01:10:15,333
[Nixon] Hello Neil and Buzz,
this certainly has to be
994
01:10:15,335 --> 01:10:18,739
the most historic
telephone call ever made.
995
01:10:20,172 --> 01:10:24,210
For one priceless moment
in the whole history of man
996
01:10:25,244 --> 01:10:28,414
all the people
on this Earth are truly one.
997
01:10:29,149 --> 01:10:30,915
[Neil] Thank you, Mr. President.
998
01:10:30,917 --> 01:10:34,852
It's a great honor
and privilege for us to be here
999
01:10:34,854 --> 01:10:38,121
representing not only
the United States,
1000
01:10:38,123 --> 01:10:40,193
but all nations
1001
01:10:41,360 --> 01:10:43,063
and a vision for the future.
1002
01:10:45,131 --> 01:10:48,268
[inspirational music]
1003
01:10:52,104 --> 01:10:53,804
[man] It's marvelous.
1004
01:10:53,806 --> 01:10:54,871
[woman] Fantastic.
1005
01:10:54,873 --> 01:10:56,443
[man] [indistinct] I know!
1006
01:10:57,377 --> 01:10:59,309
[woman] Being closer to the moon
makes us realize
1007
01:10:59,311 --> 01:11:01,180
that we are
all human beings together.
1008
01:11:01,914 --> 01:11:03,417
[man] I hope this brings unity.
1009
01:11:03,983 --> 01:11:05,916
[man] I thought
the world got closer today,
1010
01:11:05,918 --> 01:11:07,988
I felt we all got to know
each other that much more.
1011
01:11:08,921 --> 01:11:12,024
[man] Good thing for all
people, for all the world.
1012
01:11:13,827 --> 01:11:16,230
[Janet] Everyone thought
they were united.
1013
01:11:16,962 --> 01:11:19,062
They were united at that time,
1014
01:11:19,064 --> 01:11:23,236
it was extremely exhilarating.
1015
01:11:26,538 --> 01:11:29,840
[man] This is the greatest
event in all the history
1016
01:11:29,842 --> 01:11:30,778
of the human race.
1017
01:11:31,845 --> 01:11:33,376
Today is New Year's Day
of the year one.
1018
01:11:33,378 --> 01:11:36,048
[cheering]
1019
01:11:39,319 --> 01:11:42,352
[Tom] The whole thing was one
of great exhilaration
1020
01:11:42,354 --> 01:11:45,356
and pride about what
we were accomplishing,
1021
01:11:45,358 --> 01:11:46,958
what he was accomplishing,
1022
01:11:46,960 --> 01:11:48,092
what the country was
accomplishing,
1023
01:11:48,094 --> 01:11:49,429
what mankind was accomplishing.
1024
01:11:54,033 --> 01:11:57,538
Apollo 11 was kind of
like crossing the goal
1025
01:11:58,171 --> 01:11:59,173
in a football game.
1026
01:12:01,140 --> 01:12:04,110
The rest of our flights had
helped to advance the goal,
1027
01:12:04,510 --> 01:12:06,880
but Neil and his crew
were the ones that scored.
1028
01:12:12,618 --> 01:12:13,987
[June] You know what he told me?
1029
01:12:15,121 --> 01:12:17,655
"Seeing the Earth
in the background was it.
1030
01:12:17,657 --> 01:12:20,226
That's what I remember
more than anything."
1031
01:12:29,234 --> 01:12:31,204
[narrator] To stand on
the surface of the moon
1032
01:12:32,005 --> 01:12:33,841
and look at the Earth
high overhead
1033
01:12:34,474 --> 01:12:36,409
is certainly
a unique experience.
1034
01:12:39,212 --> 01:12:42,612
Although very beautiful,
it is very remote.
1035
01:12:42,614 --> 01:12:44,350
An oasis or an island,
1036
01:12:46,252 --> 01:12:49,186
but it is the only island
that we know of
1037
01:12:49,188 --> 01:12:50,556
that is suitable for man.
1038
01:12:54,327 --> 01:12:57,497
The importance of protecting
and saving that home
1039
01:12:58,096 --> 01:13:00,166
has never been felt
more strongly.
1040
01:13:02,702 --> 01:13:07,705
Protection is required, however
not from foreign aggressors
1041
01:13:07,707 --> 01:13:12,212
or natural calamity, but
from its own population.
1042
01:13:22,055 --> 01:13:22,990
[Charlie] What a moment.
1043
01:13:23,923 --> 01:13:25,589
We had all been working
on it for so long
1044
01:13:25,591 --> 01:13:26,894
and then there it was.
1045
01:13:28,461 --> 01:13:29,960
But in the back of our mind
1046
01:13:29,962 --> 01:13:31,495
we were thinking about
getting them home
1047
01:13:31,497 --> 01:13:33,100
and get them off of there.
1048
01:13:34,167 --> 01:13:37,170
[dramatic music]
1049
01:13:42,507 --> 01:13:44,377
[Ronald] Tranquility
Base, Houston.
1050
01:13:46,479 --> 01:13:49,249
- [Neil] Roger, go ahead.
- [Ronald] You're cleared for takeoff.
1051
01:13:50,315 --> 01:13:51,382
[Buzz] Roger, understand.
1052
01:13:51,384 --> 01:13:52,685
We're number one on the runway.
1053
01:13:53,485 --> 01:13:54,354
[Ronald] Roger.
1054
01:14:02,462 --> 01:14:04,527
[Neil] The eagle
is back in orbit
1055
01:14:04,529 --> 01:14:06,032
having left Tranquility Base.
1056
01:14:07,234 --> 01:14:10,103
[Ronald] Roger, we copy,
the whole world is proud of you.
1057
01:14:17,609 --> 01:14:21,647
[Neil] To all those Americans
who built those spacecraft,
1058
01:14:22,280 --> 01:14:26,452
and put their, their hearts
1059
01:14:29,721 --> 01:14:31,522
and all their abilities
1060
01:14:31,524 --> 01:14:32,659
into those crafts.
1061
01:14:34,027 --> 01:14:37,163
To those people, tonight,
we give a special thank you.
1062
01:14:40,166 --> 01:14:43,134
It was sort of all about
the team, not the individual.
1063
01:14:43,136 --> 01:14:46,707
Not what he did, but everybody.
1064
01:14:47,407 --> 01:14:50,444
[alarm sounding]
1065
01:14:52,811 --> 01:14:55,716
[reporter] July 24th,
dawn, in the Pacific,
1066
01:14:56,815 --> 01:14:59,517
Apollo blazes across
the heavens,
1067
01:14:59,519 --> 01:15:02,255
coming back to Earth
at 25,000 miles an hour.
1068
01:15:07,292 --> 01:15:09,128
[parachute launching]
1069
01:15:16,802 --> 01:15:18,337
[water splashing]
1070
01:15:20,539 --> 01:15:22,740
[cheering]
1071
01:15:22,742 --> 01:15:24,442
[sirens blaring]
1072
01:15:24,444 --> 01:15:26,177
[engines idling]
1073
01:15:26,179 --> 01:15:29,080
[triumphant music]
1074
01:15:29,082 --> 01:15:32,019
[Janet] We did New York,
Chicago and L.A. all in one day.
1075
01:15:33,185 --> 01:15:36,389
It was fabulous, like nothing
I'd ever seen before.
1076
01:15:40,126 --> 01:15:41,293
The streets were just jammed.
1077
01:15:41,594 --> 01:15:45,364
I mean, It was 50,
60 people deep.
1078
01:15:47,432 --> 01:15:48,732
Everybody was pushing
and shoving
1079
01:15:48,734 --> 01:15:50,537
and trying to get
your attention.
1080
01:15:54,506 --> 01:15:56,107
[man] It was kind of crazy.
1081
01:15:56,109 --> 01:15:59,179
The amount of ticker tape
was filling up the car.
1082
01:16:00,712 --> 01:16:04,083
You don't have any preparation
for that experience.
1083
01:16:13,391 --> 01:16:16,429
[motorcycle revving]
1084
01:16:19,765 --> 01:16:22,465
This was the beginning.
[laughing]
1085
01:16:22,467 --> 01:16:24,070
It's the beginning of it all.
1086
01:16:24,337 --> 01:16:25,736
But there was nothing
you could do,
1087
01:16:25,738 --> 01:16:27,340
I mean these people were
just happy to see you.
1088
01:16:32,511 --> 01:16:33,779
[Gerry] It came immediate,
1089
01:16:34,779 --> 01:16:36,780
more than rock stars even.
1090
01:16:36,782 --> 01:16:38,452
They were world heroes.
1091
01:16:40,619 --> 01:16:43,657
And all three of them
were not attention seekers
1092
01:16:44,856 --> 01:16:45,725
at that point.
1093
01:16:50,863 --> 01:16:54,732
How do you propose
to restore some normalcy
1094
01:16:54,734 --> 01:16:57,404
to your private lives
in the years ahead?
1095
01:16:59,238 --> 01:17:01,405
I wish I knew the answer
to the latter part
1096
01:17:01,407 --> 01:17:02,673
of your question.
1097
01:17:02,675 --> 01:17:03,773
[laughter]
1098
01:17:03,775 --> 01:17:05,177
Kind of depends on you.
1099
01:17:06,746 --> 01:17:09,282
[crowd laughing and applauding]
1100
01:17:23,762 --> 01:17:27,634
[Duke] Neil didn't like the
exposure that he saw coming.
1101
01:17:29,969 --> 01:17:31,802
He did a real good job at it,
1102
01:17:31,804 --> 01:17:35,175
doing the world tour
and everything like that.
1103
01:17:37,243 --> 01:17:39,913
Everywhere we went,
our spokesman was Neil.
1104
01:17:42,582 --> 01:17:44,551
Poor guy had to make
the speeches.
1105
01:17:45,917 --> 01:17:49,320
[narrator] This is
the beginning of a new era.
1106
01:17:49,322 --> 01:17:52,488
When man understands
the universe around him
1107
01:17:52,490 --> 01:17:56,960
and the beginning of the era
when man understands himself.
1108
01:17:56,962 --> 01:17:59,565
[crowd applauding]
1109
01:18:00,966 --> 01:18:02,633
[Christopher] He did
what he had to do.
1110
01:18:02,635 --> 01:18:05,803
And whenever he had to do it,
he was gonna do it well,
1111
01:18:05,805 --> 01:18:07,606
but he might not like it,
1112
01:18:08,407 --> 01:18:09,909
and so that was Neil.
1113
01:18:12,845 --> 01:18:16,647
[Duke] Some of the activities
he performed
1114
01:18:16,649 --> 01:18:18,382
through a feeling of obligation
1115
01:18:18,384 --> 01:18:20,252
that was part of his job.
1116
01:18:21,854 --> 01:18:24,291
He's probably the best
person of all of us
1117
01:18:24,590 --> 01:18:26,690
to have been
the first man on the moon
1118
01:18:26,692 --> 01:18:27,761
because of the way
he handled it.
1119
01:18:30,429 --> 01:18:32,865
I mean I don't know if I could
ever take on that load
1120
01:18:33,399 --> 01:18:34,598
and the fact that he's first,
1121
01:18:34,600 --> 01:18:36,803
everybody wants Neil Armstrong.
1122
01:18:37,502 --> 01:18:39,838
[applauding and cheering]
1123
01:18:54,552 --> 01:18:55,885
We'd like to know when
you're gonna take
1124
01:18:55,887 --> 01:18:57,388
the first woman to the moon?
1125
01:18:57,390 --> 01:18:58,291
Yeah.
1126
01:18:59,625 --> 01:19:01,291
We welcome you with open arms.
1127
01:19:01,293 --> 01:19:03,460
[laughter]
1128
01:19:03,462 --> 01:19:05,232
[cheering]
1129
01:19:14,073 --> 01:19:15,973
[Rick] The amount
of requests for him
1130
01:19:15,975 --> 01:19:19,012
to come here,
do this, speak, show up,
1131
01:19:19,878 --> 01:19:21,413
write a letter
of recommendation.
1132
01:19:22,715 --> 01:19:23,984
People would write letters,
1133
01:19:24,684 --> 01:19:28,021
Neil Armstrong, USA,
and he would get them.
1134
01:19:38,430 --> 01:19:39,929
[Mark] I certainly became
aware of the stresses
1135
01:19:39,931 --> 01:19:41,898
after the flight of Apollo 11,
1136
01:19:41,900 --> 01:19:45,468
with news crews and folks
essentially camped out
1137
01:19:45,470 --> 01:19:46,505
in our front yard.
1138
01:19:48,407 --> 01:19:50,507
At that point you
could start to see
1139
01:19:50,509 --> 01:19:52,011
a little bit of frustration
1140
01:19:53,945 --> 01:19:58,284
with just being able
to function normally.
1141
01:20:00,685 --> 01:20:02,619
[Janet] You start scratching
your head and you say,
1142
01:20:02,621 --> 01:20:05,358
"Oh, gee whiz,
what do we do now?"
1143
01:20:08,793 --> 01:20:12,763
Thank God social media
didn't exist back then.
1144
01:20:12,765 --> 01:20:16,069
[melancholic music]
1145
01:20:27,546 --> 01:20:30,083
[Rick] At that point,
we moved to Ohio.
1146
01:20:32,818 --> 01:20:35,518
[Mark] The decision
to move was very intentional
1147
01:20:35,520 --> 01:20:37,523
to try to simplify our lives.
1148
01:20:39,759 --> 01:20:42,459
[Rick] He just wanted
to be a regular guy
1149
01:20:42,461 --> 01:20:43,693
just like everybody else,
1150
01:20:43,695 --> 01:20:45,998
and he could, he was like that.
1151
01:20:48,900 --> 01:20:50,534
[Mark] The media at that time
1152
01:20:50,536 --> 01:20:52,105
labeled my father as a recluse,
1153
01:20:52,570 --> 01:20:55,708
and it's just nothing could
be further from the truth.
1154
01:20:59,011 --> 01:21:01,577
[Duke] He got a bad
rap from the press.
1155
01:21:01,579 --> 01:21:03,582
He just didn't like
the publicity.
1156
01:21:07,520 --> 01:21:10,586
[Mark] He wasn't comfortable
taking credit
1157
01:21:10,588 --> 01:21:12,759
for something that
belonged to so many people.
1158
01:21:15,895 --> 01:21:17,664
[narrator] I just don't
deserve celebrity.
1159
01:21:18,564 --> 01:21:20,100
I wasn't chosen to be first,
1160
01:21:20,632 --> 01:21:23,068
I was just chosen
to command that flight.
1161
01:21:24,569 --> 01:21:27,639
Circumstance put me in
that particular role.
1162
01:21:28,673 --> 01:21:30,042
It wasn't planned by anyone.
1163
01:21:44,590 --> 01:21:47,427
[Norman] Everybody is pretty
numb about space by now
1164
01:21:47,993 --> 01:21:49,726
and I think nobody cares at all.
1165
01:21:49,728 --> 01:21:51,829
These space shuttles
have been too exclusively
1166
01:21:51,831 --> 01:21:52,931
scientific in their orientation
1167
01:21:53,498 --> 01:21:54,932
and I think the average
man in America
1168
01:21:54,934 --> 01:21:56,900
feels that space is just
a great waste of money
1169
01:21:56,902 --> 01:21:58,404
because he doesn't feel
any part of it.
1170
01:22:00,805 --> 01:22:03,574
[reporter] Five years later,
Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins
1171
01:22:03,576 --> 01:22:06,578
are out of the space program
and very different men.
1172
01:22:07,746 --> 01:22:11,113
Mike Collins, now 43, briefly
tried a State Department
1173
01:22:11,115 --> 01:22:13,983
public affairs job,
found it impossible,
1174
01:22:13,985 --> 01:22:17,023
and now heads the Smithsonian
Air and Space Museum.
1175
01:22:19,891 --> 01:22:23,759
Buzz Aldrin, now 44,
suffers from bouts of depression
1176
01:22:23,761 --> 01:22:26,897
and blames NASA
for the Boy Scout fishbowl lies
1177
01:22:26,899 --> 01:22:28,067
they were forced to live.
1178
01:22:30,636 --> 01:22:33,070
Armstrong will be 44 next month,
1179
01:22:33,072 --> 01:22:35,171
is now professor
of aeronautical engineering
1180
01:22:35,173 --> 01:22:36,775
at the University of Cincinnati.
1181
01:22:38,277 --> 01:22:41,143
Still his own man,
Neil lives within himself
1182
01:22:41,145 --> 01:22:43,750
and shies away from
the press and public.
1183
01:22:55,961 --> 01:22:58,160
[Rick] After we moved to Lebanon
1184
01:22:58,162 --> 01:23:00,229
we got to spend more
time together,
1185
01:23:00,231 --> 01:23:02,132
we were able to do the things
1186
01:23:02,134 --> 01:23:03,733
that maybe we didn't
get a chance to do
1187
01:23:03,735 --> 01:23:05,003
when I was younger.
1188
01:23:07,706 --> 01:23:10,243
We spent a lot of time
together around golf.
1189
01:23:11,210 --> 01:23:12,110
He loved golf.
1190
01:23:13,112 --> 01:23:18,251
And he wasn't a great
player, but he loved it.
1191
01:23:19,818 --> 01:23:24,524
[calm guitar music]
1192
01:23:26,625 --> 01:23:29,960
[Charlie] As I got to know him,
our friendship developed,
1193
01:23:29,962 --> 01:23:33,132
we genuinely enjoyed one
another's company,
1194
01:23:35,768 --> 01:23:38,238
certainly on the golf course
but socially as well.
1195
01:23:41,273 --> 01:23:43,040
That I think then lead me
1196
01:23:43,042 --> 01:23:45,778
to an ostentatious
thought on my part.
1197
01:23:46,145 --> 01:23:48,611
I wonder if he would be
interested in joining
1198
01:23:48,613 --> 01:23:49,948
my corporate board.
1199
01:23:52,818 --> 01:23:55,088
Most people I invited,
all really,
1200
01:23:55,820 --> 01:23:57,222
they'd say yes immediately.
1201
01:23:58,189 --> 01:24:01,994
I spent almost two hours
with Neil in his office.
1202
01:24:02,795 --> 01:24:03,997
He wanted to be sure,
1203
01:24:04,363 --> 01:24:06,599
number one,
that I wasn't using him.
1204
01:24:09,068 --> 01:24:11,701
Also, he wanted
to know why I thought
1205
01:24:11,703 --> 01:24:13,273
he'd be a good board member.
1206
01:24:15,239 --> 01:24:18,144
So answering those two
questions to his satisfaction
1207
01:24:19,345 --> 01:24:20,547
took some time.
1208
01:24:23,948 --> 01:24:26,685
Neil became a spectacular
board member,
1209
01:24:28,119 --> 01:24:29,988
asked all the hard questions.
1210
01:24:32,157 --> 01:24:33,924
In fact, I remember
one board meeting
1211
01:24:33,926 --> 01:24:35,929
he asked a particularly
hard question
1212
01:24:36,228 --> 01:24:37,660
and I couldn't help it,
1213
01:24:37,662 --> 01:24:39,062
I said,
"Who the hell invited you
1214
01:24:39,064 --> 01:24:40,731
to get on this board
in the first place",
1215
01:24:40,733 --> 01:24:41,798
and we all laughed.
1216
01:24:41,800 --> 01:24:42,969
He said, "You know who did."
1217
01:24:46,171 --> 01:24:49,208
Not surprisingly, Neil went
on several other boards,
1218
01:24:49,908 --> 01:24:51,711
United and Learjet among them.
1219
01:24:52,877 --> 01:24:55,745
He was even the founder
of a Lloyds of London
1220
01:24:55,747 --> 01:24:58,585
insurance business
aptly named Apollo.
1221
01:25:03,788 --> 01:25:04,990
Put that in the can.
1222
01:25:12,398 --> 01:25:14,000
[Steve on radio]
Good roll program confirmed.
1223
01:25:14,899 --> 01:25:16,802
Challenger now
heading down range.
1224
01:25:20,338 --> 01:25:23,706
Engines at 65 percent,
three engines running normally.
1225
01:25:23,708 --> 01:25:25,877
Three good fuel cells,
three good APU's.
1226
01:25:26,278 --> 01:25:28,114
Challenger, go at throttle up.
1227
01:25:28,780 --> 01:25:30,248
[astronaut]
Roger, go at throttle up.
1228
01:25:33,886 --> 01:25:34,988
[exploding]
1229
01:25:39,024 --> 01:25:40,891
- [mission control] Flight, FIDO.
- [Greene] Go ahead.
1230
01:25:40,893 --> 01:25:42,060
[mission control] RSO
reports vehicle exploded.
1231
01:25:43,796 --> 01:25:44,797
[Greene] Copy.
1232
01:25:48,233 --> 01:25:50,834
[Mark] Just as things
are settling down,
1233
01:25:50,836 --> 01:25:52,736
President Reagan asked my father
1234
01:25:52,738 --> 01:25:55,171
to be involved
in the investigation committee
1235
01:25:55,173 --> 01:25:58,744
for the Challenger tragedy.
1236
01:26:01,313 --> 01:26:04,748
The space program was
at risk at that point
1237
01:26:04,750 --> 01:26:07,185
and he just didn't feel
like he could say no.
1238
01:26:08,854 --> 01:26:13,226
And that took him right
back into workaholic mode.
1239
01:26:17,195 --> 01:26:18,995
[Joe] Neil spent
an enormous amount of time
1240
01:26:18,997 --> 01:26:20,800
on the Challenger accident.
1241
01:26:21,233 --> 01:26:24,103
He was very key
in a situation like that.
1242
01:26:24,502 --> 01:26:29,973
And I want to pay particular
tribute and credit to Neil Armstrong
1243
01:26:29,975 --> 01:26:32,174
because he's done a great job.
1244
01:26:32,176 --> 01:26:36,181
He did so much of
the engineering aspects of it.
1245
01:26:42,054 --> 01:26:44,390
[Rick] That was a year
of being away from home,
1246
01:26:45,423 --> 01:26:48,027
and I think that was very
difficult for my mother.
1247
01:26:51,764 --> 01:26:53,496
I think he just had
his priorities
1248
01:26:53,498 --> 01:26:56,301
and it depended on where you
were on that priority list.
1249
01:26:57,869 --> 01:27:01,173
And the truth was,
I was pretty low.
1250
01:27:06,345 --> 01:27:08,410
[Mark] My father felt like
there were things
1251
01:27:08,412 --> 01:27:09,848
he just couldn't say no to,
1252
01:27:10,448 --> 01:27:14,183
and my mother felt like
she really wanted him
1253
01:27:14,185 --> 01:27:17,322
to spend more time with her
and with the family.
1254
01:27:19,824 --> 01:27:21,226
[Janet] He said he would change.
1255
01:27:22,493 --> 01:27:24,730
He'd had 38 years to change,
1256
01:27:26,265 --> 01:27:29,102
and I just didn't see
that it would happen.
1257
01:27:32,203 --> 01:27:35,138
We attempted counseling
and see if we could
1258
01:27:35,140 --> 01:27:38,144
help him save it
but we were way over our heads.
1259
01:27:40,244 --> 01:27:42,849
[Janet] We'd been living
separate lives for years.
1260
01:27:44,483 --> 01:27:49,521
I just finally decided
to make it final and I did.
1261
01:27:50,555 --> 01:27:54,223
And it was
the right thing to do,
1262
01:27:54,225 --> 01:27:55,994
but it was difficult
for the boys.
1263
01:27:59,264 --> 01:28:01,464
[narrator] The one thing
I regret is that my work
1264
01:28:01,466 --> 01:28:04,267
required an enormous
amount of my time
1265
01:28:04,269 --> 01:28:05,805
and a lot of travel.
1266
01:28:07,038 --> 01:28:09,371
I didn't get to spend the amount
of time with my family
1267
01:28:09,373 --> 01:28:11,077
I would've liked.
1268
01:28:16,280 --> 01:28:18,283
Ladies and gentlemen,
Neil Armstrong,
1269
01:28:19,217 --> 01:28:23,421
the first to plant his foot
on the surface of the moon
1270
01:28:24,122 --> 01:28:26,225
has been a pioneer in many ways.
1271
01:28:26,859 --> 01:28:30,029
Mr. Armstrong, in asking
you to come to the podium,
1272
01:28:30,429 --> 01:28:34,164
may I say that millions
of Americans have admired you
1273
01:28:34,166 --> 01:28:35,467
not only for your achievement
1274
01:28:36,201 --> 01:28:39,035
but for the quiet
dignity with which
1275
01:28:39,037 --> 01:28:41,841
you have conducted
yourself and represented
1276
01:28:42,306 --> 01:28:45,177
not only our country,
but humankind.
1277
01:28:45,543 --> 01:28:47,509
Ladies and gentlemen,
Neil Armstrong.
1278
01:28:47,511 --> 01:28:49,381
[crowd applauding]
1279
01:28:55,087 --> 01:28:57,590
[Gerry] I kind of lost touch
with him for some time.
1280
01:28:58,457 --> 01:29:02,528
But then toward, starting around
2000 or somewhere in there,
1281
01:29:03,095 --> 01:29:07,567
he got more available.
1282
01:29:08,199 --> 01:29:11,570
Fellow astronauts,
ladies and gentlemen.
1283
01:29:12,069 --> 01:29:14,206
[Gerry] He was kind
of back amongst us.
1284
01:29:14,538 --> 01:29:17,339
He had served his time
and kind of had gotten
1285
01:29:17,341 --> 01:29:19,612
a little bit, maybe not
so full of pressure.
1286
01:29:20,645 --> 01:29:23,048
Wilbur Wright once noted
1287
01:29:23,948 --> 01:29:27,052
that the only bird
that could talk was the parrot,
1288
01:29:27,953 --> 01:29:30,053
and he didn't fly very well.
1289
01:29:30,055 --> 01:29:31,923
[laughter]
1290
01:29:39,463 --> 01:29:40,966
So I'll be brief.
1291
01:29:43,969 --> 01:29:47,137
It was very nice,
very pleasant to see Neil
1292
01:29:47,139 --> 01:29:48,306
enjoying himself.
1293
01:29:50,309 --> 01:29:53,309
I got a feeling
that Neil really felt
1294
01:29:53,311 --> 01:29:55,711
like he was in the right
place at the right time,
1295
01:29:55,713 --> 01:29:58,283
and he was enjoying
what he was doing there.
1296
01:30:00,085 --> 01:30:02,485
[narrator]
You want to make a mark.
1297
01:30:02,487 --> 01:30:06,423
You'd like to leave
the world a little better
1298
01:30:06,425 --> 01:30:09,528
than when you came,
that's my goal.
1299
01:30:10,494 --> 01:30:13,231
[applauding]
1300
01:30:17,336 --> 01:30:19,736
[Janet] He said he would change
and I think he did,
1301
01:30:19,738 --> 01:30:23,175
but it wasn't through me that
that happened.
1302
01:30:26,345 --> 01:30:28,314
I'm happy that he married Carol.
1303
01:30:29,448 --> 01:30:31,617
I have no ax to grind at all.
1304
01:30:37,189 --> 01:30:41,290
History is a sequence
of random events
1305
01:30:41,292 --> 01:30:44,029
and unpredictable choices,
1306
01:30:45,296 --> 01:30:49,434
which is why the future is
so difficult to foresee.
1307
01:31:01,380 --> 01:31:04,350
[Charlie] Open heart surgery I
think is always a cause for concern.
1308
01:31:06,118 --> 01:31:08,050
You're not frighten,
you're anxious for it
1309
01:31:08,052 --> 01:31:09,555
to be over with, you know.
1310
01:31:14,792 --> 01:31:17,593
[June] Mark called me
and he said,
1311
01:31:17,595 --> 01:31:22,067
"Aunt June, if you're coming,
you have to come now.
1312
01:31:22,667 --> 01:31:23,703
Neil's dying."
1313
01:31:27,305 --> 01:31:31,210
I was in there with him
and I said this is your sister.
1314
01:31:34,813 --> 01:31:36,015
He squeezed my hand.
1315
01:31:43,622 --> 01:31:44,490
He knew.
1316
01:31:48,793 --> 01:31:50,395
It was a tragic thing.
1317
01:31:55,067 --> 01:31:56,101
He was a good guy.
1318
01:32:00,771 --> 01:32:03,505
[reporter] We have lost
an American icon.
1319
01:32:03,507 --> 01:32:05,842
Neil Armstrong had heart
surgery earlier this month
1320
01:32:05,844 --> 01:32:08,710
just days after his
82nd birthday,
1321
01:32:08,712 --> 01:32:10,412
his wife reportedly
telling friends
1322
01:32:10,414 --> 01:32:12,150
he was doing well
with his recovery.
1323
01:32:13,118 --> 01:32:15,151
The passing today
of a true American hero
1324
01:32:15,153 --> 01:32:17,623
carrying a pioneering
spirit right into space.
1325
01:32:34,305 --> 01:32:36,705
[Charlie] I was honored
to be one of the eulogists
1326
01:32:36,707 --> 01:32:38,210
at his memorial service.
1327
01:32:40,345 --> 01:32:42,715
Let me read the last
paragraph of it,
1328
01:32:43,849 --> 01:32:45,784
because I can't say
it any better.
1329
01:32:47,652 --> 01:32:51,120
"Let me close with this,
Neil's historic statement
1330
01:32:51,122 --> 01:32:53,123
from the surface of the moon
1331
01:32:53,125 --> 01:32:55,892
said that it was one
small step for a man,
1332
01:32:55,894 --> 01:32:57,630
one giant leap for mankind.
1333
01:32:58,796 --> 01:33:00,465
Well it may have been
a small step,
1334
01:33:01,166 --> 01:33:03,302
but it was taken
by a giant of a man.
1335
01:33:03,734 --> 01:33:05,603
He was that rarest of men.
1336
01:33:06,171 --> 01:33:08,340
One who simply did what
he believed was right,
1337
01:33:08,840 --> 01:33:11,444
nothing more,
nothing less, every time."
1338
01:33:13,545 --> 01:33:16,379
[plane roaring]
1339
01:33:16,381 --> 01:33:19,151
[Ernie] He knew who he was
and he knew what he wanted to do
1340
01:33:19,518 --> 01:33:22,919
and he knew how to go after it,
1341
01:33:22,921 --> 01:33:25,821
and I think he did just that.
1342
01:33:25,823 --> 01:33:28,726
[inspirational music]
1343
01:33:29,493 --> 01:33:31,262
[Tom] Everybody's proud
of what he's accomplished.
1344
01:33:32,197 --> 01:33:33,530
Could I have done that?
1345
01:33:33,532 --> 01:33:34,830
I'm certain
I could've done that,
1346
01:33:34,832 --> 01:33:36,768
that's who we are.
1347
01:33:41,840 --> 01:33:46,276
[Mike] He was a wonderful
representative of the United States,
1348
01:33:46,278 --> 01:33:49,548
and beyond that he was
a wonderful human being.
1349
01:33:55,487 --> 01:33:57,189
[Duke] I liked his humility.
1350
01:33:57,788 --> 01:34:00,490
You see him on an airplane
you'd never realize
1351
01:34:00,492 --> 01:34:01,627
this guy was even a pilot.
1352
01:34:05,697 --> 01:34:08,601
[Gerry] Obviously he was
a great stick and rudder pilot
1353
01:34:09,600 --> 01:34:11,768
and he'll be remembered
in aviation
1354
01:34:11,770 --> 01:34:13,539
and even space circles for that,
1355
01:34:13,904 --> 01:34:16,638
but it's the more
intellectual side of him
1356
01:34:16,640 --> 01:34:20,375
and the fact that he was
able to mix it all together
1357
01:34:20,377 --> 01:34:23,282
and produce
this beautiful blossom.
1358
01:34:27,752 --> 01:34:31,222
[Christopher] Neil was a super
guy, he was a class guy,
1359
01:34:32,591 --> 01:34:33,626
and I loved him.
1360
01:34:46,971 --> 01:34:48,740
[narrator]
I am and ever will be
1361
01:34:49,841 --> 01:34:53,945
a white socks pocket
protector, nerdy engineer,
1362
01:34:55,279 --> 01:34:58,449
born under the second
law of thermodynamics,
1363
01:35:00,284 --> 01:35:01,886
steeped in steam tables,
1364
01:35:03,287 --> 01:35:04,856
in love with free body diagrams,
1365
01:35:05,990 --> 01:35:11,697
transformed by lab-las and
propelled by compressible flow.
1366
01:35:19,604 --> 01:35:22,208
God bless you,
goodnight from Apollo 11.
1367
01:35:22,841 --> 01:35:24,210
[beeping]
1368
01:35:26,778 --> 01:35:31,382
["Flight of Fancy"
by Kali Armstrong]
1369
01:35:31,384 --> 01:35:33,549
Subtitles by explosiveskull
www.OpenSubtitles.org
1370
01:35:33,551 --> 01:35:36,753
♪ I float among the clouds ♪
1371
01:35:36,755 --> 01:35:40,426
♪ They sort of can't
Hold me down ♪
1372
01:35:40,725 --> 01:35:45,463
♪ And my trap is there
Far, far below ♪
1373
01:35:48,332 --> 01:35:51,867
♪ Up here there are no bounds ♪
1374
01:35:51,869 --> 01:35:55,737
♪ And up here
There are no crowds ♪
1375
01:35:55,739 --> 01:36:00,612
♪ And I'm gonna soar
As long as I can go ♪
1376
01:36:03,715 --> 01:36:06,351
♪ Gliding on the air ♪
1377
01:36:06,850 --> 01:36:10,788
♪ Riding where the eagles dare ♪
1378
01:36:13,057 --> 01:36:18,264
♪ This flight of fancy ♪
1379
01:36:20,698 --> 01:36:25,703
♪ I'm exactly where I wanna be ♪
1380
01:36:28,340 --> 01:36:31,677
♪ It's a flight of fancy ♪
1381
01:36:42,654 --> 01:36:46,455
♪ Down there I feel the stress ♪
1382
01:36:46,457 --> 01:36:50,393
♪ The work, the bills,
The relentless press ♪
1383
01:36:50,395 --> 01:36:55,367
♪ The weight of things
That just wind up on me ♪
1384
01:36:57,836 --> 01:37:01,403
♪ But up here above the clouds ♪
1385
01:37:01,405 --> 01:37:04,874
♪ There's a rare grace ♪
1386
01:37:04,876 --> 01:37:09,847
♪ It's a peaceful night
That's perfectly unique ♪
1387
01:37:20,091 --> 01:37:23,362
♪ There's a job to do I know ♪
1388
01:37:23,927 --> 01:37:27,830
♪ Responsibilities down below ♪
1389
01:37:27,832 --> 01:37:32,805
♪ But right here, right now
All there is this flight ♪
1390
01:37:34,939 --> 01:37:38,840
♪ Soon the sun
Will be sinking low ♪
1391
01:37:38,842 --> 01:37:42,711
♪ And I'll turn around ♪
1392
01:37:42,713 --> 01:37:47,685
♪ And head back in
Before I lose the light ♪
1393
01:37:50,688 --> 01:37:54,456
♪ Lose the light ♪
1394
01:37:54,458 --> 01:37:57,994
♪ Hear the hush of
The rushing wind ♪
1395
01:37:57,996 --> 01:38:02,967
♪ Feel it lift you up again ♪
1396
01:38:04,735 --> 01:38:09,004
♪ Choose your path ♪
1397
01:38:09,006 --> 01:38:12,842
♪ Now the western clouds
Are rushing in ♪
1398
01:38:12,844 --> 01:38:16,579
♪ Twilight is not far ahead ♪
1399
01:38:16,581 --> 01:38:21,552
♪ The thermals have
Retreated to the Earth ♪
1400
01:38:23,854 --> 01:38:28,057
♪ But as long as I could go ♪
1401
01:38:28,059 --> 01:38:31,660
♪ The time had flew by slow ♪
1402
01:38:31,662 --> 01:38:36,634
♪ It's fair to say
I've all that I could ♪
1403
01:38:39,203 --> 01:38:42,571
♪ Setting down at last ♪
1404
01:38:42,573 --> 01:38:47,111
♪ There's that scent
Of new mown grass ♪
1405
01:38:48,813 --> 01:38:53,819
♪ It's a flight of fancy ♪
1406
01:38:55,920 --> 01:39:01,126
♪ I'm exactly where I wanna be ♪
1407
01:39:03,627 --> 01:39:06,965
♪ It's a flight of fancy ♪
1408
01:39:19,210 --> 01:39:24,216
♪ It's a flight of fancy ♪
1409
01:39:26,083 --> 01:39:31,088
♪ I'm exactly where
I want to be ♪
1410
01:39:33,625 --> 01:39:40,131
♪ It's a flight of fancy ♪