ONE GIANT LEAP

July 20, 1999
		Thirty years ago, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Tom Bearden remembers the moon landing, and Elizabeth Farnsworth discusses the anniversary with historians and a former astronaut.

Online NewsHour Special Report: One Giant Leap Dec. 8, 1998: An Online Q and A: The International Space Station Nov. 20, 1998: Russians send the first componet of the International Space Staion into orbit. Oct. 29, 1998: Tom Bearden reports on John Glenn's lift-off and the science that will be performed. Oct. 28, 1998: John Glenn, the first American man to orbit the Earth, returns to space aboard the shuttle Discovery. Oct. 28, 1998: Phil Ponce looks at the Glenn flight from an historical perspective. March 6, 1998: NASA scientist Alan Binder discusses th new discovery of water on the moon. Feb. 27, 1998: Is the universe evolving more rapidly now than it has in the past? Jan. 16, 1998: Details of Senator John Glenn's planned trip back into orbit an age 77. Oct. 15, 1997: NASA begins its seven year missionto explore Saturn. Oct. 2, 1997: Forty years after Sputnik first circled the Earth, historians examine its impact. Sept. 30, 1997: An interview with Mir astronauts. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Science   International Space Station Space Station video feeds Russian Space Agency Canadian Space Agency	SPOKESMAN: 60 Seconds. Lights on. Forward, forward. Forty feet down. Two and a half. Picking up some dust. TOM BEARDEN: It went right down to the wire. The computer had the lunar module headed straight for a boulder field. Mission Commander Neil Armstrong had to take manual control, and they were running out of fuel. Controllers in Houston were on the edge of their seats. SPOKESMAN: Contact light, okay, engine stop. SPOKESMAN: We copy you down, "Eagle." TOM BEARDEN: Finally, the lunar module settled on the surface. NEIL ARMSTRONG: Houston, tranquility base here. The "Eagle" has landed.
	An ambitious goal
	TOM BEARDEN: And so ended the race to the Moon between the United States and the Soviet Union. It began in 1957, when Americans awoke to the news the Russians had launched sputnik, the first manmade object to achieve orbit. (Beeping) Sputnik shattered the nation's comfortable myth of technical superiority, and the Russians went on to achieve many notable firsts in space: The first man to orbit the planet, and the first woman. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy set America's goal. PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. TOM BEARDEN: It was more ambitious than many Americans realized. At the time, U.S. astronauts had spent a mere 15 1/2 minutes in space. SPOKESMAN: 40 seconds away from the "Apollo 11" liftoff. TOM BEARDEN: Just eight years later, a million people gathered in Florida to witness the launch of "Apollo 11." Hundreds of millions more watched on television. SPOKESMAN: Ten, nine -- ignition sequence started. Six - TOM BEARDEN: At 9:32 AM, the enormous Saturn Five main booster ignited, hurling Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin into Earth orbit. SPOKESMAN: Roger, 11. We'll pass that on. And it certainly looks like you're well on your way now. TOM BEARDEN: Three hours later, command module "Columbia" extracted and docked with lunar module "Eagle," and began the 240,000-mile journey to the Moon. They reached lunar orbit three days later. "Eagle" separated from "Columbia" and descended to the surface. As nearly the entire planet watched, Armstrong became the first member of the human race to touch another world. NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. TOM BEARDEN: Armstrong and Aldrin tested their balance in the moon's reduced gravity, collected samples of lunar rocks and dust, and planted an American flag. SPOKESMAN: They're setting up the flag now. I guess you're about the only person around that doesn't have TV coverage of the scene. SPOKESMAN: That's all right. I don't mind a bit. SPOKESMAN: Ah, jeez, that's great. Is the lighting halfway decent? SPOKESMAN: Yes, indeed. They've got the flag up now. You can see the stars and stripes now on the lunar surface. SPOKESMAN: Beautiful, just beautiful.
	Arriving at a new shore
	BUZZ ALDRIN, Astronaut, Apollo II: I certainly felt that the American flag is what belonged there. It's a characteristic of previous explorations, to plant a symbol upon arriving at a new shore. And it indeed was a philosophical moment of achievement. It was also a technical challenge, as we found that the flag didn't exactly perform as we put it together. It didn't stick in the ground exactly the way we thought it would. There was no breeze to wave it, so we had to artificially create a little breeze. ASTRONAUT: Go ahead, Mr. President, this is Houston, out. PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON: Hello, Neil and Buzz. TOM BEARDEN: From Earth, a jubilant President Richard Nixon gave the crew congratulations from an exultant nation. PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON: Because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth. For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one, one in their pride of what you have done and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth. TOM BEARDEN: The astronauts spent a little more than two hours outside the lunar module on the surface of the Moon. The next day, "Eagle" lifted off and docked with "Columbia." After transferring the crew and lunar samples to the command module, "Eagle" was jettisoned, eventually to crash on the Moon. SPOKESMAN: A thousand feet high, eighty feet per second vertical rise. Apollo 11, Houston, to arrive standing by. Over. TOM BEARDEN: "Columbia" splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th. (Band playing) The returning astronauts got a hero's welcome, complete with a ticker tape parade. There were five more lunar missions, the last one in December 1972. In all, 12 Americans walked on the surface of the moon. (Cheers) In a rare press conference last Friday, Armstrong appeared with three other astronauts who walked on the Moon, including Aldrin. He reflected on the meaning of his journey 30 years ago.
	NEIL ARMSTRONG: The important achievement of "Apollo" was a demonstration that humanity is not forever chained to this planet, and our visions go rather further than that and our opportunities are unlimited. SPOKESMAN: "Columbia", "Columbia", this is Houston. Over. TOM BEARDEN: The astronauts said there were compelling reasons to go back to the Moon and on to Mars and the other planets.