Friday, July 27, 2018

And Now, You Know

One day last week, July 20, was the 49th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing. American Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human being to ever land on the moon. There were 3 Astronauts on that Apollo 11.
 
Neil Armstrong, Commander of Apollo 11
Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Orbit Pilot
Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot
 
The general rule in NASA is if someone was to spacewalk, it was always the junior person. The space commander will stay inside because he has to be safely behind the controls and in a better position to take action if there was an emergency. On Apollo 11, it was Buzz Aldrin who was junior in rank.
 
So it should have been Buzz Aldrin as the first man on the moon. But some mucky mucks in NASA decided to break the protocol. Their reason? The lunar module posed logistical challenges that made this order impossible.
 
There is a rumor that Armstrong pulled rank and made the authorities change the protocol of who should get out of the spacecraft first.
 
After stepping on the moon, Armstrong said: One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.
 
Aldrin set his foot on the moon 20 minutes after Armstrong.
 
Here is what Aldrin said:  It sucks Armstrong was the first man on the moon and I am the second man on the moon.   But I was promised I would be the first one when we land on the sun. (This is my attempted joke.)

23 comments:

  1. I feel bad for Buzz. Poor guy.
    Nobody cares or remembers second place.
    Second place just means you're the first in a long line of losers.

    You might as well be walking on the sun!

    Regards,
    Smash Mouth

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    1. Thanks for your comments Smash Mouth. You are a Rock Band group from our own Bay Area. I loved your song 'Walkin' On The Sun.

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    2. "Second place just means you're the first in a long line of losers" This is so profound...thank you Smash Mouth

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    3. Dee, as I've said before...you are second to no one!

      Regards,
      Smash Mouth

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  2. What Logistical Challenges I Wonder?
    9 minutes after Armstrong as per Wikipedia?
    Famous Words after Landing - "Beautiful view. Magnificent desolation."

    If not for your blog, I wouldnt have known about Buzz Aldrin.
    It's Sad that no one knows him.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Dee. Here is the explanation given by NASA for the logistical challenge. Armstrong was sitting on the left side. Aldrin was sitting on the right side. The hatch to open and the ladder to get down on the moon was on the left side. If Aldrin has to go first, he had to climb over Armstrong. One bulky suited back packed astronaut to climb over another was cumbersome. Not my explanation. NASA’s explanation

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  3. I remember the name Buzz Aldrin, but not Micheal Collins. Wonder why, maybe some conspiracy behind that too! :)

    Destination Infinity

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    1. Thanks for your comments Rajesh. Someone pulled the rank.

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  4. Thank you for the interesting post.I would not have known all these details but for this.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Mr. KP. And now, you know.

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  5. I am reading this detail about landing on the moon for the first time, SG. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks for your comments Sandhya. Glad you liked reading this post.

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  6. I didn't know this nice bit of trivia.
    So, it happens in NASA and the Moon too!

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    1. Thanks for your comments Pradeep. Looks like happens everywhere.

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  7. This is an interesting bit of info. I got to know about Buzz Aldrin when I first saw Toy Story movie. A character in the movie is named after him.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Harini. LOng Time No See. I liked the movie Toy Story.

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  8. I met Buzz Aldrin and that was the happiest moment in my life. From all the documentaries that I saw/read, I heard that Buzz was too headstrong and didn't get along well with others and that's why they chose Neil.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Ash. You are lucky to meet Buzz Aldrin in person. I did not know he was headstrong. Thanks for the info.

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  9. Never heard of this incident. Guess they employ an army to hide such significant truths. Pulling rank in space, of all places!

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    1. Thanks for your comments wildflower. And, welcome to my blog. Army hiding the truth. Happens in every country. HeHeHe.

      wildfloor, please visit here as often as possible. Thanks.

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  10. it means manipulation is everywhere:)

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  11. Thank you for this info. Nobody knew about this violation of the protocol, under special influence. And they played smart to hide it from others. Had it been in India, it would have splashed through print media( no visual as well as social media at that time). A good read.

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