Some folks, however, threw moon-landing parties and when Armstrong took his first steps on the moon, there were shouts of joy, confetti was thrown in the air and horns were honked downtown. The Herald reported that in Calgary, streets were generally quiet as people gathered around television sets to watch the historic event. ![]() He uttered the famous phrase, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” although debate over the years indicates the word “a” was actually said, but not transmitted properly or heard, meaning that phrase was: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” On July 21, Armstrong and Aldrin blasted off from the moon’s surface and later reconnected with the command ship that Collins had been commanding while circling the moon. (MST) Sunday, July 20, 1969, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin would each be carrying enough oxygen for three hours, but their scheduled stays on the moon’s surface would be two hours 40 minutes, and two hours 10 minutes, respectively, while they conducted experiments and gathered rock samples. Saturday, July 19, 1969: Apollo 11 began orbiting the moon, getting ready for a landing. The odds were 1,000 to 1, so his payout was 10,000 pounds (about 139,125 pounds in today’s currency or $227,000 CDN.) The bookmaker who took the bet said he’d accepted the wager as a joke, never thinking he’d actually need to pay it out. Many governors and mayors followed suit, declaring July 20 a holiday so all Americans could share the significant events of the day.įriday, July 18, 1969: The astronauts used a TV camera to take the world on a tour of their spacecraft, calling it “a happy home.” A sidebar story told the tale of a British sci-fi fan named David Threlfall, then 26, who in 1964 had bet almost an entire week’s wages (about 10 British pounds) that man would land on the moon before the end of the decade. ![]() President Richard Nixon proclaimed July 20 to be a national day of participation, giving federal employees the day off. In anticipation of a successful landing, U.S. Thursday, July 17, 1969: Apollo 11 passed the half-way mark of its journey to the moon, with the astronauts reporting earth looked “elegant” behind them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Company president Jesse Turner said the Canadian bid got the contract because Michon devised a special tool to make the lunar module’s four 12-foot-long legs, which were created of aluminum-magnesium alloy. Of the task, Michon said, “I just did my job and, besides, I’ve had to work on much tougher assignments in the past.” He was employed by Heroux Machine Shops, which competed against eight American companies for the contract. The men were reported as being “up and charging and ready to go.” They reported all rocket systems functioning, as they headed into space.Īnother story in that day’s Herald noted that a Quebec machine shop superintendent, Fernand Michon, had built the landing gear for the lunar module. Before liftoff, the three astronauts had the traditional Apollo breakfast of orange juice, steak, scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. Wednesday, July 16, 1969: Blast off! The rocket leaves earth as planned and that day’s late City edition of the Calgary Herald carries the news. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.Mission Control replies: "We will support you anytime. With everything in order, Armstrong recommends that they plan to start the Extravehicular Activity, earlier than originally scheduled. The Lunar Module drops down with a jolt and Armstrong immediately calls Mission Control: “Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed.”ġ1:12 p.m. When the probes beneath three of the Lunar Module’s four footpads touch the surface, a ‘contact’ light flashes on the instrument panel and Armstrong shuts off the descent engine. His heartrate has risen from a normal 77 to 156.ĩ:18 p.m. Seeing that they are approaching a crater about the size of a football field and covered with large rocks, Armstrong takes over manual control and steers the craft to a smoother spot. ![]() The site they approach is 6 km from the target point, on the southern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong throttles up the engine to slow the Lunar Module before dropping down on the lunar surface.
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