Posted on 08/27/2012 3:54:38 PM PDT by moonshot925
Amid the triumphant success of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's successful moon-walk in July 1969, NASA and President Richard Nixon's White House breathed a heavy sigh of relief that he didn't have to deliver a speech to the nation entitled 'In Event of Moon Disaster'.
The speech and a memo were prepared in the event that the two Apollo 11 astronauts did not manage to reconnect with their command module piloted by Michael Collins and could not return safely home to Earth.
The memo laid out a list of instructions for President Nixon, among which was the tragic task of calling the 'widows-to-be' to express condolences and then to deliver a moving and thoughtful speech to the United States and ultimately the watching world.
The memo was drafted by Nixon's chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman and the speech by Wailliam Safire who went on to work for the New York Times.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.
They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind."
Thanks for this. Awesome.
Its pretty amazing that he didn’t end of giving the speech considered all the potential disasters they encountered.
Domo for the photo !
I wonder if NASA had already figured out the trajectory for Collins to return without the added weight of Armstrong and Aldrin and rocks?
Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin - L-R??
Am I right??
I can only imagine the relief that Armstrong and Aldrin felt when the ascent engine kicked in and launched them skyward. The fact that they might be stranded on the lunar surface to die must have been in the back of their minds. I wonder what would have happened had they been stranded. Would they simply wait to run out of oxygen or would they get it over with quickly by way of cyanide capsule or maybe ripping off their pressure suits and exposing themselves to an instant death. Either way beats running out of oxgen and dying a slow, painful death by way of asphyxiation. I think there was a science fiction story I read a long time ago that dealt with this.
Anyway, glad Nixon never had to give that speech.
Rush talked about this today. I think he was right that there was a one chance shot of firing the rockets to lift off the moon and recouple with the command module. I’d forgotten about that with the lunar landers.
"Circumstances that were beyond my control, that I was in no way able to prevent, ordained that the men I sent to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
I have told these brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, that although I know that there is no hope for their recovery I also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice that they have made for my space program.
I understand with great appreciation that these two men are laying down their lives in pursuit of my most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding and the fostering of Islamic appreciation of the Muslim role over the centuries in the development of science.
I realize that these men will be mourned by their families and friends; I know they will be mourned by their nation; I know they will be mourned by the people of the world; I sense they will even be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown. Most of all, they will be mourned by me, their Commander in Chief, Barack Hussein Obama.
In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one as I stirred the voters to come together as one in our historic election; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man as it works together to establish my dream of fundamental transformation and change.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, I do much the same, but my heroes are epic men of flesh and blood and this is why, as military men, they are known as corpsemen.
Others will follow, and surely find their way back to my home, the Earth. My search will not be denied. But these men were the first to follow my dream, and they will remain the foremost in my heart.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know, as I do, that there is some corner of another world that is forever a beacon of my hopes and desires for a new world."
Here is what Collins wrote in his book Carrying the Fire
"My secret terror for the last six months has been leaving them on the Moon and returning to Earth alone; now I am within minutes of finding out the truth of the matter," he wrote. "If they fail to rise from the surface, or crash back into it, I am not going to commit suicide; I am coming home, forthwith, but I will be a marked man for life and I know it."
(helpful) FYI only... 8^)
Which reminds me, has Obama taken credit for the moonshot yet?
Oops
Thanks, I was guessing using a 2009 picture as a guide.
Even though he hasn't been heard of or elected yet, it was Bush's fault.
I sat in a Mercury capsule at KSC and felt a wave of panic coming on. I cannot imagine the courage all those 60’s astronauts had to go up where nobody can help them in a primitive ballistic spacecraft.
Did you know the Stanley Kubrick’s widow says that he directed the fake moon landing footage for NASA??
Some guy claims he left clues in The Shining.
http://news.discovery.com/space/faked-moon-landings-and-kubricks-the-shining.html
I don’t know what to make of all that but I do know the interview by the 3 astronauts is weird.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI_ZehPOMwI
Notice they don’t say anything about the possible “UFO”. Aldrin didnt talk about that until his old age.
Who knows what Armstrong meant with this weird comment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUx1SURbb3g
Aldrin, Collins, Armstrong, (L-R)
I heard Rush talking about this today. I never heard what the actual plan was if the LEM rocket didn’t fire. Suicide pills?
Either way, my respect for the bravery of these men was raised yet again.
Are you trying to suggest that the moon landing did not take place?
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