Meanwhile, 50 years ago
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2019 10:52 pm
We are all around the same age, I think. Do you remember what you were doing this time 50 years ago?
I've just been through a roller-coaster. I remembered watching Armstrong take that first step when the whole school jammed into the grade 3 classroom, one winter's day. But then I googled and saw that happened at 6am. I didn't remember being dragged out of bed to watch it. I think I would, because I remember 2 years earlier, my dad waking us up. It was - I think - the first time I had seen in walking about in his pyjamas without a dressing gown, and definitely the first time I saw him crying, to tell us that Grandpa - his dad - had died. (end of diversion).
Anyway, a second googles made me understand that the Lunar module touched down at "July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56". So that makes mankind's first steps on the moon at around 4am UK time (timeanddate.com says DST was for the whole year in 1969!), and the touch down after 9pm. Not very child friendly times. The first step was just before 1pm in Melbourne, so that ties with my memory.
Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were huge figures in my life. Armstrong so much so that when I first saw Hello Dolly, I found Louie Armstrong somewhat confusing. Aldrin was a doll; and I always emphasised with Collins accepting getting so close. They rivalled the Tracy family in importance.
So - do you have memories of that day? Or later. Apollo 13 was riveting.
I've just been through a roller-coaster. I remembered watching Armstrong take that first step when the whole school jammed into the grade 3 classroom, one winter's day. But then I googled and saw that happened at 6am. I didn't remember being dragged out of bed to watch it. I think I would, because I remember 2 years earlier, my dad waking us up. It was - I think - the first time I had seen in walking about in his pyjamas without a dressing gown, and definitely the first time I saw him crying, to tell us that Grandpa - his dad - had died. (end of diversion).
Anyway, a second googles made me understand that the Lunar module touched down at "July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56". So that makes mankind's first steps on the moon at around 4am UK time (timeanddate.com says DST was for the whole year in 1969!), and the touch down after 9pm. Not very child friendly times. The first step was just before 1pm in Melbourne, so that ties with my memory.
Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were huge figures in my life. Armstrong so much so that when I first saw Hello Dolly, I found Louie Armstrong somewhat confusing. Aldrin was a doll; and I always emphasised with Collins accepting getting so close. They rivalled the Tracy family in importance.
So - do you have memories of that day? Or later. Apollo 13 was riveting.