Monday, October 16, 2006

July 20, 1969 ..Watching the landing on the moon by Apollo 11...Then 31 years later Meeting Buzz Aldrin.

I remember it all so well. On the afternoon of July 20, 1969, man first landed on the moon. I was at my friend's house. Well I was there and my friend Jeff's family had a color TV with a Lava Lamp on top...Hey this was the 1960's!!! It was real groovy!

I watched Walter Cronkite talk as the Eagle slowly desended..Now since this was 1969 there were no cameras...No nothing on that end..So it was all animation.

We heard the voices we saw the animation and the lava lamp bubbled ...and the entire world held it's collective breath.

I recall hearing it all...I remember the remark "Tranquility base here..the Eagle has landed".....

We all jumped and cried and were dumbfounded...I am sure the entire world was.

I remember I left my friend's house and ran as fast as could home. I don't think I have ever run so fast before or since. I was full of absolute amazment and wonder.

I waited the whole evening till it around 10:30 pm...and then I saw it..The first moon walk on TV. It was such an exciting moment for the world and most people alive at that time. To see Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon was an amazing feat. I wished at that time I could meet them. I knew that would never happen..But I was happy to have experienced it all.

Many years later in my work I had the chance to meet and record Buzz Aldrin. It was a moment when my memories and wishes as a boy..got to mingle with my life as a man.



It was really cool to meet and chat with Buzz Aldrin.

He signed this picture of us making the recording the following year.
It was interesting that Buzz Aldrin was on that first voyage to the moon..was also the first astronaut to make a wax cylinder..Recording a part of his book called the return.

It was a special moment each time 1969 and 2000.

Thank you Buzz Aldrin for memories that made a boys life exciting.... Meeting you, enjoying and fulfilling that dream of 1969.

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3 comments:

ex-nuke bubblehead said...

I envy your meeting! My best "near miss" was meeting Ken Mattingley (Apollo 16) and Apollo 13 back-up. I too, idolized astronauts when I was younger, hoping to aspire to be one when I grew-up, but the closest I came to realizing that was to be a submariner/nuke.

Unknown said...

the mercury 7 were my all timeheros, so were the gemini and apollo astronauts these guys had the right stuff.....

Unknown said...

the mercury 7 were my all timeheros, so were the gemini and apollo astronauts these guys had the right stuff.....

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