Narrator: HIDDEN IN THE ARCHIVES FOR OVER 50 YEARS...
King: 11.
...THOUSANDS OF REELS OF FORGOTTEN FILM...
10.
...BROUGHT TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME...
9.
...TO REVEAL A SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE.
IGNITION SEQUENCE START.
Griffin: I THOUGHT, "NO WAY.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
Anders: EVERY DAY HAD SOMETHING THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
RELEASE.
Narrator: AN INCREDIBLE DECADE OF TRIAL...
ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO.
...AND ERROR.
[ MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY OVER RADIO]
Griffin: AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL KNEW THE RISK.
Armstrong: WE GOT SKIRT SEP.
Narrator: A TEAM OF OVER 400,000 MEN AND WOMEN...
Worden: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAD ONE GOAL IN MIND.
Narrator: ...CAUGHT ON CAMERA.
Lovell: I WAS AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
King: 3.
Narrator: WITH UNSEEN FOOTAGE...
2....AND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS...
AND THAT'S 1.
...THE STORY OF MANKIND'S MOST AUDACIOUS ADVENTURE.
LIFT-OFF. WE HAVE A LIFT-OFF.
LIFT-OFF ON APOLLO 11.
Schmitt: THERE'S NO TURNING BACK.
YOU'RE GOING TO THE MOON.
--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪♪
Cronkite: WE'RE COUNTING DOWN TOWARD THE LAUNCH OF APOLLO 11.
3 HOURS AND 32 MINUTES FROM NOW,
MAN BEGINS THE GREATEST ADVENTURE IN HIS HISTORY --
A TRIP TO THE MOON, WITH THE EXPECTATION OF LANDING THERE.
Narrator: APOLLO 11 IS READY FOR LAUNCH.
IT'S TAKEN AN ARMY
OF ALMOST HALF A MILLION SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
NEARLY A DECADE TO GET TO THIS POINT.
NOW A TREASURE TROVE OF FORGOTTEN FILM
REVEALING THIS HISTORIC MISSION IN JAW-DROPPING DETAIL.
♪♪
THREE HOURS BEFORE LAUNCH,
NASA CAMERAS CAPTURE THE APOLLO 11 CREW SUITING UP.
♪♪
MY NAME IS MIKE COLLINS.
ON APOLLO 11, I WAS THE COMMAND MODULE PILOT.
FLYING TO AND FROM THE MOON IS A THREE-MAN JOB.
WE EACH HAD SPECIALTIES.
Narrator: THE MISSION COMMANDER IS NEIL ARMSTRONG,
RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING HIS TEAM TO THE MOON AND BACK.
BUZZ ALDRIN, THE LUNAR MODULE PILOT,
WILL ATTEMPT THE LANDING WITH ARMSTRONG
WHILE MIKE COLLINS WILL STAY IN LUNAR ORBIT.
Collins: IT WAS A QUESTION OF CAMARADERIE
AND ALL PITCHING TOGETHER TO GET THE JOB DOWN.
♪♪
Narrator: SUITED UP AND READY TO GO...
♪♪
...THE ASTRONAUTS LEAVE FOR THE PAD.
King: RIGHT ON TIME, THE PRIME CREW
NOW DEPARTING FROM THEIR CREW QUARTERS
HERE AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
Narrator: NEIL ARMSTRONG LEADS THE CREW
INTO THE GLARE OF THE WORLD'S PRESS.
♪♪
EIGHT MILES AWAY, THE MOST POWERFUL MACHINE EVER BUILT,
THE SATURN V ROCKET,
AWAITS THEIR ARRIVAL.
Collins: I WENT OUT THERE WITH NEIL AND BUZZ.
39A WAS OUR PAD.
WE'D BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO GOING OUT TO THE PAD
AND FINDING 40 OR 50 WORKMEN SCAMPERING UP AND DOWN
LIKE ANTS ON THE GANTRIES,
AND HERE, ON LAUNCH DAY,
NO ONE WAS THERE.
ANYWAY, WE FOUND OUR WAY UP TO THIS LITTLE ELEVATOR,
THREE OF US, PLUS TECHNICIAN,
AND UP WE WENT 300-AND-SOME FEET IN THE AIR.
♪♪
King: THIS IS APOLLO-SATURN LAUNCH CONTROL.
SHORTLY, WE'LL EXPECT ASTRONAUTS NEIL ARMSTRONG
AND MICHAEL COLLINS TO COME ACROSS SWING ARM 9
AND STAND BY TO BOARD THE SPACECRAFT.
Collins: WHEN I WAS WAITING FOR MY TURN TO BOARD,
I COULD LOOK TO MY RIGHT,
AND I SEE THIS GIGANTIC PILE OF MACHINERY,
360 FEET TALL FULL OF GADGETS
THAT WERE GOING TO PROPEL ME TO THE MOON.
ASTRONAUT FRED HAISE IS ABOUT TO COME OUT
AFTER GIVING THE THREE PRIME CREWMEN A HAND
IN THEIR PRELIMINARY CHECKOUTS ABOARD.
MY NAME IS FRED HAISE.
I WAS THE BACK-UP LUNAR MODULE PILOT
ON THE APOLLO 11 MISSION.
I WAS THE LAST PERSON TO CRAWL OUT OF THE CAPSULE,
LEAVING NEIL, BUZZ, AND MIKE TO TAKE THEIR TRIP TO THE MOON.
I WAVED GOODBYE TO THEM AND GAVE THEM A THUMBS-UP,
HOPING THINGS GO WELL.
Man: OKAY, THE SWING ARM IS GOING TO FULL RETRACT AT THIS TIME.
Narrator: FILLED WITH SUPER-COOLED LIQUID FUEL,
THE SATURN V WEIGHS OVER 3,200 TONS.
LAUNCHING A ROCKET THIS BIG IS AN UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGE.
♪♪
RARELY SEEN FOOTAGE REVEALS THE IMMENSE SCALE OF THE TASK.
♪♪
Announcer: NASA's PROJECT APOLLO.
ITS MOST URGENT ENGINEERING CHALLENGE --
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LAUNCH VEHICLE,
CAPABLE OF HURTLING MEN AND MATERIAL
TO A POINT 250,000 MILES AWAY --
THE MOON.
Narrator: THE SATURN V MUST DELIVER
AT LEAST 7.5 MILLION POUNDS OF THRUST
IN A SUSTAINED...
CONTROLLED...
WAY.
FILM FOOTAGE TRACES ALMOST 10 YEARS
DEVELOPING A GIANT ROCKET ENGINE --
THE F-1.
MY NAME IS RICK WEISS, PROPULSION ENGINEER
FOR ALL THE APOLLO MISSIONS.
THE F-1 ENGINE WAS PHENOMENAL
WITH 1.5 MILLION POUNDS OF THRUST.
Narrator: FILM OF NASA FACILITIES ACROSS AMERICA
REVEALS CRITICAL TEST FIRINGS TO PERFECT THE ENGINE.
♪♪
Weiss: THE WHOLE KEY TO IT IS TIMING,
THAT THE LIQUID OXYGEN MEETS THE FUEL AT THE RIGHT TIME,
AND IT'S BURNED PRECISELY AT THE RIGHT MOMENT.
Narrator: THE RESULT IS THE MOST POWERFUL COMBUSTION ENGINE EVER,
WHICH NOW MUST PERFORM PERFECTLY
IN FULL VIEW OF THE WORLD'S CAMERAS.
♪♪
FROM THE AIR, FILM FOOTAGE CAPTURES SPECTATORS
POURING IN TO WITNESS THE LAUNCH.
King: THE ESTIMATE IS MORE THAN A MILLION PERSONS
ARE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA IN BREVARD COUNTY
TO WATCH THE LAUNCH.
AND AT THE V.I.P. STANDS 3 1/2 MILES AWAY FROM THE PAD,
NEWS CAMERAS AND HOME MOVIES RECORD THE EXCITEMENT.
I'M KOTCHO SOLACOFF.
I'VE KNOWN NEIL SINCE WE WERE IN THE SIXTH GRADE.
THE V.I.P. GRANDSTAND WAS 3 1/2 MILES
FROM WHERE THE ROCKET WAS.
I FELT VERY SPECIAL TO BE THERE,
ALL TO SEE OUR BEST FRIEND ON THAT ROCKET.
♪♪
Morgan: IT WAS JUST PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.
THEY JUST WANTED TO BE A PART OF THE HISTORY.
♪♪
I'M JOANN MORGAN, APOLLO 11 INSTRUMENTATION CONTROLLER
IN THE LAUNCH CONTROL CENTER.
♪♪
THE COUNTDOWN IN APOLLO 11
WAS MY FIRST TIME TO BE THERE FOR LIFT-OFF.
Narrator: EXCLUSIVE NASA FILM FOOTAGE REVEALS THE FINAL TENSE MOMENTS,
UNSEEN BY THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
WE JUST PASSED THE 2-MINUTE MARK ON THE COUNTDOWN.
T-MINUS 1 MINUTE, 54 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
♪♪
Morgan: THEY LOCKED THE DOORS.
THEY WANTED THINGS QUIET.
EVERYBODY FOCUSED ON THEIR WORK.
ALL INDICATIONS COMING IN TO THE CONTROL CENTER
INDICATE WE ARE GO.
♪♪
Donnelly: APOLLO 11, THE LAUNCH TEAM
WISHES YOU GOOD LUCK AND GODSPEED.
Armstrong: AH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. KNOW IT'LL BE A GOOD ONE.
King: T-MINUS 15 SECONDS. GUIDANCE IS INTERNAL.
12, 11, 10, 9...
IGNITION SEQUENCE START.
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ZERO.
♪♪
Narrator: HUNDREDS OF FEET BELOW THE ASTRONAUTS,
LAUNCH PAD CAMERAS CAPTURE
THE F-1 ENGINES EXPLODING INTO LIFE.
♪♪
Collins: THERE'S THIS GIGANTIC BELCH OF FIRE.
♪♪
AND THEN IT SLOWLY ASCENDS.
Narrator: CAMERAS RUNNING AT 500 FRAMES A SECOND
CAPTURE A STORM OF ICE
SHAKEN FREE FROM THE ROCKET'S FRIGID SKIN.
♪♪
REMASTERED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES...
♪♪
...THIS INCREDIBLY DETAILED SLOW-MOTION FOOTAGE...
♪♪
...WILL ALLOW ENGINEERS TO SCRUTINIZE ANY POTENTIAL FAILURE
SECOND BY SECOND.
♪♪
LIFT-OFF. WE HAVE A LIFT-OFF.
32 MINUTES PAST THE HOUR.
LIFT-OFF ON APOLLO 11.
Collins: INSIDE IS ALL KINDS OF LITTLE JIGS LEFT AND RIGHT.
THE ENGINE'S GIMBALLING BACK AND FORTH
TO KEEP THIS MACHINE IN BALANCE.
♪♪
Narrator: THE CROWD SEE THE LAUNCH,
BUT THEY CAN'T HEAR IT...YET.
Weiss: WHEN THE ROCKET STARTED, THERE WAS NO NOISE.
♪♪
BUT BIRDS STARTED FLYING EVERYWHERE.
♪♪
Solacoff: AT THE BLEACHERS, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THE BLAST HIT YOU.
TOWER CLEARED.
YOUR CLOTHES SHOOK. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
Morgan: THE SHOCK WAVE HIT,
AND THE FLOOR IS SHAKING.
Cronkite: BUILDING'S SHAKING.
WHAT A MOMENT.
MAN ON THE WAY TO THE MOON.
Solacoff: I WAS SCREAMING, BUT LIKE EVERYBODY,
IT WAS, "GO, GO, GO, GO!"
♪♪
THERE HE GOES. THERE'S OUR BUDDY NEIL,
GOING UP THERE ON THEIR WAY TO THE MOON.
McCandless: APOLLO 11, HOUSTON, YOU'RE GOOD AT ONE MINUTE.
♪♪
Narrator: TRACKING CAMERAS FOLLOW THE F-1 ENGINES,
LIFTING THE ROCKET TO AN ALTITUDE OF AROUND 40 MILES.
BUT TO GET TO ORBIT REQUIRES EVEN MORE THRUST.
♪♪
Weiss: IF YOUR MISSION IS TO GO INTO DEEP SPACE,
YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE ONE ROCKET
AND EXPECT IT TO CARRY
EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO CARRY.
SO YOU BUILD IT IN STAGES.
Narrator: ASSEMBLY FOOTAGE REVEALS
THE SATURN V ISN'T ONE ROCKET --
IT'S THREE,
STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
MARK. MODE ONE-CHARLIE.
Armstrong: ONE-CHARLIE.
REMASTERED FILM FROM TELESCOPIC CAMERAS
SHOWS THE SATURN V AT A DISTANCE OF 55 MILES,
CAPTURING THE END OF THE FIRST-STAGE BURN.
McCandless: THIS IS HOUSTON. YOU ARE GO FOR STAGING.
♪♪
Collins: BOOM. THERE'S AN EXPLOSION OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW,
ALL KINDS OF YELLOW AND RED AND FIRE.
YOU LURCH FORWARD IN YOUR STRAPS.
Armstrong: STAGING.
Collins: BEFORE YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO REACT TO THAT,
THE SECOND STAGE LIGHTS UP.
♪♪
AND IGNITION.
♪♪
IT'S VERY TRAUMATIC.
"OH, MY GOD. IS THIS THING GOING TO EXPLODE?
OR HAS IT EXPLODED?"
BEFORE YOU REALIZE, "NO, IT'S JUST NORMAL STAGING."
IT'S SHUTTING ONE STAGE DOWN AND CRANKING UP THE NEXT STAGE.
♪♪
YOU CAN'T ENJOY WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE.
YOU HAVE THE NEXT THING AHEAD --
IGNITION OF YOUR THIRD-STAGE ROCKET.
♪♪
AND IGNITION.
McCandless: IGNITION CONFIRMED. THRUST IS GO, 11.
Cronkite: APOLLO 11 IS ON THE WAY,
RIDING THAT PILLAR OF FLAME FROM THE SATURN V
INTO THE SKIES
WHERE THE MOON IS WAITING.
♪♪
Weiss: THE LAUNCH TEAM DID IT.
WE JUST SMILED AND RELISHED IN THE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS DONE.
TO SEE THE LAUNCHER THERE WITH NOTHING ON IT
IS JUST -- I MEAN, IT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE.
THE ROCKET'S GONE.
THERE'S NOTHING THERE.
[ Chuckling ] WHAT JUST HAPPENED, YOU KNOW?
WE WERE JUST WORKING ON IT YESTERDAY.
Morgan: ONCE THAT VEHICLE HAS CLEARED THE TOWER,
THE PEOPLE AT MISSION CONTROL IN HOUSTON
ARE IN CHARGE WITH THE REST OF THE FLIGHT.
♪♪
McCandless: APOLLO 11, APOLLO 11, THIS IS HOUSTON, OVER.
Narrator: FOUND DEEP IN THE NASA ARCHIVES,
FILM FROM INSIDE MISSION CONTROL
WILL REVEAL EVERY ASPECT
OF APOLLO 11's DARING JOURNEY.
I'M GERRY GRIFFIN, FLIGHT DIRECTOR FOR APOLLO 11.
WHEN YOU WALK INTO MISSION CONTROL
AND YOU'RE GOING TO THE MOON,
COLORS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
DISPLAYS LOOK BRIGHTER.
IT'S THE ADRENALINE.
Armstrong: HELLO, HOUSTON. HELLO, HOUSTON.
THIS IS APOLLO 11. I'M READING YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
GO AHEAD. OVER.
MY NAME IS GLYNN LUNNEY,
A FLIGHT DIRECTOR FOR APOLLO 11.
IT WAS AN EXCITING TIME FOR ME.
WHEN I SAT AT THE CONSOLE, I WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO THE VEHICLE AND THE CREW.
♪♪
THE AVERAGE AGE IN MISSION CONTROL
WAS ABOUT 27.
Griffin: IT WAS KIND OF LIKE THE NATION GAVE THE KEYS TO THE CAR
TO A BUNCH OF KIDS AND SAID, "GO TO THE MOON."
THE ASTRONAUTS, THEY HAD TO FLY THE SPACECRAFT,
BUT WE COULD SEE THOUSANDS OF MEASUREMENTS --
TEMPERATURES, VOLTAGES,
ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT THEY COULDN'T.
McCandless: APOLLO 11, THIS IS HOUSTON.
YOU ARE CONFIRMED GO FOR ORBIT.
♪♪
Narrator: ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND COLLINS HAVE MADE IT INTO EARTH ORBIT,
WHERE THEY'RE TREATED TO A SPECTACULAR SIGHT.
♪♪
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
STILL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY COLLINS
PROVIDE A PERSPECTIVE OF EARTH FEW HAVE SEEN.
♪♪
THE CREW OF APOLLO 11 ARE LESS THAN TWO HOURS
INTO THE GREATEST JOURNEY OF THEIR LIVES...
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
♪♪
...THE LATEST CHAPTER IN AN ADVENTURE
THAT BEGAN EIGHT YEARS EARLIER
WITH AN EVENT THAT SHOOK THE WORLD.
♪♪
[ MAN SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN OVER RADIO]
IN APRIL 1961,
SOVIET COSMONAUT YURI GAGARIN
BECOMES THE FIRST MAN IN ORBIT.
Morgan: THAT WAS VERY SCARY,
BECAUSE THE RUSSIANS HAVE THIS ASTRONAUT.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?
Narrator: DETERMINED TO OUTDO THE SOVIETS,
PRESIDENT KENNEDY ANNOUNCES A BOLD INITIATIVE.
♪♪
I BELIEVE THAT THIS NATION SHOULD COMMIT ITSELF
TO ACHIEVING THE GOAL BEFORE THIS DECADE IS OUT
OF LANDING A MAN ON THE MOON
AND RETURNING HIM SAFELY TO THE EARTH.
Griffin: WHEN KENNEDY SAID WE'RE GOING TO DO IT IN THIS DECADE,
I THOUGHT, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
THIS IS 1961.
WE'RE GOING TO DO IT IN THIS DECADE?
NO WAY."
♪♪
Narrator: IT'S AN AUDACIOUS CHALLENGE.
♪♪
NASA HAS NO TIME TO LOSE.
Baldwin: THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA,
FOR ONE OF MAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURES.
JOHN GLENN IS ONE OF SEVEN ASTRONAUTS
SELECTED FOR PROJECT MERCURY.
Narrator: PHASE ONE -- THE MERCURY MISSIONS.
THE GOAL -- TO LAUNCH A MAN INTO ORBIT
AND BRING HIM HOME SAFELY.
Lunney: THE MERCURY PROJECT WAS A ONE-MAN CAPSULE.
FIRST TIME WE PUT PEOPLE IN SPACE.
Man: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ZERO.
♪♪
Narrator: A CAMERA FILMS JOHN GLENN
AS HE BECOMES THE FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT EARTH.
Glenn: ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO.
MY NAME IS WALTER CUNNINGHAM.
I WAS FLYING WITH THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE.
I HEARD THIS VOICE SCREAMING,
"YOU LUCKY SON OF A BITCH."
AND I LOOKED AROUND AND REALIZED IT WAS ME.
I HAD DONE THAT SCREAMING.
NOW THIS IS FRIENDSHIP 7.
BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF THE AFRICAN COAST.
THE HORIZON IS A BRILLIANT BLUE.
Narrator: WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE MERCURY PROGRAM...
♪♪
...NASA PLANS MORE COMPLEX SPACE FLIGHTS.
♪♪
RARE REELS OF FILM RECORD THEIR SEARCH FOR PILOTS
WITH THE RIGHT STUFF TO FLY THEM.
Collins: WHEN THE SPACE PROGRAM WAS FIRST CREATED,
PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SORT OF BACKGROUND THEY SHOULD SELECT
FOR THIS STRANGE, NEW SPACE ROLE.
Narrator: MIKE COLLINS, SEEN IN THIS NEWLY TRANSFERRED FILM
FROM 1962,
HOPES HE'S GOT WHAT IT TAKES.
Collins: THEN SOMEONE SAID THAT THE CANDIDATES SHOULD BE GRADUATES
OF AN ACCREDITED TEST PILOT SCHOOL.
♪♪
Narrator: THESE MEN, INCLUDING A YOUNG NEIL ARMSTRONG,
REGULARLY RISK THEIR LIVES,
PUSHING UNTRIED AIRCRAFT TO THE LIMITS.
Man: RELEASE.
Man #2: CLEAN BREAK.
Collins: THE ROLE OF THE TEST PILOT IS TO DO THINGS BETTER,
TO DO THEM HIGHER, TO DO THEM FASTER.
Man #3: AT A MACH NUMBER 1 AND CLIMBING TO 35.
Narrator: IT'S EXACTLY WHAT NASA'S LOOKING FOR.
AND THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF APPLICANTS.
♪♪
MY NAME IS JIM LOVELL.
I WAS AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY AT THE TIME.
I'M AL WORDEN.
I HAD THE TEST PILOT TRAINING. I WAS LESS THAN THE AGE LIMIT.
I THOUGHT, "WHAT HAVE I GOT TO LOSE?"
Narrator: RARE ARCHIVE FILM SHOWS THE SUCCESSFUL RECRUITS
MEETING THE WORLD'S PRESS.
I'M BILL ANDERS.
TO MY AMAZEMENT, I GOT SELECTED.
I'M HARRISON SCHMITT.
I BELONG TO THE GROUP 4 SCIENTIST-ASTRONAUTS.
I'M ASTRONAUT CHARLIE DUKE.
A MOON FLIGHT, IF I GOT ONE, WAS GONNA BE THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE.
Narrator: AMONG THE NEW ASTRONAUTS ARE THREE MEN
DESTINED TO ATTEMPT THE FIRST MOON LANDING.
Collins: WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT NASA WAS TRYING TO DO.
IT WAS GOING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
♪♪
McCandless: APOLLO 11, THIS IS HOUSTON.
SLIGHTLY LESS THAN ONE MINUTE TO IGNITION,
AND EVERYTHING IS GO.
Narrator: AFTER 1 1/2 EARTH ORBITS,
THE CREW OF APOLLO 11 MUST NOW FLY FURTHER
AND FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE.
Cronkite: APOLLO 11, PREPARING TO FIRE
THE THIRD-STAGE ENGINE AGAIN
AND PUT THE MEN ON THE TRAJECTORY
OUT TOWARD THE MOON.
Collins: YOU'VE GOT TO GET YOUR SPACECRAFT OUT OF EARTH ORBIT,
AND THAT REQUIRES AND ADDITIONAL BURN.
♪♪
IT'S CALLED T.L.I. -- TRANS-LUNAR INJECTION.
♪♪
McCandless: APOLLO 11, THIS IS HOUSTON.
YOU ARE GO FOR T.L.I. OVER.
Collins: THANK YOU.
♪♪
IGNITION.
Lovell: WHEN THAT ENGINE LIGHTS,
IT KEEPS GOING FASTER AND FASTER.
McCandless: WE CONFIRM IGNITION, AND THE THRUST IS GO.
24,000 MILES AN HOUR.
♪♪
Collins: IGNITION.McCandless: WE CONFIRM IGNITION,
AND THE THRUST IS GO.
♪♪
Narrator: THE APOLLO 11 CREW IS BREAKING AWAY FROM EARTH
AT EXTRAORDINARY SPEEDS.
King: 35,000 FEET PER SECOND.
FILM OF EARTH RAPIDLY SHRINKING
GIVES A SENSE OF THE ACCELERATION NEEDED TO ESCAPE --
OVER 24,000 MILES AN HOUR.
♪♪
McCandless: ROGER, 11.
Collins: THE FLIGHT TO THE MOON
IS A VERY FRAGILE DAISY CHAIN OF EVENTS.
YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK FOR, "WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE?
WHEN IS THAT COMING UP? HOW AM I GONNA COPE WITH THAT?"
Narrator: UNSEEN FILM GIVES A FASCINATING INSIGHT
INTO THE YEARS OF TRAINING THE ASTRONAUTS FACED
BEFORE EVER LEAVING THE GROUND.
♪♪
Man: 5, 4, 3...
FOR A FLIGHT TO THE MOON,
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.
Lovell: WE USE SIMULATORS TO PRACTICE FOR THE ACTUAL MISSION.
WE DO EVERYTHING FROM LIFT-OFF. ROLL COMPLETE.
WE LEARN HOW THE ROCKET IS PERFORMING.
PRESSURE'S DECREASING.
♪♪
Narrator: ASTRONAUTS ALSO NEED TO PREPARE THEMSELVES
FOR THE ENORMOUS STRAIN OF LAUNCH AND LANDING.
Lovell: IN OUR CENTRIFUGE, WE HAD TO GET UP TO 6 "G"s,
BECAUSE THAT IS THE "G"-LOADING THAT WE GET DURING RE-ENTRY.
Anders: IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD AN ELEPHANT SITTING ON YOUR CHEST,
THAT'S WHAT IT FELT LIKE.
THE BLOOD ALL POOLS IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD.
Lovell: AFTER ABOUT 4 "G"s,
IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET TO THE SWITCHES.
Narrator: AS THIS SHOCKING FILM REVEALS,
NASA EVEN USED TEST SUBJECTS
TO ANALYZE THE AFFECTS OF EXTREME LAUNCH VIBRATIONS.
♪♪
Schmitt: THE LEAD CONDUCTOR OF THESE SIMULATIONS
WAS A SIMULATION SUPERVISOR,
SOME DEVIL-MAY-CARE KIND OF GUY
THAT WOULD JUST DRIVE YOU INSANE.
THEY'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO KILL YOU.
Anders: THE TEAM HAD ENOUGH FAILURES IN THE SIMULATOR
TO MAKE A NINE-LIFE CAT LOOK BAD.
I MEAN, I MUST HAVE BEEN KILLED 20 OR 30 TIMES,
MAYBE PER DAY.
Narrator: BUT WITH EVERY FAILURE,
THEIR SKILLS ONLY IMPROVE.
Worden: IT'S LIKE PLAYING A PIANO --
YOU CAN PRACTICE EIGHT HOURS A DAY FOR MONTHS,
TO THE POINT WHERE YOU DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
YOU JUST DO IT.
Collins: LEARNING HOW TO COPE WITH ALL THESE DIFFICULTIES
GAVE US A GREAT FEELING OF CONFIDENCE
THAT WE REALLY KNEW OUR MACHINE.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT IN SPACE, THERE'S LITTLE MARGIN FOR ERROR.
♪♪
JUST OVER THREE HOURS AFTER LAUNCH,
MIKE COLLINS PREPARES FOR THE NEXT CRITICAL MANEUVER.
Griffin: WHAT MIKE HAD TO DO WAS SEPARATE THE COMMAND MODULE
FROM THE THIRD STAGE OF THE SATURN,
AND THEN TURN AROUND, 180-DEGREE MANEUVER,
DOCK, EJECT THE LUNAR MODULE, AND THEN BACK AWAY.
Cronkite: WE'RE WAITING FOR THE LUNAR MODULE
TO COME AND PULL IT OUT.
AND HERE WE HEAR THEM.
McCandless: APOLLO 11, THIS IS HOUSTON.
YOU'RE GO FOR SEPARATION.
Narrator: AS THE SPACECRAFT TURNS AROUND,
MIKE'S TARGET LINES UP IN THE LENS.
♪♪
Griffin: IT REQUIRES SKILL TO GET DOCKED.
VERY, VERY SLOW MOTION.
VERY PRECISE.
♪♪
NO REASON TO HURRY.
HE HAD A LONG TIME TO GET IT OFF OF THERE.
♪♪
MIKE DID A WONDERFUL JOB.
EVERYTHING WORKED FINE.
Cronkite: THE THREE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS --
ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND MIKE COLLINS --
NOW WITH THE LUNAR MODULE ATTACHED TO THEIR NOSE,
THEY'LL BE ON THEIR WAY TO THE MOON.
♪♪
Narrator: THE CREW NOW FACED EIGHT DAYS
IN THE MOST HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT KNOWN TO MAN.
♪♪
MY NAME IS BILL CARPENTIER.
I WAS THE FLIGHT SURGEON ASSIGNED TO APOLLO 11.
WITH THE GOAL OF SENDING A MAN TO THE MOON
AND RETURNING HIM SAFELY TO EARTH,
WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW
WAS HOW A MAN WAS GOING TO FUNCTION IN SPACE.
Narrator: REMASTERED FILM SHOWS NASA LEFT NOTHING TO CHANCE.
♪♪
BACK IN 1964, THE SPACE PROGRAM IS GATHERING PACE.
BUT WITH UNDER THREE DAYS OF HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE,
NASA EMBARKS ON PHASE 2 OF THEIR GRAND PLAN --
PROJECT GEMINI.
Lovell: THE GEMINI PROGRAM WAS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT
ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'D HAVE GOING TO THE MOON.
NASA LAUNCHES 10 TWO-MANNED EARTH-ORBITING MISSIONS
TO PRACTICE SPACE WALKS...
♪♪
...RENDEZVOUS...
♪♪
...AND DOCKING MANEUVERS.
♪♪
BUT THE GREATEST UNKNOWN IS THE MOST CRITICAL.
CAN HUMANS SURVIVE THE DURATION OF A MOON MISSION?
REDISCOVERED NASA FILM REVEALS ASTRONAUTS GORDON COOPER
AND PETE CONRAD'S JOURNEY TO FIND OUT.
MY NAME IS JAY BARBREE.
I REPORTED APOLLO 11 FOR NBC NEWS.
GEMINI V WAS KNOWN AS 8 DAYS OR BUST.
IT WAS TO PROVE THAT WE COULD LIVE IN SPACE LONG ENOUGH
TO GO TO THE MOON AND BACK.
Griffin: IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE NO ONE HAD EVER FLOWN THAT LONG.
Man: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ZERO.
IGNITION.
LIFT-OFF.
Carpentier: NOBODY KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
FOR HOW LONG COULD MAN ADAPT TO WEIGHTLESSNESS?
♪♪
GEMINI V, SEE YOU GUYS IN EIGHT DAYS.
♪♪
IT'S BEEN A BUSY DAY FOR ASTRONAUTS CONRAD AND COOPER.
THEY'RE NOW IN THEIR 50th REVOLUTION,
PASSING OVER SOUTH AMERICA.
♪♪
Mission Control: ROGER.
Young: GORDON COOPER AND PETE CONRAD TONIGHT
ARE NEARLY MIDWAY THROUGH THEIR EIGHT-DAY FLIGHT
AND SHOWING NO SIGNS OF ANY ILL EFFECT.
Barbree: ON THE FIFTH DAY, WE TOOK OVER THE ENDURANCE TIME FROM RUSSIA.
♪♪
Mission Control: ROGER. CONGRATULATIONS.
Carpentier: THE MAIN CONCERN WAS RE-ENTRY.
THERE WAS NO INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE ASTRONAUTS
WOULD HANDLE "G"-FORCES
AFTER EIGHT DAYS OF WEIGHTLESSNESS.
WHAT COULD BE EXPECTED WHEN THEY RETURNED TO EARTH, NOBODY KNEW.
♪♪
Narrator: FILM FOUND IN THE NASA ARCHIVES
DOCUMENTS THE HEALTH OF THE MEN DURING RECOVERY.
Carpentier: I WAS WAITING FOR THEM IN THE HELICOPTER.
THE CREW WAS ABLE TO STAND UP.
THEY WERE ABLE TO WAVE.
THEY WERE IN VERY GOOD SPIRITS.
♪♪
BOTH OF THEM WERE JOKING AROUND.
THEY WERE NORMAL.
AND SO GEMINI V GAVE CONFIDENCE THAT WE CAN SEND MAN TO THE MOON
AND EXPECT HIM TO FUNCTION AFTER EIGHT DAYS IN SPACE.
♪♪
McCandless: 11, THIS IS HOUSTON.
WE'RE RECEIVING A TV PICTURE COMING DOWN FROM YOU ALL.
Narrator: A DAY AFTER LAUNCH, THE APOLLO 11 CREW TRANSMIT
THEIR FIRST LIVE TV BROADCAST
TO MILLIONS OF VIEWERS ON EARTH.
Duke: THAT'S BIG MIKE COLLINS THERE.
Collins: YEAH, HELLO, THERE, SPORTS FANS.
YOU GOT A LITTLE BIT OF ME,
PLUS NEIL'S IN THE CENTER COUCH.
BUZZ IS DOING THE CAMERA WORK THIS TIME.
Collins: AT THE LAST MINUTE, THEY LOAD ON BOARD A TV CAMERA.
WE DID THE BEST WE COULD WITH IT.
WE TRIED TO PUT ON AN ENTERTAINING SHOW.
BUT OUT PRIME JOB WAS TO GET TO THE MOON SAFELY,
AND THE TV CAMERA WAS NOT GONNA HELP US AT ALL IN THAT REGARD.
Narrator: WITH MOST OF THE MISSION AHEAD,
THE CREW MUST TRUST THEIR CRAFT
TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE DEADLY ENVIRONMENT OF SPACE.
Collins: HOUSTON, APOLLO 11.Duke: GO AHEAD, 11.
♪♪
Narrator: THANKS TO STUNNING REMASTERED FILM FOOTAGE,
WE'RE SEEING THE APOLLO 11 MISSION LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
Collins: YEAH, NEIL'S STANDING ON HIS HEAD AGAIN.
HE'S TRYING TO MAKE ME NERVOUS.
Duke: ROGER.
IN THE VOID OF SPACE, THE CREW'S SURVIVAL
DEPENDS ON THE COMMAND MODULE --
A SPACECRAFT BORN FROM A PAINFUL PAST.
♪♪
AFTER THE MERCURY AND GEMINI MISSIONS,
NASA BEGINS ITS ULTIMATE PUSH TO THE MOON --
THE APOLLO PROGRAM,
THEIR BIGGEST UNDERTAKING EVER.
UNCOVERED FILM ARCHIVE REVEALS THE UNPRECEDENTED PREPARATIONS
FOR LANDING MEN ON THE MOON.
Griffin: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GEMINI PROGRAM
AND THE APOLLO PROGRAM WAS MARKED.
FOR ONE THING, WE HAD THREE ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD.
Narrator: CARRYING THREE ASTRONAUTS
DEMANDS A MUCH MORE COMPLEX SPACECRAFT.
Announcer: COCKPIT, CREW QUARTERS, COMMAND CENTER.
WHEN AMERICA'S THREE ASTRONAUTS TRAVEL TO THE MOON,
THEY'LL USE THE APOLLO COMMAND MODULE FOR ALL THESE THINGS.
MY NAME'S JERRY GOODMAN.
I WORKED ON THE INTERIOR DESIGN
OF THE COMMAND MODULE.
THE COMMAND MODULE HAS TO PROTECT AGAINST THE VACUUM
OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE.
AND YOU HAD TO HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL,
TEMPERATURE CONTROL, FOOD AND WATER,
WASTE MANAGEMENT,
AND ALL THE REST OF THE SUPPLIES NECESSARY TO SUSTAIN THEM.
IT WAS VERY COMPLEX.
Narrator: WITH GOAL OF LANDING ON THE MOON BEFORE THE END OF THE DECADE,
ENGINEERS ARE PUSHED FOR TIME.
Cunningham: THE FIRST ONE WAS SCHEDULED TO FLY
IN FEBRUARY OF '67.
THERE WAS PRESSURE TO GET THIS DONE.
WE WERE WORKING 24 HOURS A DAY.
Goodman: THERE'S NO DOUBT WE WERE MOVING QUICKLY.
WE WERE WORKING OUR TAILS OFF.
♪♪
Narrator: RARE FILM FROM THE VAULTS REVEALS NASA's PRESS CONFERENCE
ANNOUNCING THE FIRST CREW OF THEIR NEW SPACECRAFT.
Man: GENTLEMEN, THE OCCASION, OF COURSE,
IS THE NAMING OF THE FIRST APOLLO FLIGHT CREW.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL VIRGIL GUS GRISSOM,
LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDWARD H. WHITE,
AND LIEUTENANT ROGER B. CHAFFEE.
Man #2: I REALIZE THAT THIS ISN'T THE FLIGHT TO THE MOON,
BUT IF IT WERE, WHICH TWO MEN WOULD GO DOWN?
IF IT WAS THIS CREW, IT WOULD BE ME AND SOMEBODY ELSE.
[ LAUGHTER]
NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED,
AND I THINK I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THE GREATEST MEN
IN THE WORLD TO WORK WITH.
IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FUN.
[ LAUGHTER]
♪♪
Narrator: REMASTERED FILM SHOWS THE APOLLO 1 COMMAND MODULE
PREPARING FOR A LAUNCH TEST.
Griffin: WE WERE GETTING READY FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT,
AND EVERYTHING WAS REALLY LOOKING UP.
Man #3: READY TO BEGIN CHECKUP OF FLIGHT CREW.
Man #4: ROGER. LET'S START WITH COMMANDER.
ROGER.
BAILER BAR DOWN AND LOCKED. CHECK.
NECK RING LOCKED. CHECK.
TIE DOWN FRONT AND BACK. CHECK.
IT WAS A PLUGS-OUT TEST,
A DRESS REHEARSAL, IF YOU CAN THINK OF IT THAT WAY.
Narrator: FIXED BLACK-AND-WHITE TV CAMERAS
PROVIDE LIVE PICTURES OF THE PAD TESTS.
LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE SECURED THE DOOR.
Griffin: WE WOULD COUNT DOWN TO ZERO,
AND IT WOULD STOP.
THIS IS E.C.S. GO AHEAD, E.C.S.
THE HATCH DOOR IS SECURED. ROGER.
Narrator: WITH GRISSOM, WHITE, AND CHAFFEE SEALED INSIDE,
THE APOLLO 1 COUNTDOWN TEST CONTINUES.
Man: [ Quietly ] THAT WASN'T ON MY TRANSCRIPT TODAY.
Grissom: OKAY, I'M JUST BARELY READING YOU.
Griffin: WE WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH COMMUNICATION.
COMMANDER GUS GRISSOM WAS REALLY COMPLAINING ABOUT IT.
THEY STOPPED THE COUNTDOWN
TO SEE IF THEY COULD FIX THE COMMUNICATION.
♪♪
I KEPT MY HEADSET ON,
AND I HEARD THIS STATIC,
KIND OF A CRACKLE.[ STATIC ]
SAID, "SOMETHING'S GOING ON AT THE CAPE."
I SUSPECT BY THE TIME I GOT THAT OUT,
IT WAS OVER.
[ STATIC STOPS ]
♪♪
WE DON'T KNOW TO THIS DAY EXACTLY WHERE IT SPARKED,
BUT A FIRE STARTED INSIDE THE COMMAND MODULE.
IN THOSE DAYS, WE USED 100% OXYGEN.
IF YOU EVER GET A FIRE STARTED IN A 100% OXYGEN ATMOSPHERE,
YOU CAN BURN ALMOST ANYTHING.
♪♪
Cunningham: WE HAD A HATCH THAT IS SEALED FROM THE INSIDE,
AND IT GOT A SPARK JUST LIKE THAT.
THEY WERE ALL GONE IN ABOUT 18 SECONDS.
♪♪
Lovell: WE WERE DEVASTATED BY THE LOSS OF THREE OF OUR FRIENDS.
GOING TO THE MOON OR GOING AROUND THE EARTH,
YOU'RE WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK,
BUT SITTING IN AN UN-FUELED SPACECRAFT,
THAT WAS NOT THE WAY TO GO.
♪♪
THAT WAS NOT WHAT WE HAD JOINED FOR.
Narrator: AMERICA IS STUNNED BY THE DEATHS OF THREE HEROES,
BUT THE ARCHIVES REVEAL A DETERMINATION
THAT THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
♪♪
Griffin: AFTER THE FIRE, I WAS PUT ON A TEAM
TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE COMMAND MODULE.
WE CHANGED THE AIR,
MAKE SURE WE WENT TO A MIX OF OXYGEN AND NITROGEN.
WE REDESIGNED THE INTERIOR
SO NOTHING WAS FLAMMABLE.
Goodman: WE DECIDED TO GO TO A UNIFIED HATCH
THAT YOU COULD OPEN OUTWARD VERY FAST.
Narrator: BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE
DOCUMENTS A RADICAL REDESIGN OF THE COMMAND MODULE.
BY OCTOBER 1968,
AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF DELAY,
NASA FINALLY HAS A SPACECRAFT READY TO GO TO THE MOON.
Goodman: THE FIRE REMINDED US THAT WE HAD TO BE CAREFUL.
THE CREW PAID A BIG PRICE, BUT THEY MAY HAVE SAVED US.
♪♪
Narrator: SAFE IN THEIR COMMAND MODULE,
1/4 MILLION MILES FROM EARTH,
APOLLO 11 IS CLOSING IN ON THE MOON.
♪♪
Collins: THE TRIP TO THE MOON IS RATHER STRANGE,
IN THAT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO LOOK AT THE MOON.
THE REASON HAS TO DO WITH THERMAL CONDITIONS.
TO KEEP THE HEAT EVENLY DISTRIBUTED,
YOU HAVE TO TURN BROADSIDE TO THE SUN
AND ROTATE THE MACHINE LIKE A CHICKEN ON A ROTISSERIE.
Narrator: BUT THAT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE.
APOLLO 11 MUST FIRE ITS ROCKET ENGINE
AND BE CAPTURED BY THE MOON'S GRAVITY,
A MANEUVER CALLED LUNAR ORBIT INSERTION.
A MISTAKE AT THIS STAGE COULD PROVE FATAL.
Anders: LUNAR ORBIT INSERTION WAS ONE
OF THE MORE CHALLENGING ASPECTS OF THE FLIGHT.
McCandless: 11, THIS IS HOUSTON. YOU ARE GO FOR L.O.I. OVER.
Aldrin: ROGER.
THE MANEUVER HAD TO BE ESSENTIALLY PERFECT.
Narrator: THE CAPTURE HAPPENS BEHIND THE MOON,
OUT OF SIGHT OF MISSION CONTROL.
IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, THE ASTRONAUTS ARE ON THEIR OWN.
McCandless: WE'LL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. OVER.
WE NOW HAVE HAD CONFIRMATION
OF LOSS OF SIGNAL FROM THE APOLLO 11.
MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 11, this is Houston, over.
[ BEEPING, STATIC ]
Apollo 11, this is Houston.
Narrator: THREE DAYS INTO THEIR HISTORIC JOURNEY,
APOLLO 11 IS BEHIND THE MOON, CUT OFF FROM MISSION CONTROL.
♪♪
BUT FILM FOOTAGE AND ONBOARD VOICE RECORDINGS
CAPTURE THE ASTRONAUTS' FIRST REACTIONS
TO THEIR CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE ALIEN WORLD.
Collins: IT WAS A BULBOUS, THREE-DIMENSIONAL, HUGE SPHERE.
BELLY STUCK OUT TOWARD US,
IT FILLED THE WHOLE WINDOW,
SO CLOSE THAT YOU'RE ALMOST WORRIED ABOUT HITTING IT.
♪♪
IT DIDN'T OFFER ME
ANY PARTICULAR WARM INVITATION TO GO FURTHER.
♪♪
MISSION CONTROL: We're a minute-and-a-half away
from acquisition time.
Narrator: AFTER AROUND 35 ANXIOUS MINUTES,
MISSION CONTROL ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM THE ASTRONAUTS.
WITH THE BLACKOUT OVER, AND LOCKED IN LUNAR ORBIT,
THE CREW TURNED THEIR LIVE TV CAMERA ON THE WORLD BELOW.
MISSION CONTROL: We're getting a beautiful picture now, 11.
Duke: THE LUNAR SURFACE IS THE ROUGHEST PLACE I'VE EVER SEEN --
CRATERED EVERYWHERE, NOT ONE LEVEL SPOT.
Narrator: THE TERRAIN IS DEADLY,
BUT THEY'RE HOPING TO FIND A SAFE LANDING SPOT
IN AN AREA CALLED THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY.
♪♪
TO ATTEMPT A LANDING, ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN
MUST PUT THEIR LIVES IN THE HANDS
OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SPACECRAFT
EVER CONCEIVED --
ITS DESIGN AND TESTING DOCUMENTED
IN RARE REMASTERED FILMS.
♪♪
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
[ BEEP ]
♪♪
Schmitt: THE LUNAR MODULE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGE
FOR ENGINEERS.
THE SPACECRAFT HAD TO LAND ON THE MOON,
PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR THE CREW,
AND GET THE CREW BACK TO THE COMMAND AND SERVICE MODULE.
Narrator: FILM OF THE EARLY MOCKUPS REVEAL A CRAFT
THAT'S ANYTHING BUT AERODYNAMIC.
Schmitt: IT WAS DESIGNED TO FLY OUTSIDE THE ATMOSPHERE,
SO IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A NORMAL SPACECRAFT.
♪♪
Narrator: THERE ARE TWO MAIN PARTS.
THE BOTTOM IS THE DESCENT STAGE.
Haise: THE DESCENT STAGE HAD THE ONE BIG ENGINE
TO BE THROTTLED SO IT WOULD MAKE THE LANDING.
Narrator: ON TOP IS THE ASCENT STAGE,
WHICH HOLDS THE CREW ON THEIR WAY DOWN...
Haise: YOU HAD NO SEATS. THE CREW WOULD HAVE TO STAND UP.
Narrator: ...AND WHEN THEIR TIME IS UP,
BLAST THEM OFF THE SURFACE.
BUT THE LUNAR MODULE'S GREATEST CHALLENGE IS WEIGHT.
Schmitt: TO MAXIMIZE THE TIME YOU COULD STAY ON THE MOON,
EVERYTHING WAS DONE POSSIBLE TO KEEP ITS MASS AT A MINIMUM.
Anders: THE SKIN WAS A LITTLE TOUGHER THAN REYNOLDS WRAP,
BUT NOT MUCH.
ONE TIME, A GUY BENT OVER WITH A SCREWDRIVER IN HIS POCKET
AND THE SCREWDRIVER FELL OUT
AND WENT RIGHT THROUGH THE LUNAR MODULE.
Narrator: AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF DESIGN
AND TWO TEST FLIGHTS IN SPACE...
...NASA IS CONVINCED THE LUNAR MODULE IS UP TO THE JOB.
NOW, WITH APOLLO 11, THE WHOLE WORLD IS ABOUT TO FIND OUT.
♪♪
Cronkite: WE'RE APPROACHING ONE OF THE CRITICAL MOMENTS
OF THIS FLIGHT.
THE COMMAND MODULE AND THE LUNAR MODULE
WILL BEGIN UNDOCKING.
Narrator: ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN ARE INSIDE THE LUNAR MODULE,
NICKNAMED "EAGLE."
♪♪
MISSION CONTROL: Roger.
Narrator: AFTER SEPARATION,
COLLINS FILMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS EAGLE AS IT BEGINS ITS DESCENT.
HE'S LEFT TO ORBIT THE MOON
ON BOARD THE COMMAND MODULE, NICKNAMED "COLUMBIA."
Collins: WHEN NEIL AND BUZZ WENT DOWN TO THE SURFACE,
MY JOB WAS TO FILL THAT COMMAND MODULE.
I WAS THEIR BASE CAMP, THEIR TICKET HOME.
♪♪
MISSION CONTROL: Great.
Narrator: ON EARTH, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF VIEWERS
FOLLOW EVENTS AS ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN
ATTEMPT TO MAKE HISTORY.
THE LUNAR MODULE HAS BEGUN TO DROP INTO THE ORBIT,
WHICH WILL TAKE IT DOWN TO THE MOON'S SURFACE.
Narrator: ALDRIN TURNS ON EAGLE'S MOUNTED CAMERA
TO FILM ITS DARING DESCENT.
Griffin: WITH APOLLO 11, THE LAST 50,000 FEET --
THAT'S WHEN IT BECAME REAL.
COLLINS: Columbia, Eagle, Houston.
Both looking good going over the hill.
Griffin: EVERYTHING ELSE UP TO THAT POINT
WE HAD PRACTICED IN PRIOR MISSIONS.
BUT THIS WAS NEW TERRITORY.
WE'RE GONNA EITHER LAND OR WE'RE GONNA ABORT --
ONE OF THE TWO.
♪♪
Narrator: MISSION CONTROL CHARTS EAGLE'S PROGRESS
ON A GIANT SCREEN.
Griffin: THE ROOM WAS ABSOLUTELY JAM-PACKED.
WE WERE SITTING ON THE FLOORS, ON THE STEPS.
AND YOU TALK ABOUT EXCITEMENT.
Duke: MY ROLE IN APOLLO 11 WAS CAPSULE COMMUNICATOR --
CAPCOM -- THE ONLY PERSON IN MISSION CONTROL
WHO CAN ACTUALLY TALK TO THE CREW.
ARMSTRONG: Roger, understand.
♪♪
Duke: WE IGNITED THE ENGINE.
AS WE STARTED THE DESCENT,
IT SEEMED LIKE THE WHEELS CAME OFF OF THE WHOLE THING.
♪♪
[ STATIC ]
WE STARTED HAVING COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS.
WE WERE HAVING DATA DROPOUT.
WE START HAVING COMPUTER PROBLEMS.
Narrator: MISSION CONTROL FACES A SPLIT-SECOND DECISION --
LAND OR ABORT.
DUKE: Roger, copy.
ARMSTRONG: Program alarm.
1202! 1202.
Narrator: WITH ALARMS SOUNDING
ON BOARD APOLLO 11's LUNAR MODULE...
ARMSTRONG: Give us the reading on the 1202 program alarm.
Narrator: ...MISSION CONTROL MUST MAKE A CRITICAL DECISION --
LAND OR ABORT.
Duke: WE HAD A SERIES OF ALARMS.
I SAID, "THIS IS IT. COMPUTER'S GOING BELLY-UP.
WE WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTINUE."
Lunney: WE WERE OVERLOADING THE COMPUTER.
AND IT WAS SAYING TO US,
"YOU'RE ASKING ME TO DO MORE THAN I CAN DO."
Narrator: BUT AS THE CAMERAS REVEAL,
FLIGHT DIRECTOR GENE KRANZ ISN'T READY TO GIVE UP.
-We're go on that, Flight. -We're go on that alarm?
KRANZ: If it doesn't reoccur, we'll be go.
DUKE: Roger.
KRANZ: CAPCOM, we're go for landing.
Duke: EAGLE, HOUSTON. YOU'RE GO FOR LANDING, OVER.
Duke: THE TENSION WAS RISING IN MISSION CONTROL
WITH THESE THINGS GOING WRONG.
We're go. Same type, we're go.
WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO TOUCHDOWN
ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.
I'M GETTING KNOTS IN MY STOMACH.
Narrator: TO LAND SAFELY,
NEIL ARMSTRONG NEEDS COMPLETE CONTROL OF EAGLE.
ARMSTRONG: 2,000 feet. 2,000 feet.
Narrator: REMASTERED FILM FOOTAGE REVEALS
HOW HIS PILOTING SKILLS BECAME SECOND TO NONE.
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
♪♪
LANDING ON AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE
REQUIRES PILOTS TO MASTER A COMPLEX FLYING MACHINE...
IN AN AIRLESS, LOW-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT.
♪♪
Haise: MY TRAINING WAS TO GO TO NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER
AND FLY A TETHERED TEST VEHICLE THAT'S GONNA PUT YOU IN
1/6 GRAVITY.
♪♪
IT HAD THE CHARACTERISTICS CONTROL-WISE
OF THE LUNAR MODULE VEHICLE.
ONCE THE ASTRONAUTS MASTER STEERING
IN A TETHERED SIMULATOR...
♪♪
THEY GRADUATE TO A SELF-POWERED TRAINING VEHICLE.
♪♪
Anders: IT HAD A GIMBAL JET ENGINE THAT RAN ON JET FUEL.
YOU COULD ORIENT IT BY LITTLE PUSH ROCKETS
DISTRIBUTED ABOUT THE VEHICLE.
♪♪
WE HAD GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE GAUGING SYSTEM.
WE'D GET DOWN TO 20 SECONDS AND TAKE OFF AGAIN.
THAT CONFIDENCE WAS OVERRATED.
Narrator: AS NEIL ARMSTRONG IS ABOUT TO DISCOVER.
♪♪
Anders: THAT MORNING, THE FUEL SENSOR HEAD FAILED.
♪♪
WE THOUGHT HE'D HAD TWICE AS MUCH TIME.
HE DIDN'T. AND HE RAN OUT OF GAS.
CAMERAS CAPTURE ARMSTRONG GRAPPLING FOR CONTROL.
♪♪
Barbree: WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED? IT WAS SO FAST.
HE JUST EJECTED OUT.
♪♪
THAT INCIDENT GOT HIM THE JOB
OF LANDING ON THE MOON,
BECAUSE THEY PUT MORE FAITH IN NEIL ARMSTRONG
TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS TO LAND
THAN ANY OTHER OF THE ASTRONAUTS.
♪♪
Narrator: NOW ARMSTRONG FACES THE ULTIMATE TEST
OF HIS FLYING SKILLS.
THIS TIME, EJECTING ISN'T AN OPTION.
♪♪
ARMSTRONG: Coming down to 23.
Narrator: LESS THAN 1,000 FEET ABOVE THE MOON,
EAGLE'S ONBOARD FILM CAMERA ROLLS
AS ARMSTRONG SEES SOMETHING TROUBLING.
Schmitt: WHEN NEIL FINALLY LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW
AND KNEW WHERE THE COMPUTER WAS GOING TO LAND HIM,
HE HAD TO CHANGE THAT BECAUSE OF A CRATER.
Narrator: BUT THAT MEANS PILOTING EAGLE MANUALLY.
ARMSTRONG: 350 feet, down at 4.
Schmitt: HE OVER-FLEW THAT CRATER
TO FIND ANOTHER LANDING POINT.
BUT IN DOING SO, OF COURSE, USED UP MORE FUEL.
ARMSTRONG: 300 feet down, 3 1/2, 47 forward.
Lunney: HE'S LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND.
I MEAN, IF IT'S A ROCK, IT'S OKAY.
BUT IF IT'S A BOULDER, IT MAY NOT BE.
WE HAD TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE FUEL.
THERE WAS A LIMITED AMOUNT OF IT ON BOARD.
Narrator: CHARLIE DUKE STARTS COUNTING DOWN
TO A LOW-FUEL ABORT CALL.
DUKE: 60 seconds.
Griffin: BUZZ'S FOCUS WAS INSIDE LOOKING AT THE PRESSURES,
THE TEMPERATURES.
HE WAS CALLING HEIGHT ABOVE THE SURFACE AND HIS DESCENT RATE...
SO NEIL DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE HIS ATTENTION AND LOOK AT A GAUGE.
IT WAS LIKE A SONG AND DANCE.
THEY WERE WORKING TOGETHER TO GET THE THING ON THE GROUND.
BUZZ WOULD MAKE THESE CALLS ABOUT EVERY 10 OR 15 SECONDS.
AND BETWEEN TWO CALLS, HE SLIPPED IN SOMETHING.
"PICKING UP SOME DUST" --
IT STILL SENDS CHILLS UP MY BACK.
"OOH, WE'RE THERE. WE'RE GONNA DO THIS."
Narrator: AROUND THE WORLD,
VIEWERS FOLLOW THE ACTION THROUGH TV ANIMATIONS.
Solacoff: I WAS WATCHING TV.
WALTER CRONKITE WAS THE ANCHORMAN.
AND I STARTED YELLING,
"GO, NEIL! GO, NEIL! GO, NEIL!" LIKE THAT.
ARMSTRONG: Drifting to the right a little.
30 seconds.
♪♪
Faint shadow.
Duke: EVERYBODY'S HOLDING THEIR BREATH.
♪♪
ARMSTRONG: Contact light.
Okay. Engine stop.
Duke: I HEARD BUZZ SAY, "CONTACT. ENGINE STOP."
AND WE KNEW THEY WERE ON THE GROUND.
♪♪
DUKE: We copy you down, Eagle.
ARMSTRONG: Houston, uh, Tranquility base here.
The Eagle has landed.
DUKE: Roger, Tranquility.
We copy you on the ground.
IT WAS LIKE AIR GOING OUT OF A BIG BALLOON, YOU KNOW --
SHOOO!
You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.
IT'S JUST A GREAT SIGH OF RELIEF,
AND OUR HEARTS ARE POUNDING.
NEIL IS JUST AS CALM AS HE CAN BE.
ARMSTRONG: Thank you.
Solacoff: HE FINALLY MADE IT.
I JUMPED UP AND DOWN, AND I STARTED TO CRY.
I JUST SAID, "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, BUDDY.
I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT."
MAN ON THE MOON! PHEW, BOY.
♪♪
Narrator: MOMENTS AFTER TOUCHDOWN,
BUZZ ALDRIN POSITIONS THE ONBOARD 16mm CAMERA
TO RECORD NEIL ARMSTRONG'S DESCENT.
Barbree: I WAS REPORTING FROM MISSION CONTROL.
NASA HAD PROGRAMMED IN FOR THEM
A FOUR-HOUR REST PERIOD.
I'M TALKING TO NEIL A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE HE TAKES OFF
AND HE SAYS, "WE AIN'T GONNA SLEEP.
YOU THINK I'M GONNA SLEEP WHEN I JUST LANDED ON THE MOON?"
♪♪
ARMSTRONG: Okay, Houston, I'm on the porch.
MISSION CONTROL: Roger, Neil.
Narrator: HEADING DOWN THE LADDER,
ARMSTRONG PULLS A CORD,
RELEASING A TV CAMERA.
MISSION CONTROL: And we're getting a picture on the TV.
ALDRIN: You got a good picture, huh?
MISSION CONTROL: Currently, it's upside-down on our monitor.
But we can make out a fair amount of detail.
Narrator: THE LIVE CAMERA FEED BEAMS BACK TO EARTH...
♪♪
...GIVING OVER HALF-A-BILLION PEOPLE THEIR FIRST LOOK
AT THE MOON'S SURFACE.
Morgan: IT WAS SO WONDERFUL TO SEE NEIL ARMSTRONG STEP OUT.
MISSION CONTROL: Okay, Neil.
We can see you coming down the ladder now.
Morgan: SEEING COVERAGE AROUND THE WORLD,
HOW MANY PEOPLE CARED AND HOW UNIFYING IT WAS --
IT MADE ME A VERY PROUD AMERICAN.
ARMSTRONG: I'm, uh, at the foot of the ladder.
Barbree: I WATCHED NEIL COME DOWN THE LADDER
ON THE SAME SCREEN
THAT THE PEOPLE IN MISSION CONTROL WATCHED.
THEY WERE ALL VERY FOCUSED WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON.
ARMSTRONG: The surface appears to be very fine-grained
as you get close to it.
It's almost like a powder.
Barbree: NEIL MOVES DOWN THE PAD.
ARMSTRONG: Okay, I'm gonna step off the LM now.
Barbree: THIS WAS THE MOMENT IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
HE PUT ONE FOOT DOWN ONTO THE MOON...
♪♪
...AND THEN HE SAID IT.
ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man...
one giant leap for mankind.
♪♪
THE DATE'S NOW INDELIBLE -- JULY 20, 1969,
THE DAY MAN REACHED AND WALKED ON THE MOON.
♪♪
Duke: MISSION CONTROL WAS SO PROUD BECAUSE WE WERE THERE,
WE HAD DONE IT, WE WERE ON THE MOON.
♪♪
Lovell: I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF ENVY, OF COURSE,
BEING THE BACKUP COMMANDER.
HAD SOMETHING HAPPENED TO NEIL DURING HIS TRAINING,
I WOULD'VE BEEN THE ACTUAL GUY GOING.
IT'S TOO BAD HE WAS SO GOOD.
[ LAUGHS ]
Narrator: AS ARMSTRONG EXPLORES THE MOON,
HIS FIRST WORDS ARE RESONATING AROUND THE WORLD.
Solacoff: "THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN,
ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND."
I ASKED NEIL, "HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO SAY THAT?"
AND HE SAYS, "WELL, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE GAME
WE USED TO PLAY AS KIDS CALLED MOTHER, MAY I.
YOU WOULD SAY, 'TAKE FIVE SMALL STEPS'
TO REACH A CERTAIN GOAL, OR YOU COULD SAY,
'TAKE THREE GIANT STEPS.'"
AND HE SAID, "ON THE WAY TO THE MOON,
I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT GIANT STEPS AND SMALL STEPS
AND I KIND OF PUT THEM TOGETHER."
Narrator: BUT NASA MUST BRING BACK MORE THAN WORDS AND PICTURES.
ALDRIN: Okay, I'm on the top step.
Narrator: ALDRIN JOINS ARMSTRONG ON THE SURFACE
TO HELP GATHER PRICELESS SCIENTIFIC SAMPLES.
-Beautiful view. -Isn't that something?
-Magnificent sight out here. -Magnificent desolation.
Narrator: BUT HOW DO THE ASTRONAUTS KNOW
WHAT THE SCIENTISTS WANT COLLECTED?
NEWLY UNCOVERED FILM REVEALS
THE GREAT LENGTHS THEY WENT TO TO LEARN.
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
[ BEEPS ]
[ WHIRRING CONTINUES ]
♪♪
Schaber: YOU CAN'T JUST GO TO THE MOON
AND JUST PICK UP A FEW ROCKS.
YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THEM AT LEAST DESCRIBE THEIR LANDING SITE,
AND THEY COULDN'T SAY SOMETHING GEOLOGICAL
UNLESS THEY WERE TRAINED IN GEOLOGY.
♪♪
Narrator: CAMERAS FOLLOW THE ASTRONAUTS
AS THEY SWAP FLYING FOR FIELDWORK.
Schaber: I'M JERRY SCHABER, PART OF THE APOLLO 11 GEOLOGY TEAM.
TRAINING THE GROUPS OF ASTRONAUTS WAS DIFFICULT
BECAUSE, IF YOU'RE A TEST PILOT,
GEOLOGY IS THE LAST THING ON YOUR MIND.
THEY WERE FULL OF TESTOSTERONE,
SO THEY WERE ALWAYS FOOLING AROUND.
♪♪
IT WAS LIKE HAVING A CLASS THAT WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION.
[ LAUGHTER ]
♪♪
Narrator: FOR THE RELUCTANT ROCK HOUNDS,
NASA SINGLES OUT THE MOST REALISTIC LUNAR LANDSCAPES.
Schaber: IN HAWAII,
WE WOULD TAKE THEM TO THE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
SO THEY COULD SEE GEOLOGY HAPPENING IN REAL TIME.
Worden: I CAN REMEMBER WALKING ON A LAVA LAKE
WHERE YOU COULD SEE THE MOLTEN LAVA DOWN BELOW.
Schaber: ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS SAID, "I SMELL RUBBER."
THAT WAS THEIR BOOTS BURNING
BECAUSE THE LAVA UNDER THEM WAS STILL HOT.
Worden: WE WENT UP TO WHERE IT WAS FLOWING.
SUDDENLY, THERE WAS A SMALL ERUPTION.
THE LIQUID STARTED TO BUBBLE UP MORE AND MORE.
WE GOT OUT OF THERE JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME.
WE WERE VERY LUCKY, I THINK,
WE DIDN'T GET TRAPPED WITH THE LAVA FLOWS THERE.
Narrator: DESPITE THE HAZARDS...
THE ASTRONAUTS SOON PICK UP THE KNOWLEDGE NEEDED
TO PRACTICE GEOLOGY ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.
Duke: YOU LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY THE VARIOUS ROCK TYPES
THAT YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER ON THE MOON.
WE STUDIED VOLCANIC ROCKS,
IGNEOUS ROCKS LIKE GRANITE...
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS.
YOU LEARNED IF A ROCK WAS UNUSUAL.
♪♪
Narrator: THE MONTHS OF FIELDWORK ARE CRITICAL.
ON THE MOON, THEY'LL HAVE LESS THAN THREE HOURS
TO PUT THEIR TRAINING INTO PRACTICE.
♪♪
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
♪♪
ALDRIN: So-called kangaroo hop.
Narrator: LIVE TV COVERAGE OF ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN
DOESN'T JUST ENTHRALL MILLIONS OF VIEWERS --
IT HELPS GEOLOGISTS MONITOR THE MISSION,
REVEALED HERE IN THE FORGOTTEN FILMS.
Schaber: I WAS GIVEN THE ASSIGNMENT
TO KEEP TRACK OF THE ASTRONAUTS ON THE MOON.
I HAD A MAP AND TWO LITTLE PAPER CUTOUTS.
ONE OF THEM WAS MARKED FOR "COMMANDER."
AND ONE OF THEM WAS MARKED "LMP" FOR LUNAR MODULE PILOT.
♪♪
MISSION CONTROL: Roger.
Schaber: THERE WAS A TV CAMERA OVER MY MAP TABLE
WHICH COULD BE PROJECTED INTO THE FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM.
IT SOUNDS SO SILLY,
BUT IT WAS JUST TO KEEP TRACK OF THEM LIKE A GPS WOULD TODAY.
Narrator: THE TV CAMERA
CAPTURES ARMSTRONG COLLECTING THE SAMPLES.
♪♪
BUT ON THE MOON, SCIENCE COMES SECOND TO SAFETY.
♪♪
Schaber: FIRST PRIORITY
WAS TO GET THEM BACK WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS.
Griffin: ALL THE TIME THEY WERE OUT THERE,
WE'RE SAYING, "WE GOT TO GET THEM BACK.
WE GOT TO GET THEM BACK."
♪♪
Narrator: AFTER 2 1/2 HOURS,
MANKIND'S FIRST MOONWALK IS COMING TO AN END.
Cronkite: KEEPING TUNED NOW TO MISSION CONTROL
BEFORE MEN LEAVE THE MOON FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Griffin: THE ASCENT FROM THE MOON
WAS PROBABLY THE MOST NERVOUS FOR ME,
AND I'M SURE IT WAS FOR EVERYONE.
Narrator: TO ESCAPE THE MOON,
THE ASTRONAUTS MUST DEPEND ON THE LUNAR MODULE ONE LAST TIME.
♪♪
Collins: IT WAS ONE ENGINE -- ONE SOLE SOURCE OF PROPULSION,
AND THAT ENGINE EITHER WORKED OR IT DIDN'T.
THEY WERE DEAD MEN IF IT DIDN'T WORK.
ARMSTRONG: Houston, Tranquility Base.
We're in the process of, uh, using up what film we have.
♪♪
MISSION CONTROL: Tranquility Base, Houston.
You're cleared for takeoff.
[ BEEPS ]
ARMSTRONG: Roger, understand. We're number one on the runway.
Lunney: IT WAS TENSE, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT WE COULD DO.
ALDRIN: 9...8...7...6...5...
abort stage,
engine arm ascent,
proceed.
[ Static crackles ]
♪♪
Narrator: JUST AFTER LIFTOFF,
ALDRIN STARTS THE FILM CAMERA.
TO EVERYONE'S RELIEF,
THE ASCENT-STAGE ENGINE FIRES FLAWLESSLY.
♪♪
AFTER 21 HOURS ALONE IN THE COMMAND MODULE, COLUMBIA,
MIKE COLLINS PREPARES TO PICK UP HIS CREW MATES.
Collins: GETTING THEM UP OFF THE MOON
AND SAFELY BACK TO COLUMBIA
HAD WORRIED ME FOR MONTHS.
♪♪
Narrator: COLLINS FILMS THE APPROACHING LUNAR MODULE.
ARMSTRONG: Pretty good.
Narrator: CAMERAS ON THE TWO SPACECRAFT
SHOW THEM LINING UP.
♪♪
Collins: I STAYED IN A PERFECT 60-MILE ORBIT,
AND NEIL AND BUZZ CLIMBED UP INTO ORBIT BELOW ME.
THEN WE COULD BRING THE TWO VEHICLES BACK TOGETHER
AS WE HAD TRAINED TO DO.
♪♪
Narrator: BACK TOGETHER,
THE ASTRONAUTS REIGNITE THE COMMAND MODULE'S ENGINE...
[ ENGINE RUMBLING ]
...BEGINNING THEIR THREE-DAY JOURNEY HOME.
♪♪
DUKE: Roger.
THE ASTRONAUTS OF APOLLO 11,
ON THEIR WAY BACK HOME FOR A SPLASHDOWN ON THURSDAY.
Collins: THE WAY BACK FROM THE MOON,
IT'S PRETTY QUIET TIME ABOARD COLUMBIA.
COLLINS: That'd be nice.
Narrator: ON EARTH, CAMERAS RECORD RECOVERY PREPARATIONS
TARGETED FOR A SMALL SPLASHDOWN ZONE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
Collins: WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT IS,
FROM A DISTANCE OF A QUARTER OF A MILLION MILES,
YOU'RE TRYING TO HIT A TINY, LITTLE AREA.
Narrator: MISS THEIR TARGET, AND THE ASTRONAUTS MAY END UP
IN ONE OF THE MOST HOSTILE PLACES ON OUR PLANET.
RESTORED FOOTAGE SHOWS HOW THEY PREPARED FOR THE WORST.
♪♪
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
♪♪
Duke: IF YOU LANDED ON LAND, YOU COULD LAND IN A DESERT.
YOU COULD LAND IN THE JUNGLES.
AND SO WE LEARNED HOW TO SURVIVE FOR THREE DAYS.
Narrator: IN THE REMOTE WASTELANDS OF AMERICA,
CAMERAS FOLLOW THE ASTRONAUTS
AS THEY LEARN TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES
USING ONLY WHAT THEY CAN SALVAGE FROM THEIR SPACECRAFT.
Anders: THEY GAVE US A BAG OF WATER
AND A SHOVEL AND A PARACHUTE.
Collins: YOU'VE GOT ACRES OF NYLON MATERIAL,
AND FROM THAT MATERIAL, YOU CAN BUILD TENTS AND CLOTHING
TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE BLAZING SUNLIGHT.
Anders: WE HAD TO MAKE ARAB-TYPE DRESS.
ONE THING I DID LEARN IS, IF YOU WERE IN THE DESERT,
THE IDEA IS TO CONSERVE YOUR SWEAT.
Narrator: PARACHUTES CAN EVEN HELP QUENCH YOUR THIRST.
Anders: YOU DIG A HOLE AND YOU PUT A CAN IN THE BOTTOM
AND TAKE A PIECE OF PARACHUTE,
AND AT NIGHT, THE DEW COMES DOWN AND DRAINS DOWN THIS PARACHUTE
SO YOU GET WATER.
♪♪
Narrator: KEEPING COOL IN THE DESERT IS ONE THING --
FINDING FOOD IN THE JUNGLE IS ANOTHER.
Collins: THE GUY LIVING IN HOUSTON, TEXAS --
WHAT DOES HE KNOW ABOUT THE JUNGLE?
NOTHING.
SO THEY PUT US LOOSE DOWN IN PANAMA FOR A WEEK,
AND WE HAD TO LIVE OFF THE LAND.
Anders: MIKE COLLINS AND I WERE TEAMED UP
FOR JUNGLE SURVIVAL SCHOOL.
BUT WE WERE TRAINED IN ALL THE GOOD THINGS THERE WERE TO EAT.
YOU COULD CHOP THE VINE AND GET WATER.
YOU COULD PICK FRUIT.
THEY'D HIRE A NATIVE,
AND HE WOULD SERVE YOU ALL THESE GOODIES.
I DECIDED, "GORGE THE NIGHT BEFORE,
AND, IF NECESSARY, GO FOOD-LESS FOR THREE DAYS."
MIKE RACED ALL AROUND THE JUNGLE, NEVER CAUGHT ANYTHING,
AND WAS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE FROM EXHAUSTION.
♪♪
Duke: YOU HAD TO FIND CRITTERS, IF YOU COULD.
WE TRAPPED A SNAKE THAT WE SKINNED.
♪♪
Anders: IT WAS AN INTRIGUING KIND OF MEAL.
TASTES A LITTLE BIT LIKE CHICKEN.
IT WAS A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
AND SNAKE'S PRETTY TASTY, REALLY, IF YOU'RE HUNGRY.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS ARE NOW PREPARED
FOR ANY EVENTUALITY BACK ON EARTH.
BUT THEY HAVE TO GET THERE FIRST.
[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]
♪♪
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
♪♪
[ BEEPS ]
MISSION CONTROL: Apollo 11, this is Houston.
Are you still up there? Over.
Narrator: ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND COLLINS
FACE ONE FINAL PERILOUS CHALLENGE --
SURVIVING THE SEARING HEAT AND INCREDIBLE SPEED
OF COMING HOME.
♪♪
ARMSTRONG: It's Apollo 11 signing off.
♪♪
COLLINS: And the sun is going down on schedule.
It's getting real dark in here.
♪♪
Narrator: APOLLO 11 IS ALMOST HOME.
THE CREW USES UP ITS LAST FRAMES OF FILM
BEFORE BRAVING THE FIRES OF REENTRY.
♪♪
Griffin: THERE'S ALWAYS THAT CONCERN
THAT YOU'VE FLOWN THIS ENTIRE MISSION,
AND THEN YOU MIGHT LOSE THEM ON LANDING.
BUT THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE.
YOU'VE GOT TO GO THROUGH IT.
[ BEEPS ]
Narrator: ALDRIN TURNS ON HIS MOUNTED CAMERA
FOR THE LAST TIME,
RECORDING THE INFERNO AS THEY SLAM THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
AT OVER 24,000 MILES AN HOUR.
♪♪
Collins: WHEN YOU GET INTO THE THIN UPPER AIR,
THERE'S VARIOUS COLORS, HUES,
LITTLE SUBTLE LAVENDERS AROUND THE EDGE.
AS THE AIR THICKENS,
YOU MELD INTO THE YELLOWS, THE ORANGES,
THE FIRES OF FRICTION.
Narrator: AS THE PROTECTIVE HEAT SHIELD MELTS AWAY,
A BLAZING TRAIL OF BURNING DEBRIS
SPEWS FROM THE SPACECRAFT.
♪♪
THERE'S BLACKOUT.
Griffin: IF YOU'RE GONNA BURN UP IN A HEAT-SHIELD FAIL,
IT WOULD BE DURING THAT HOTTEST PERIOD.
Narrator: AN AIRBORNE CAMERA FLYING AT 40,000 FEET
CATCHES THE FIRST SIGHT OF APOLLO 11
STREAKING THROUGH THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,
ENGULFED IN A BALL OF FIRE.
MAN: ARIA 3 reported a visual contact.
Worden: TO SEE IT REENTER THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,
YOU WOULD SAY, "HERE COMES A SHOOTING STAR."
♪♪
MAN: Apollo 11, Houston through ARIA.
[ BEEPS ]
♪♪
Narrator: WITH THE COMMAND MODULE REENTERING ON TARGET,
IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, THE USS HORNET SCOURS THE SKIES
FOR THEIR FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE RETURNING ASTRONAUTS.
[ Static crackling ]
[ Crackling continues ]
♪♪
MAN: Apollo 11, Apollo 11.
This is Hornet. Hornet. Over.
ARMSTRONG: Hello, Hornet.
This is Apollo 11 reading you loud and clear.
Our position 1330, 16915.
♪♪
MAN: 11, Hornet. Copy.
♪♪
MAN #2: Splashdown. Apollo has splashdown.
MAN: Hornet, copy.
♪♪
Cronkite: THE ASTRONAUTS OF APOLLO 11,
HAVING LEFT THEIR FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON,
HAVE NOW RETURNED TO EARTH.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
Narrator: IN MISSION CONTROL,
THE CAMERAS ARE ALSO ROLLING, CAPTURING THE ELATION.
Man: DAVE AUBREY IS AT THE MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER,
WHERE A REAL CELEBRATION IS UNDER WAY.
Aubrey: PEOPLE ARE GATHERING AROUND HERE,
CHEERING ONE ANOTHER, CONGRATULATING ONE ANOTHER.
Duke: EVERYBODY LIT UP THESE GREAT BIG CIGARS,
AND PUFFING AWAY
AND WAVING AMERICAN FLAGS.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT FOR ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND COLLINS,
THE CELEBRATIONS WILL HAVE TO WAIT.
FOR THEM, A WHOLE NEW PHASE OF THE MISSION BEGINS,
ONE DESIGNED TO SAFEGUARD THE SURVIVAL OF HUMANITY.
♪♪
MAN: The first astronaut is now emerging.
Collins: A LOT OF SCIENTISTS THOUGHT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY
THAT THE MOON HARBORS VERY DANGEROUS PATHOGENS,
AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO CONTAMINATE THE WHOLE PLANET.
Narrator: LONG-LENS FILM FOOTAGE REVEALS
THE FIRST STEPS TAKEN TO PREVENT CONTAGION --
USING PROTECTIVE CLOTHING.
Collins: THE SUITS WERE JUST RUBBER BLADDERS.
THE SOUTH PACIFIC WAS KIND OF WARM, AND THE SUN WAS SHINING.
I WAS SWEATING PROFUSELY.
♪♪
Narrator: ON BOARD USS HORNET,
NEWS CREWS JOCKEY TO GET THE FIRST FOOTAGE
OF THE RETURNING ASTRONAUTS.
Carpentier: I OPENED THE DOOR OF THE HELICOPTER,
AND THE CREW WALKED TOWARDS THE MOBILE QUARANTINE FACILITY.
♪♪
Collins: THEN, BINGO --
THE DOORS OPENED TO OUR LITTLE ENCLOSURE.
♪♪
Narrator: THE CREW WAS SEALED
INSIDE A MODIFIED GULF STREAM TRAILER
AND TRANSPORTED BACK TO HOUSTON FOR QUARANTINE.
♪♪
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]
Man: ARRIVING AT THE MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER
IN HOUSTON,
THE ASTRONAUTS WILL SPEND THE REMAINDER
OF THEIR 21-DAY ISOLATION PERIOD
IN THIS $8 MILLION SPECIAL BUILDING,
THE LUNAR RECEIVING LABORATORY.
AND STEPPING OUT FIRST, COMMANDER NEIL ARMSTRONG.
Narrator: PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN FOOTAGE REVEALS THE LAB
WHERE ASTRONAUTS AND SUPPORT STAFF ARE HOLED UP.
INSIDE, NASA's CAMERAS AREN'T JUST WATCHING THE CREW.
Collins: WE WERE IN QUARANTINE
WITH THIS LOVELY COLONY OF WHITE MICE.
Griffin: THEY WERE EXPOSED TO THE LUNAR MATERIAL
TO TEST FOR VIRUSES.
IF THERE WERE MICROBES FOUND
THAT WERE DANGEROUS TO THE EARTH,
WE MAY BE QUARANTINED FOR A VERY LONG TIME --
MAYBE FOREVER?
Collins: IF THE WHITE MICE LIVED,
THEN OLé -- WE'D CARRIED THIS THING OFF.
IF THE WHITE MICE DIED, WE WERE IN DEEP TROUBLE.
Narrator: CAMERAS ROLL ON BOTH MICE AND MEN
FOR ANOTHER 12 DAYS.
♪♪
THANKFULLY FOR EVERYONE, THE MICE SURVIVE.
♪♪
NEWS CAMERAS WATCH AMERICA'S HEROES
ENTER A WORLD CHANGED FOREVER BY THEIR ACTIONS.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
♪♪
Collins: JOHN F. KENNEDY GAVE US OUR MANDATE --
GET TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON SAFELY
AND RETURN HOME ALL IN ONE PIECE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAD DONE.
♪♪
Narrator: TODAY, THE FORGOTTEN FILM FOOTAGE
FROM HALF A CENTURY AGO
KEEPS THE MEMORIES OF APOLLO 11 AS FRESH AS EVER.
♪♪
Griffin: IT WAS THE BEST JOB I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.
IT WAS FUN.
IT WAS REALLY, REALLY FUN.
Duke: APOLLO WAS THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE.
IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF MAN.
Lovell: IT WAS NOT A PROGRAM JUST FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE --
IT WAS APOLLO TO EVERYBODY THAT SAW IT.
Collins: IT WAS WONDERFUL.
FOR A SHORT TIME, IT SEEMED LIKE ALL MANKIND WAS UNITED.
♪♪
Solacoff: NEIL TOLD ME -- HE SAID, "I WAS JUST ONE MAN."
HE SAID, "I JUST FLEW THE THING.
I'M NOT A HERO. I WAS JUST A PILOT.
THE HEROES ARE ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT DID ALL THIS OTHER WORK."
TO ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE
THAT ARE LISTENING AND WATCHING TONIGHT,
GOD BLESS YOU.
GOOD NIGHT FROM APOLLO 11.
[ BEEPS ]
♪♪
[ FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING ]