`That`s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind`

By: Abhimanyu Kukreja

The day was 20th July 1969, time ticked at 10:56 pm EDT and the distance covered stood at 240,000 miles away from earth and his first words were “That’s one small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind.” Yes, exactly 38 years ago ‘Mission Moon’ was accomplished! Neil Armstrong was watched and listened by millions sitting at home as he spoke and set foot to create a new chapter for mankind. The entire world prayed as he stood outside his lunar landing module ‘Eagle’ and became the first man to land on the moon.

Soon, Edwin Buzz Aldrin joined him and together they explored the unknown astronomical divine. They took photographs of the terrain, planted a US flag and performed some scientific tests. Just three years before, Armstrong was the command pilot for his first space flight on ‘Gemini 8’. This space trip was a perfect rehearsal in his preparation for the big day.

During this space flight in 1966, Armstrong along with fellow pilot David Scott performed the first manned docking of two spacecrafts. It was the most complex docking with the unmanned Agena Target Vehicle. The mission was cut short after a goof up that led towards the landing of Gemini 8. The unsuccessful mission depressed Armstrong as critics blamed him for not acting smartly at the right time. After the Gemini 8 mission, Armstrong’s next mission was as a backup Command Pilot for Gemini 11 that was announced just 2 days after the landing of Gemini 8. His counterpart was a rookie backup pilot William Anders. The mission took flight on September 12th 1966 with Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon on board. Armstrong’s experience in space flights led Gemini 11 towards a successful mission as they accomplished their objectives. Armstrong’s vision for greatness was visible when he was in Brazil after the Gemini 11 mission as he talked about Brazilian-born Alberto Santos-Dumont, regarded in the country as having beaten the Wright brothers with the first flying machine.

On January 27th 1967 Armstrong signed the United Nations Outer Space Treaty. He served as a backup commander for Apollo 8. On December 23rd 1968 he became the commander for Apollo 11 as Apollo 8 orbited the moon. The mission on moon was slowly becoming a reality as preparations became faster and rigorous. Many controversies surrounded the mission as Aldrin thought that he would be the first man to step on the moon, based on the experience of Gemini where command pilot stayed on board. On March 1969, the big bosses Deke Slayton, Bob Gilruth, George Low and Chris Kraft determined that Neil Armstrong will be the first man to step on the moon. On April 14th 1969, a design of the LM cabin as the reason for Armstrong being first was showcased in a press conference. Neil Armstrong’s heart beats reached a top speed of 109 beats per minute as the mission to moon was launched. Armstrong’s first words after his space shuttle landed on the moon were, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Armstrong and Aldrin celebrated their achievement with a handshake before quickly returning to checklist the tasks. After spending July 20th inside ‘Eagle’ Armstrong set his left foot on the surface of the moon at 2:56 UTC July 21, 1969. As they departed from the extra-terrestrial, the astronauts left behind a plaque that read, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the Moon--July 1969 A.D.--We came in peace for all mankind.`