>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO GREAT DAY HOUSTON.
OKAY, SO 50 YEARS AGO TODAY THE
IMPOSSIBLE WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
BY THIS TIME ASTRONAUTS ABOARD
APOLLO 11 WERE 37 MINUTES INTO
THEIR QUEST TO STEP FOOT ON THE
MOON.
MOON.
MOON. ALTHOUGH IT WAS AN AMERICAN
VICTORY IN THE SPACE RACE, IT'S
PROBABLY THE MOST AMAZING
MOMENT IN HISTORY THAT BROUGHT
THE WORLD TOGETHER AND TOOK
HUMAN INGENUITY TO A WHOLE NEW
LEVEL.
LEVEL.
LEVEL. >>
LEVEL. >> ALL ENGINE RUNNING.
WE HAVE LIFTOFF.
>> THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.
>> ARMSTRONG IS ON THE MOON.
NEIL ARMSTRONG.
NEIL ARMSTRONG. >> THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR
MAN.
MAN.
MAN. ONE
MAN. ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.
>> WE WERE IN THE SECOND GRID.
I WAS IN THE SECOND GRADE AT
VICTOR HUGO HARTSFIELD
ELEMENTARY.
ELEMENTARY. THEY BROUGHT US ALL INTO THE
CAFETERIA SO THE ENTIRE SCHOOL
COULD WATCH THE LANDING ON LIKE
A 20-INCH BLACK AND WHITE
TELEVISION FROM 200 FEET AWAY
AND ALL I CAN REMEMBER WAS IT
WAS TOTALLY SILENT.
WE WERE JUST WRAPPED UP IN THE
MOMENT.
MOMENT.
MOMENT. IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
IT'S SOMETHING I'LL NEVER
FORGET.
FORGET.
FORGET. >> I WAS HERE IN HOUSTON.
19 YEARS OLD.
ROCKING OUT WITH EVERYBODY ELSE
THAT WAS 19 YEARS OLD.
I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS AWESOME
IS THIS REAL OR A MOVIE?
I'M STILL IN AWE OF IT.
>> I WAS DOWN IN CORPUS
CHRISTI.
CHRISTI.
CHRISTI. I MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT 10 YEARS
OLD.
OLD.
OLD. IT
OLD. IT IT WAS IN BLACK AND WHITE.
IT WAS A GHOST-LIKE IMAGE.
IT MADE QUITE AN IMPRESSION ON
ME.
ME.
ME. I
ME. I OF
ME. I OF LOOED IT.
I WAS A LITTLE KID.
I WAS IN LOVE WITH SPACE AND
BEING AN ASTRONAUT.
I WANTED TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT
BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT SO I'M
ON TV NOW.
>> APOLLO 11 PUT A HUMAN ON THE
MOON.
MOON.
MOON. IT
MOON. IT WAS APOLLO 7 THAT CONVINCED
US HUMANS COULD EVEN MANEUVER
IN SPACE.
IN SPACE.
IN SPACE. THE WORLD WATCHED IN AWE NOT
REALLY KNOWING WHAT WOULD COME
NEXT.
NEXT.
NEXT. >>
NEXT. >> SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR,
THREE, TWO, WE HAVE IGNITION.
COMMIT LIFTOFF.
COMMIT LIFTOFF. WE HAVE LIFTOFF.
>> SLOWLY.
>> SLOWLY. SLOWLY.
SLOWLY.
SLOWLY. >> THIS IS LAUNCH CONTROL.
WE HAVE CLEARED THE TOWER.
>> GOOD VIEW OF IT THERE WITH
OUR LONG RANGE CAMERA.
MAKING THEIR FIRST SPACE
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT. LOOK AT THE FLAME.
700-GALLONS OF RP 1 AND LIQUID
OXIDIZER BURNING UP THERE EVERY
SECOND.
SECOND.
SECOND. >> OUR FIRST GUEST WAS A LUNAR
MODULE PILOT ON THAT HISTORY
MAKING FLIGHT INTO ORBIT.
WELCOME CREW MEMBER OF THE ALL
POLL LOW 7 MISSION.
BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, WHEN YOU
SEE THAT, DO YOU STILL GET
CHILLS WATCHING THAT?
>> I THINK IT'S HARD PROBABLY
TO UNDERSTAND THAT I GET MORE
OF A CHILL WATCHING THAT TODAY
THAN I EVER DID THEN.
THEY HAVE A HARD TIME
UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WERE ALL
FOCUSED ON JUST MAKING SURE
THAT WE DID THE JOB AND IT WAS
GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> ONLY IN THE LAST 15 OR 20
YEARS HAVE I GOTTEN TO THE
POINT WHERE I REALIZED WE
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT
SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE
IFFY.
IFFY.
IFFY. >>
IFFY. >> YOU GREW UP IN IOWA.
BIG OPEN SKY.
WERE YOU THE KID WHO LOOKED UP
INTO THE SKY AND THOUGHT WHAT
IF WE COULD GO THERE.
>> BACK IN THOSE DAYS.
THAT WAS ALMOST 90 YEARS AGO.
I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE
THOUGHT TOO MUCH ABOUT THAT.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE FIRST
TIME I REMEMBER THINKING ABOUT
ME GOING INTO SPACE WAS WHEN I
WAS WORKING ON MY DOCTORATE IN
PHYSICS, WORKING PART-TIME,
DRIVING TO WORK AND ALLEN
SHEPHERD WAS, I WAS LISTENING
TO THE COUNTDOWN.
>> YOU WERE A LITTLE JEALOUS,
WEREN'T YOU?
WEREN'T YOU? >> I WAS A FIGHTER PILOT AND
DOING A LOT OF FLYING AND I
FIGURED I WAS BEST IN THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. BUT I LOOKED AT THAT, I DO
REMEMBER HOLLERING OUT, I
DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME.
BUT LATER I REALIZED YOU LUCKY
SOB.
SOB.
SOB. >>
SOB. >> THEN YOU GOT A CALL FROM
NASA, OR HOW DID THEY LET YOU
KNOW?
KNOW?
KNOW? >>
KNOW? >> THEY DIDN'T DO THAT.
ABOUT A FEW.
>> THERE WERE NO CELL PHONES
BACK THEN.
BACK THEN. THEY DIDN'T CALL YOU; RIGHT?
>> A YEAR AND A HALF LATER,
ACTUALLY, I WAS AT THE STAGE
WHERE IT WAS APPROPRIATE FOR ME
THEN.
THEN.
THEN. I
THEN. I WAS WORKING AND I REMEMBER
THEN I DECIDED I WAS GOING TO
APPLY.
APPLY.
APPLY. FLYING WITH THE RESERVES SO I
WAS BUSY THAT SUMMER.
EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS I'D GET A
CALL SAYING HEY I WAS IN THE
RUNNING AND WOULD I STILL WANT
TO BE AN ASTRONAUT.
I SAYS YES.
IN THOSE DAYS AMONG PILOTS AND
THAT WAS THE FIRST YEAR THEY
CUT OUT HAVING TO HAVE GONE
THROUGH THE TEST PILOT SCHOOL.
SO WE ALL WERE LOOKING FORWARD
TO GETTING DOWN THERE.
SO I FELT VERY FORTUNATE.
THAT WAS THE THIRD GROUP THEY'D
SELECTED AND IT WAS THE FIRST
TIME THEY'D ACCEPTED PEOPLE
THAT HAD NOT BEEN THROUGH TEST
PILOT SCHOOL.
PILOT SCHOOL. >> I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL
PEOPLE WHO WERE PART OF THE
SPACE PROGRAM AND WHAT THEY
SAID WAS WHEN THEY TOLD THEIR
FAMILY IN THE BEGINNING I'M
GOING TO GO WORK FOR THIS THING
CALLED NASA THEY'RE LIKE YOU'RE
CRAZY, THIS IS TRICKERY, THIS
IS CRAZY.
IS CRAZY.
IS CRAZY. KIND OF TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. ONE WAS THIS IS CRAZY.
THE OTHER WAS THIS IS WHERE WE
NEED TO GO.
THE ADVENTUROUS SIDE OF PEOPLE.
>> WELL THAT SIDE IS NOT QUITE
THE SAME AS IT WAS TODAY.
IN THOSE DAYS WE ALL BELIEVED
IN STICKING OUR NECK OUT.
WE WERE ALL FIGHTER PILOTS.
WE THOUGHT WE COULD SURVIVE
WHATEVER WAS COMING UP.
WE KNEW THERE WAS AN AREA YOU
MIGHT NOT.
MIGHT NOT. >> APOLLO 1 WITH THE FIRE.
WE'VE SEEN OTHER SITUATIONS.
YOU WERE ASSIGNED TO APOLLO 2
BUT THEY POSTPONED SOME THINGS.
THEN THEY SAID ALL RIGHT,
APOLLO 7 THE FIRST MANNED
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT. TELL US WHAT THAT MOMENT IS
LIKE WHEN THEY'RE SAYING 5, 4,
3, 2, 1 AND YOU'RE LIFTING OFF?
>> I HAVE TO TELL YOU ON THAT
SITUATION YOU JUST DESCRIBED
THERE WE WERE ORIGINALLY ON THE
APOLLO 2 CREW AND WE WERE STILL
GOING THROUGH CONSTRUCTION AND
TESTING OF THE SPACECRAFTS TO
GET READY FOR IT AND SO HAD
GUS, ED AND ROGER WERE DOING
THE APOLLO 1 CREW.
WE WERE THE APOLLO 2 CREW AND
ALL THE DELAYS GETTING BUILT
IN.
IN.
IN. THEY
IN. THEY CANCELED OUR MISSION AFTER
ABOUT 8 MONTHS.
WHEN THEY CANCELED OUR MISSION
THEN WE BECAME THE BACKUP CREW
BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE WAS THE
SAME AS THE APOLLO 1 CREW.
THEN WE BECAME THE BACKUP CREW.
THREE OR FOUR MONTHS LATER
APOLLO 1 CREW DIED IN THAT FIRE
ON THE PAD.
WE HAD DONE A SIMILAR TEST THE
NIGHT BEFORE AND IT HADN'T
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. WAS KIND OF, ORIGINALLY A
LITTLE PUZZLING ON THAT.
COUPLE WEEKS LATER THEN WE
INHERITED THE FIRST MISSION BUT
IT WAS MORE SENSIBLY NUMBERED
AT THE TIME APOLLO 7.
>> FROM LIFTOFF, MOST OF US
WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE.
>> WELL WE, OF COURSE WE MISSED
OUR FRIENDS, OUR SQUADRON MATES
BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE WERE
VERY, VERY GLAD AND EXCITED WE
WERE GOING TO FLY THE FIRST
MISSION.
MISSION.
MISSION. 20 MONTHS LATER WE WERE ABLE TO
LIFT OFF.
LIFT OFF.
LIFT OFF. WE MADE ABOUT 1000 CHANGES.
>> CAN WAS IT EVERYTHING YOU
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE TO LIFT
OFF?
OFF?
OFF? >>
OFF? >> YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT I NOTICE IN HERE TODAY I
DON'T REMEMBER HAVING ANY
THOUGHTS LIKE THAT BACK THEN.
WE ALL RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY, WE
ALL EXPECTED TO DO WELL.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> AND WE ALL WE GOING TO MAKE
SURE IF ANYTHING HAPPENED
NEGATIVE ABOUT THAT MISSION
THAT IT WASN'T GOING TO BE DUE
TO ME.
TO ME.
TO ME. >>
TO ME. >> IF SOMETHING DID YOU LEARNED
FROM IT AND THE NEXT ONE
STEPPED UP AND YOU ALL MOVED
ON.
ON.
ON. YOU
ON. YOU SENT THE FIRST LIVE TV
SPACE TRANSMISSIONS.
SPACE TRANSMISSIONS. YOU GOT AN EMMY AWARD FOR THAT,
DIDN'T YOU?
DIDN'T YOU? FACE CATEGORY.
FACE CATEGORY. LIKE UP AGAINST I DREAM OF
JEANNIE.
JEANNIE.
JEANNIE. >> WHEN WE GOT BACK AFTER 11
DAY MISSION.
DAY MISSION. THE MISSION WAS A LOT OF
DEBATABLE THINGS.
DEBATABLE THINGS. YOU OUGHT TO GO READ ABOUT IT.
>> WE'VE READ YOUR BOOK.
>> WORKED OUT VERY WELL ON
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. WHEN IT CAME TO THAT EMMY, THAT
WAS KIND OF OUR BIGGEST SHOCK
BECAUSE WE HAD TO DO SOME
TELEVISION FROM SPACE.
BUT PEOPLE TODAY DON'T REALIZE
WE ONLY HAD AIR TO GROUND
COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT 4.5% OF
THE TIME.
THE TIME.
THE TIME. HERE WE WERE DOING THIS.
AFTER WE GOT BACK WE FOUND OUT
THAT THEY HAD MADE AN EMMY FOR
US.
US.
US. BUT
US. BUT WE DIDN'T EVEN GET TO GO
COLLECT IT.
COLLECT IT. >> DID THEY SEND IT TO YOU?
>> WELL, NASA WOULDN'T LET US
GO COLLECT IT.
>> CONSIDERED A GIFT?
I HAVE SOME EXTRA.
I'LL LET YOU HAVE ONE OF MINE.
I WANT YOU TO FINISH THIS
SENTENCE.
SENTENCE.
SENTENCE. WE CAN SEND A MAN TO THE MOON
BUT WE STILL CAN'T.
>> BOY YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME
GO TO WORK HERE ON THAT ONE.
>> I THINK WITH A PH.D.
IN PHYSICS.
IN PHYSICS. >> I HAVE IT TOLE YOU, SENDING
A MAN TO THE MOON WAS IMPORTANT
50 YEARS AGO BECAUSE IT WAS
MOVING TECHNOLOGY OUT AND ALL
THE THINGS WE DEVELOPED.
WE'RE STILL BENEFITING FROM THE
TECHNOLOGY WE HAD TO DO TO
DEVELOP THAT.
DEVELOP THAT. NOW WE DON'T HAVE AS CRITICAL
OF AN AUDIENCE OF PEOPLE THAT
ARE ON THE OUTSIDE AND THEY
TALK ABOUT YOU KNOW WE EVEN
HAVE ONE GUY I THINK IT WAS
ELON MUSK TALKING ABOUT LANDING
IN 2024 WITH AT LEAST 1000
PEOPLE ON MARS.
THE PUBLIC TODAY HAS GOT TO GET
MORE REALISTIC ABOUT GOING
ABOUT THESE THINGS.
WE MAY VERY WELL GET BACK TO
THE MOON, THAT MAKES SOME
SENSE.
SENSE.
SENSE. YOU NEED TO DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY
THAT MIGHT EVENTUALLY GO TO
MARS.
MARS.
MARS. I
MARS. I HAVE TO TELL YOU, RIGHT NOW
WE KNOW SO MUCH MORE ABOUT MARS
THAN WE EVER KNEW ABOUT THE
MOON 50 YEARS AGO.
SO NOT GOING TO HAVE QUITE AS
GOOD AN EXCUSE TO GO TO MARS.
>> THEN THE NEXT QUESTION IS,
ARE WE THE ONLY ONES?
>> DO I HAVE TO PASS THIS TEST?
>> I WAS INTERVIEWING THE CREW
TO WENT TO FIX THE HUBBELL
SPACE TELESCOPE.
SPACE TELESCOPE. WHEN HE GOT UP INTO SPACE HE
SAID IT WAS THE MOST
MAGNIFICENT BEAUTIFUL THING
HE'D EVER SEEN AND HE THOUGHT
TO HIMSELF THERE CAN ONLY BE
ONE.
ONE.
ONE. THEN
ONE. THEN HE SAW THE VASTNESS OF
SPACE AND SAID OH NO, THERE'S
GOT TO BE A WHOLE LOT MORE.
>> WITH MILLIONS AND MILLIONS
OF OBJECTS OUT THERE IT'S LET'S
SAY PROBABLE THAT THERE'S OTHER
FACILITIES THAT HAVE DEVELOPED
SOME KIND OF.
I HATE TO EVEN CALL IT HUMANS.
WE ARE THE WAY WE ARE TODAY
MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND WHAT HAVE
YOU BECAUSE OF THE PROPERTIES
IN THE PLANET WE ARE ON.
I THINK IT'D BE RIDICULOUS TO
THINK THERE'S NO LIFE IN THE
MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF OTHER
PLANETS OUT THERE.
AT THE SAME TIME, I CAN'T PUT
MY FINGER ON ANYTHING POSITIVE
IN A PARTICULAR SPOT.
>> YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING
WHILE YOU WERE OUT THERE.
>> YOU'VE WRITTEN THE BOOK THE
ALL AMERICAN BOYS.
DETAILS BEHIND THE SCENES TYPE
OF STUFF.
OF STUFF.
OF STUFF. THANK YOU FOR COMING IN THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. MY SON ON HIS SUMMER BREAK
WOULD NEVER GET UP EARLY FOR
ANYTHING AND HE'S LIKE YOU'RE
HAVING AN ASTRONAUT ON
TOMORROW?
TOMORROW?
TOMORROW? THEY GOT UP AND CAME IN THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> THAT MY BOOK IS STILL
SELLING 42 YEARS AFTER I WROTE
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> BECAUSE IT'S STILL A GREAT