>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO GREAT DAY HOUSTON.
OKAY SO 50 YEARS AGO THIS
MOMENT NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS ABOUT
36 HOURS AWAY FROM SETTING FOOT
ON THE MOON.
BECAUSE THEY WERE THE FACE OF
NASA PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
ENAMORED BY THAT ELITE GROUP OF
PEOPLE CALLED ASTRONAUTS.
BEFORE THEY COULD BOARD A
FLIGHT THERE'S ANOTHER GROUP OF
NASA EMPLOYEES WHO HAD TO LAY
THE GROUND WORK.
úWE'RE CELEBRATING ONE OF THOSE
PEOPLE TODAY.
PEOPLE TODAY. JERRY WOODFIELD STARTED AT NASA
54 YEARS AGO WHEN A MOON
LANDING WAS STILL JUST A DREAM.
WELCOME JERRY TO GREAT DAY
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. 54 YEARS AND YOU'RE STILL AT
NASA.
NASA.
NASA. >>
NASA. >> YEAH, IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL
CAREER AND IT HASN'T STOPPED
YET.
YET.
YET. I'M
YET. I'M CONTINUING.
I'M CONTINUING. >> LET'S GO BACK 54 YEARS AGO.
SOME OTHER FOLKS I TALKED TO
WHO WORKED FOR NASA EVEN LIKE
1958 SAID THAT WHEN THEY WERE
OFFERED A JOB PEOPLE LOOKED AT
THEM AND SAID ARE YOU CRAZY?
THAT'S HOCUS FOCUS.
BY THE TIME YOU WENT TO NASA,
WHAT WERE YOUR FRIENDS AND
FAMILY SAYING?
FAMILY SAYING? >> THEY'RE SAYING THANKFULLY
YOU GOT A JOB.
>> YOU GRADUATED FROM RICE
UNIVERSITY.
UNIVERSITY. >> IT WAS THE ONLY OFFER I HAD
HAD.
HAD.
HAD. SO
HAD. SO I
HAD. SO I TOOK IT.
>> WHAT DID THAT MEAN TO YOU
THOUGH?
THOUGH?
THOUGH? WHAT DID SPACEMEN MEAN TO YOU?
>> TO BE PART OF SOMETHING THAT
WOULD BE EVER LASTING.
A LOT OF THINGS HAVE HAPPENED
IN AMERICAN HISTORY BUT GOING
TO ANOTHER BODY IN SPACE APART
FROM EARTH IS SOMETHING THAT
WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN FOR A
THOUSAND YEARS.
THOUSAND YEARS. >> SOME OF THE OTHER ASTRONAUTS
WE'VE SPOKEN TO SAID IT WAS
JUST A DIFFERENT TIME.
AMERICA WAS STILL KIND OF
RDING THAT HIGH FROM WORLD WAR
II.
II.
II. WE
II. WE KIND OF WERE FALLING OUT OF
GRACE, IF YOU WILL AT THAT
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. SO
TIME. SO COMPETING WITH THE RUSSIANS
MADE THE SPACE PROGRAM EVEN
MORE OF AN ENDEAVOR.
>> THIS WAS CERTAINLY A GREAT
INCENTIVE IN ORDER TO BE FIRST.
WE ALREADY LOST TO THE SOVIETS.
THEY HAD ORBITED DOGS AND THEN
WOMEN AND OUR CHIMPANZEES WERE
AHEAD OF THE MEN.
WE WERE HAVING A HORRIBLE TIME.
AND IT WAS A BIG DEAL BECAUSE
THE ENTIRE WORLD LOOKED ON, YOU
KNOW, COMMUNISM AND THEN
DEMOCRACY AND THEN FAITH AND
THEN THOSE THAT SAID THERE IS
NO FAITH.
NO FAITH.
NO FAITH. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE
ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF BEING FIRST
ON THE MOON.
AND WE DID.
>> I MENTION YOU WENT TO RICE
UNIVERSITY.
UNIVERSITY. PRESIDENT KENNEDY HAD THE
FAMOUS SPEECH OF WE WILL GET A
MAN ON THE MOON.
THAT INSPIRED YOU.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I WAS THERE IN RICE STADIUM AND
I HEARD PRESIDENT KENNEDY SAID
WE DO THIS THING NOT BECAUSE
IT'S EASY BUT BECAUSE IT'S
HARD.
HARD.
HARD. GETTING A DEGREE AT RICE
UNIVERSITY WAS VERY HARD.
SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE MOON I
CAN GRADUATE.
CAN GRADUATE. >> YOU DID GRADUATE.
YOU BECAME AN ALARM SYSTEM
ENGINEER.
ENGINEER.
ENGINEER. THAT'S A BIG JOB.
EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS.
>> WHEN WE GO TO THE MOON ONE
OF THE BIG DIFFICULTIES I HAD
HAD IS LEADING THAT WARNING
SYSTEM TEAM WAS TO AVOID ALL
KINDS OF WHAT WE CALL NUISANCE
ALARMS.
ALARMS.
ALARMS. WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING ALONG AND
THE OIL LIGHT COMES ON AND
THERE'S REALLY NO PROBLEM.
>> BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT.
YOU'RE NOT QUITE SURE.
>> YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO
DESIGN INTO THE LANDER A SYSTEM
TO AVOID ALL NUISANCE ALARMS.
THAT WAS MY CHALLENGE.
I HAD TO MAKE THAT JOB DONE
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. BECAUSE IT WASN'T DONE RIGHT
AND NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS COMING
DOWN WITH THE EAGLE AND AN
ALARM CAME ON AND HE JERKED THE
STICK HE COULD ACTUALLY KILL
HIMSELF AND BUZZ ALDRIN BECAUSE
OF A MASTER ALARM NUISANCE
ALARM.
ALARM.
ALARM. >>
ALARM. >> YOU HANDED OUT THESE
BRACELETS TODAY.
BRACELETS TODAY. THEY SAY THE RIGHT STUFF AND
ALSO FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.
I HAVE ONE ON RIGHT HERE.
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT
YOU RELIED ON TO GET THROUGH
THESE MISSIONS AND YOU HAVE IT
NEXT TO YOU.
>> YOU TOLD ME TO BRING MY
PROPS.
PROPS.
PROPS. HERE'S MY PROP.
>> YOUR BIBLE.
>> THIS THING PROPPED ME UP AND
I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYBODY.
>> THERE YOU GO.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO THE HEAVENS.
SO YOU HAVE THIS TOO.
THIS IS SO AMAZING TO LOOK AT.
PART OF THE REASON IT'S SO
AMAZING IS IT'S STILL
HANDWRITTEN.
HANDWRITTEN. TELL PEOPLE WHAT THIS IS RIGHT
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. >>
HERE. >> WHEN I WAS ASSIGNED THE
ALARM SYSTEM IN 1966 I STARTED
THIS PARTICULAR LOGBOOK.
COLUMBUS HAD A LOG.
THIS IS MY LOGBOOK OF DESIGNING
THE ALARM SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE
WE DIDN'T HAVE NUISANCE ALARMS
AND EVERY DAY FOR THREE YEARS I
WOULD TALK TO ASTRONAUTS AND
ENGINEERS AND FLIGHT
CONTROLLERS TO MAKE SURE THAT
ALARM SYSTEM PROTECTED
ASTRONAUTS WHEN THEY WENT TO
THE MOON.
THE MOON.
THE MOON. JOHN KENNEDY SAID IT LIKE THIS.
RETURNED HIM SAFELY TO THE
EARTH.
EARTH.
EARTH. THAT WAS MY DIRECT JOB TO
RETURN THE ASTRONAUTS SAFELY TO
THE EARTH.
THE EARTH. >> ALL RIGHT.
>> GO BACK TO THAT MOMENT AND
WHEN WE'RE 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
LIFTOFF.
LIFTOFF.
LIFTOFF. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU IN
THE ROOM?
THE ROOM?
THE ROOM? >> WHEN WE LIFTED OFF THAT WAS
WONDERFUL.
WONDERFUL. THAT WAS EVEN MORE TENSE.
MY ALARM SYSTEM STARTED TO RING
ALARMS.
ALARMS.
ALARMS. >> THERE WAS SOME ISSUES.
>> THE EAGLE WAS COMING DOWN
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ALARMS
START TO COME ON.
I SAY OH NO, I'M GOING TO KEEP
NEIL ARMSTRONG OFF THE MOON.
IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER
ASTRONAUT.
ASTRONAUT. THERE WERE BRILLIANT FLIGHT
CONTROLLERS THAT SAID IGNORE
JERRY'S ALARM SYSTEM.
BRING IT DOWN.
HOWEVER.
HOWEVER.
HOWEVER. I'M TRYING TO LET EVERYBODY
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. RUN
KNOW. RUN BACK AND GET INTO THE EAGLE
AGAIN AND DETERMINE WHAT THE
ALARM WAS AND THEY HAD TO
FORGET THE MOON LOOK.
SO YOU'RE SEEING RIGHT HERE
YOU'RE TALKING TO THE MAN THAT
SAVED THE MOON WALK.
>> SHOW US THIS RIGHT HERE.
>> THIS IS MY MODEL.
I BOUGHT IT AT THE SPACE CENTER
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON. >> IT'S MISSING ONE LEG.
NEIL ARMSTRONG WOULDN'T HAVE
APPRECIATED THAT.
APPRECIATED THAT. THE WHOLE PROCESS.
I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THIS IS
THERE WERE TWO VEHICLES THAT
WENT TO THE MOON.
THE COLUMBIA, THE MOTHER SHIP
WOULD ORBIT THE MOON WHILE THE
EAGLE WENT DOWN, ACTUALLY
LANDED ON THE MOON.
WHILE THE EAGLE WAS COMING DOWN
TOWARDS TRANQUILITY BAY MY
ALARM STARTED COMING ON.
THEY LANDED.
THEY LANDED. >> THIS IS THE PART WHERE THEY
SAID HOUSTON THE EAGLE HAS
LANDED.
LANDED.
LANDED. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
SHE'S A GREAT INTERVIEW.
I WAS ON THE PROGRAM 18 YEARS
AGO AND SHE HAS NOT AGED ONE
BIT.
BIT.
BIT. IF
BIT. IF YOU COME OUT TO CHURCH 11:00
A.M.
A.M.
A.M. SUNDAY I'LL TELL YOU ALL THESE
STORIES.
STORIES.
STORIES. I'VE GOT STORIES NOBODY HAS
EVER HEARD ABOUT APOLLO 11'S
LANDING.
LANDING.
LANDING. IN FACT THIS BOOK ACTUALLY HAS
A OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE THAT
TELLS ALL ABOUT IT.
SAYS WHO IS GOING TO GET THERE,
HOWE'RE GOING TO DO IT.
IF THAT DOESN'T BRING YOU TO
CHURCH ON SUNDAY I DON'T KNOW
WHAT WILL.
WHAT WILL. >> I'M GOING TO END WITH THIS
RIGHT HERE.
RIGHT HERE. I ASK EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED
FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM.
WE CAN SEND A MAN TO THE MOON
BUT WE STILL CAN'T.
>> WE CAN'T.
>> WE STILL CAN'T WHAT?
>> THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS WE
CAN'T DO.
CAN'T DO.
CAN'T DO. THAT'S WHY WE'RE CONTINUING TO
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. WE
WORK. WE HAVEN'T CURED CANCER
ALTOGETHER.
ALTOGETHER. WE'D LIKE TO DO THAT.
WE'D LIKE TO ALL GET ALONG.
>> WE STILL CAN'T GET ALONG.
I LOVE THAT.
>> THERE'S SO MANY CAN'TS THAT
REALLY FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION
CAN AFFECT EVERY ONE OF THOSE
ISSUES WE'RE TRYING TO DEAL
WITH.
WITH.
WITH. THIS BOOK HELPS IT TOO.
>> LASTLY, ARE WE THE ONLY
ONES?
ONES?
ONES? ARE
ONES? ARE WE THE ONLY ONES?
>> WELL.
>> WELL.
>> WELL. I'M NOT.
I'M NOT.
I'M NOT. >> IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING.
>> IDENTIFY NOT MET ANYBODY
ELSE IN MY CAREER.
>> SO WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE YET.
I THINK YOU'RE JUST SWORN TO
SECRECY.
SECRECY.
SECRECY. SUCH A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU
AGAIN AND THANK YOU SO MUCH.
JERRY IS THE APOLLO 1150th
ANNIVERSARY GUEST SPEAKER THIS
SUNDAY.
SUNDAY.
SUNDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION.
YOU CAN GET THE REST