MIPOTW: Giant Leap

On July 20, 1969–40 years ago, today–Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the surface of the moon. To call his words the Most Interesting Phrase of the Week is almost laughable in its understatement. According to NASA’s timestamped transcript, Armstrong’s legendary statement was only a small sound byte in a lengthy and mission-focused dialog. I suppose stepping outside of the already precarious confines of a spacecraft that has just been planted on the surface of the moon wouldn’t leave much time for waxing poetic–though history confirms the power of his statement in it’s sheer simplicity. With the world watching…

109:23:38 Armstrong: I’m at the foot of the ladder. The LM footpads are only depressed in the surface about 1 or 2 inches, although the surface appears to be very, very fine grained, as you get close to it. It’s almost like a powder. (The) ground mass is very fine. (Pause)

109:24:13 Armstrong: I’m going to step off the LM now. (Long Pause)

109:24:48 Armstrong: That’s one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind. (Long Pause)

109:25:08 Armstrong: Yes, the surface is fine and powdery. I can kick it up loosely with my toe. It does adhere in fine layers, like powdered charcoal, to the sole and sides of my boots. I only go in a small fraction of an inch, maybe an eighth of an inch, but I can see the footprints of my boots and the treads in the fine, sandy particles.

109:25:30 McCandless: Neil, this is Houston. We’re copying. (Long Pause)

As the sun sets later and we look up at the lunar “lesser” light ruling this night, I’ll probably try to wrap my mind around the experience of seeing the “Earthrise” for the first time–an image we too easily see as commonplace. And, I will say to myself, “Man. ON. The Moon.”

Remarkable.

(Photos courtesy NASA.gov)