by ORPO1 | August 25, 2012 · 1:59 pm

I was going on 15 when Neil Armstrong landed Eagle at Tranquility Base that day. I was hiding in the basement at my Uncle's house during the 40th Wedding Anniversary of my Paternal Grandparents.

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

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3 Responses to Neil Armstrong: 1930-2012

Bill Brandt

August 25, 2012 at 6:00 pm

That July at the age of 19 I was working in the back country of Sequoia National Park – clearing trails and hauling chainsaws. Supplies came in once a week via helicopter, a Bell 47 if I recall.

I remember that evening – looking up at Redwood Meadows – seeing that moon and just staring – in wonder.

A year/2 ago i am reading an account of the Apollo program – Rocket men and learn that as they were landing all was not well.

The terrain at the Sea of Tranquility was not as they expected and Armstrong took over manual control of the lunar lander.

He is hovering – and gliding – over the surface of the moon trying to find a place to land and the seconds of fuel remaining are dwindling.

He landed with something like 10 seconds remaining.

That’s pressure – and he was one cool pilot.

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- NaCly Dog
  
  August 25, 2012 at 8:20 pm
  
  Posted this in the Gone West thread: He had 20 seconds of fuel upon landing. Another 20 seconds of fuel was available to abort the landing. Not a lot of fuel.
  
  Before the launch, while in crew isolation at the Cape and in simulators, Armstrong landed with 15 seconds of fuel total. One time he stopped the decent at -15 feet. Crash. Buzz Aldrin was very upset, and tried to drag Michael Collins into the fight. Collins let the LM crew sort it out themselves.
hogdayafternoon

August 26, 2012 at 1:04 am

Free of gravity again, O Mighty explorer.

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