Fifty years ago on July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to land a craft on the moon. As the Eagle descended from Columbia, Armstrong noted that the projected landing site was strewn with boulders, and he began maneuvering the craft to find an area clear of boulders. The Eagle landed in a clear patch with 90 seconds of propellant left.
Two and a half hours later, before they went outside, Aldrin made this statement: This is the LM pilot. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way. A Presbyterian, Aldrin then ate bread and drank wine in a Presbyterian communion service, the wine and bread having been prepared by his pastor. NASA, afraid of atheist law suits, requested that Aldrin not broadcast what he was doing, and he did not.
Armstrong and Aldrin were scheduled to sleep for five hours before leaving Eagle and walking on the Moon. They realized that efforts to sleep would be futile, and they began preparations immediately for their Moon walk. Tomorrow would be a big day for them.
