Apollo 11 50th Anniversary today

[texsuze]

Fifty years ago today I was 9 years old, sitting in front of the TV with my family, watching the broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Dad had one of those old reel-to-reel tape recorders going to record the sound. He was a computer technician at NASA; started with them before they even had the Manned Spacecraft Center (what it used to be called) built. Dad was there for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions through the 1970's. When Dad passed away in 2014, my brother inherited a giant ring binder of 'official' astronaut photos, some little patches folks used to sew on windbreakers commemorating each space mission, official certificates from NASA thanking the employees, etc. Mom still has Dad's NASA tie clips--he went to work each day wearing a short sleeve shirt, dark tie, tie clip, and pocket protector

Even as a kid, I distinctly remember feeling that the moon landing was a BIG event. Still get tears in my eyes when hearing the re-broadcasts of the astronauts when the LM landed and when the first steps were taken on the moon's surface.

www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision/featured

[Chisamba]

We watched it this morning. I still think it was momentous

[dasher]

There are a few events in our lives that really stick with us forever. For me, the lunar landing was one of them. I was too young to fully appreciate that this was an extraordinary accomplishment. There is so much technology available to us today, as ordinary citizens, that something like a trip to the moon seems like it should have been an easy task. The scientific and technological advances we enjoy today are a direct result of the research and development from that time in our history. The Apollo missions had the attention of the entire world.

[WheresMyWhite]

I remember going outside, looking up at the moon and thinking there was a person just like me walking around up there.

dasher, you are right... there are moments that stick with us forever. This was one. JFK's assassination was another Amazing how some events have the ability to evoke such an emotional reaction in us.