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Neil Armstrong
(5 Aug 1930 - 25 Aug 2012)
American astronaut who was the first man to walk on the moon.
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Neil Armstrong
“One small step”
Illustrated Quote - Medium (500 x 250 px)
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The scripted line, prepared for Neil Armstrong to deliver as he stepped from the ladder of Apollo 11’s landing module onto the lunar surface was slightly different. It included one more small word, the indefinite article, “a”. It clearly makes more sense if spoken as:
Yes, it was a slip of the tongue, quite understandable in the excitement of the moment. Upon his return to Earth, Armstrong tried to correct the record in the transcript, and it has been reported that NASA even invented the fiction that “static” had caused the apparent loss of the “a” in the transmission. It was recalled in the form “a man” when published in the book, First on the Moon.
It has also been stated that reporters present at Mission Control in Houston at the time of the live broadcast, discussed what they thought they had actually heard, and agreed they would all report in agreement just the one form of the quote—with “by man” and not “by a man.”
Years later, no reliable technological analysis of the original recording has been able to find the missing “a” and Armstrong conceded that despite so much rehearsal, even believing at first he must have said it correctly, the truth was it was not spoken.
But, who would not wish to accept both versions, the one recorded, and the one intended?
- Science Quotes by Neil Armstrong.
- 5 Aug - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Armstrong's birth.
- Neil Armstrong - context of quote “One small step” - Large image (800 x 400 px)
- Neil Armstrong - context of quote “Probability of survival” - Medium image (500 x 250 px)
- Neil Armstrong - context of quote “Probability of survival” - Large image (800 x 400 px)
- First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, by James R. Hansen. - book suggestion.