Grandma's Memories of the Moon Landing

I thought some of you would remember this event and enjoy Grandma's memory of it. I found some great things in her journal. I thought though that this has the most appeal. Feel free to respond or post a comment with your own memory of that day.

Sunday, July 20, 1969

Today, I witnessed on television, man’s greatest achievement so far, reaching the moon via a rocket or spaceship. The first man to set foot of the moon was Neil Armstrong, and after him, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stepped down on the moon.

They took pictures up there on the moon, they collected rock specimens, they planted the American flag. Of course, they wore especially equipped spacesuits since there is no air or oxygen there. Armstrong talked from the moon to the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, who spoke from the oval room in the White House in Washington D.C. I read about twenty years ago that this phenomenon would happen but I never thought I would ever see it happen during my lifetime. I can’t begin to describe the thrill it gave me, it was absolutely fabulous, unbelievable, when I saw that the spacecraft had landed safely on the moon it brought a tear to my eye and a prayer to my lips.

Al and I went out and looked up at the moon that has shined down on us for so many years and we knew that two brave and gallant Americans were up there standing on it. Wow!

In the meantime Mike Collins, the third man on the expedition, remained in the main rocket ship and kept orbiting around the moon. If he fails to pick up Armstrong and Aldrin off the moon, if something goes wrong and Collins can’t get them off the moon, it means certain death for them, for Collins will have to streak back to earth and leave them there. Rescue will be impossible because they only have oxygen for two days and it would take four days to send another rocket up there to rescue them. But I hope and pray that nothing goes wrong.

I forgot to mention that the astronauts left a plaque on the moon, made of stainless steel, it will last indefinitely, I’ve forgotten the words inscribed on it but will put them down later.

Monday, July 21, 1969

Today President Nixon declared a National holiday and many people are off from work but not Pup, Rita, or Vince, I don’t know about Dave.

The spacecraft, named “Eagle” took off from the moon, named “Sea of Tranquility” successfully, is now up in space, flying in orbit, will rejoin the Command spaceship, Apollo 11, sometime around 5 o’clock p.m. The astronauts remained on the moon 36 minutes and 20 seconds. So far everything has worked out perfectly, just as planned.

I still can hardly believe this wonderful thing has actually happened, when I watched it on TV, I felt like I was watching a science fiction picture instead of the real thing. It makes one realize how great God, our creator is, to have made man so intelligent as to be able to accomplish such great things and remarkable feats.

Monday, July 21, 1969

Thank God, the astronauts have successfully left the moon and have rejoined the main Ratchet Columbia, the two together, the Eagle and the Columbia are called the Apollo 11. Now I hope and pray they will. The stainless steel plaque they left on the moon have these words, “Here men from planet Earth first set foot on the moon, July 20, 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.”

The first words said by Neil Armstrong as he set foot on the moon were, “That’s one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind!”

I believe that God meant all this to be, He gave these men and all men connected with the mission the brains and intelligence to do it. Praise God and may God bless those astronauts: Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins.

Thursday, July 24, 1969

I am watching on television the splashdown of the Apollo 11, the spacecraft that went to the moon, the first time that man ever went to the moon, the day was Monday, July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 is now safely afloat in the Pacific Ocean, the astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins have arrived back to earth safely, thank God, how happy their families must be and how proud the whole country, USA, in fact, the whole world is of these brave men and of all those who work to make such a marvelous spacecraft as the Apollo 11, many people are there to watch the splashdown and I saw President Nixon on the aircraft carrier, Hornet, watching also.

The astronauts had to put on isolation garments and be in quarantine to guard against any moon bugs or contamination. They might possibly have brought back with them.

So we, the United States of America, have made a successful journey to the moon, the same moon that thousands and thousands or I should say millions and millions of human beings have gazed at and wondered about for centuries and centuries. This trip cost $350 million, it is man’s greatest achievement so far, who know what great achievements man will make in the future.

One thing is sure, as long as mankind exists he will advance in knowledge and achievement, he will go on and on and on, using the brains, the intelligence that God has given him. These men on TV are saying that we'll find out a lot about the moon from the rock specimens that the astronauts brought back from the moon.