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<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
<title>Chariots For Apollo, ch14-5</title>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<p>
<h2>On the Surface</h2>
<p>
CapCom Charles Duke (Houston): "Good show." Command module
pilot Michael Collins (<cite>Columbia</cite>): "I heard the whole
thing." Commander Neil Armstrong (<cite>Eagle</cite>): "Thank
you. Just keep that orbiting base ready for us up there." This
three-way conversation was the first of a kind, coming from two ground
stations (one on the earth, the other on the moon) and a craft in lunar
orbit. When Armstrong stepped out on the surface, he and Aldrin would
turn it into a four-way talk, using their backpack radios.<p>
Flight control told lunar launch team Armstrong and Aldrin to begin the
two-hour practice countdown. The duo liked working in the one-sixth
gravity; it made the tasks seem light. And the checkout went well - the
thruster fuel was only ten percent less than they had expected; but a
mission timing clock had stopped, displaying a ridiculous figure that
they could not correlate to any point in the mission. They tried to turn
it back on. When they could not, they left it alone to give the
instrument a chance to recover; flight control could keep track of the
time in the interim. It soon became apparent that they were going to be
able to stay on the moon and explore.<p>
They wondered about their exact location, glancing out the windows and
describing what they saw to give flight control and Collins some clues
to aid in the search. While waiting to be found, Armstrong relayed all
that he could remember about the landing. They knew they were at least
six kilometers beyond the target point, although still within the
planned ellipse. Colors were almost the same on the surface as from
orbit: white, ashen gray, brown, tan, depending on the sun angle.
Armstrong noticed that the engine exhaust had apparently fractured some
of the nearby boulders. He glanced upward through the rendezvous window
and saw the earth looming above them. They also heard via radio some
unpleasant sounds from that planet, almost as though someone were moving
furniture around in the back room. Flight control quickly silenced the
racket, and the checkout on the moon continued.<p>
Because they had adapted so easily to the one-sixth-g environment and
because the simulated launch countdown had so few problems, Commander
Armstrong decided to begin the extravehicular activity before the
scheduled rest period. As Slayton had suspected, the astronauts could
not just sit there. They wanted to get out and explore. Flight control
agreed, adding that their movements would be watched on prime time
television. Rigging up for the stroll took longer than during the
training exercises on the earth, not because anything was wrong but
because they took extra care to make sure that everything was right.
About the only surprise they had was the discovery of a press-to-test
button on the portable life support system that neither could identify.
But they did not bother flight control about it; their backpack antennas
were scraping the cabin ceiling, making communications scratchy, and
they had more important things to talk about. They were quite
comfortable with the life support systems on their backs, which pleased
them after their experiences in the earth's gravity. They did have to
move carefully and methodically about the lander, however.
<p align=center>
<img src = "images/c350b.jpg" width=539 height=410 ALT="Armstrong's first step on moon"><p>
<cite>Armstrong takes mankind's first step toward the lunar surface,
while millions on earth watch via television.</cite>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
Finally, it was time to depressurize the cabin, open the hatch, and
prepare to step out on the moon. Armstrong was wondering if the light
would be good enough for the television camera to capture his first
step, and he was thinking about the gymnastics of backing through the
hatch and standing on the porch. Forty-five minutes after flight control
had given the crew a go for depressurization, the cabin had still not
quite reached a zero reading on the gauges, but it was close. The
crewmen could not wait any longer; 6 hours and 21 minutes after landing,
20 July, they pulled the hatch open, and Aldrin watched carefully as
Armstrong backed out. When he came too close to the sides of the hatch
with his bulky backpack, Aldrin gave him detailed instructions - a
little to the right, now more to the left - until he had safely reached
the porch. Armstrong turned a handle to release the latch on the
experiments' compartment and then went down as far as the footpad. He
checked to see if he could get back up - that first rung was high. He
did not expect any problems, although it would take a pretty good jump.
Then the watching world saw what it had been waiting for - Armstrong's
first step onto the moon.<p>
<cite>"That's one small step for [a]<a href =
"#explanation1"><b>*</b></a> man, one giant leap for
mankind."</cite><p>
With this historic moment behind him, Armstrong began to talk about the
surface, about the powdery charcoal-like layers of dust, as he and the
television camera looked at his bootprints in the lunar soil. One-sixth
g was certainly pleasant, he said. He glanced up at the lunar module
cabin, at Aldrin near the window. The lunar module pilot explained to
the viewers what Armstrong was doing as he gathered the contingency
sample and worked it into the pocket on his suit leg. Armstrong
described the stark beauty of the moon, likening the area to the high
desert country in the United States.
<p align=center>
<img src = "images/c350c.jpg" width=413 height=407 ALT="Aldrin descends ladder"><p>
<cite>Aldrin descends the ladder.</cite>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
When Aldrin asked, "Are you ready for me to come out?"
Armstrong answered, "Yes." The commander realized that
extravehicular activity on the moon was a two-man job at the minimum.
From his position on the ground, he could not give Aldrin as much help
in clearing the hatch as he would like, but he did the best he could.
On reaching the porch, Aldrin commented on how roomy it was; there was
no danger of falling off. "I want to . . . partially close the
hatch, . . . making sure not to lock it on my way out." Eighteen
minutes and twelve seconds after the first man stepped on the moon, he
was joined by his companion. Aldrin also was struck by the
"magnificent desolation." Although he could move easily, with
no hindrance from the big backpack, he noticed that he did have to think
about the position of the mass. Aldrin and Armstrong loped along, tried
a kangaroo hop, and reverted to the more conventional mode of simply
putting one foot in front of the other.<a href =
"#explanation2"><b>**</b></a> Despite the ease of movement, both
explorers believed that hikes of two kilometers or more would be tiring.
On the earth, they had to think only one or two steps ahead; on the
moon, they had to work out five to six steps in advance. And the rocky
soil was slippery.<p>
In some ways, the astronauts felt frustrated on this first lunar outing;
there was so much to see and do and so little time. They had planned
some of their moves as they looked out the window before disembarking,
but their field of view was limited to 60 percent of the area. This
first landing may have been in what was supposedly a nondescript region
of the moon, but even here they hoped that the cameras were capturing
some of the detail they did not have an opportunity to investigate
personally. Not being able to get down on their hands and knees to
examine items closely annoyed them; but the powdery soil, its tendency
to adhere to their clothing, and the difficulty of regaining upright
positions in the bulky space suits dissuaded them from trying to
kneel.<p>
Shortly after Aldrin alighted, Armstrong unveiled the plaque on the leg
of the LM, described the representation of the earth's two hemispheres,
and read the words to a vast listening audience:
<blockquote><p>Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon,
July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.</blockquote><p>
Underneath were the crew members' signatures and the signature of the
President of the United States (Nixon).<p>
A little later they held the flag-raising ceremony. The telescoping
flagpole stuck and they could not pull it out to its full extent; afraid
that they might lose their balance and fall on the rocky surface, they
did not try very hard. The ground below the surface was very hard, and
they pushed the pole in only 15 to 20 centimeters. Flight control told
Collins, circling in the command module above, of the ceremony,
remarking that he was probably the only person around without television
coverage of the event.<p>
After another brief stint of evaluating their ability to move around,
the crewmen were asked to step in front of the camera so the President
could speak to them. President Nixon said, "I am talking to you by
telephone from the Oval Room at the White House, and this certainly has
to be the most historic telephone call ever made." The President
said America was proud of them and their feat had made the heavens a
part of man's world. Hearing them talk from the moon inspired a
redoubling of effort "to bring peace and tranquility to Earth. . .
. For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people
on this Earth are truly one; one in their pride in what you have done,
and one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth."<p>
All of the ceremonial episodes were short, the President's call was the
last, and none used very much of the precious 2 hours and 40 minutes of
the schedule.<p>
The astronauts began the scientific part of their mission (see <a href =
"app-d.html">appendix D</a> for experiment descriptions). Getting
the science package from its stowage area was easier than in training
and, although the kit had been close to the descent engine, no heat
damage was observed. Aldrin elected to deploy the experiments manually
and looked for level spots in which to set them up. He soon found that
it was difficult to decide what was level ground by just looking at the
surface. The laser reflector had a leveling device - a bubble, or
"BB" - but Aldrin had trouble centering it. He finally gave up
and went on to other tasks. Armstrong came over later to photograph the
reflector, and the bubble was on dead center. They had no explanation
for this. The commander wished he had some kind of a rock table on which
to set the packages, to keep them from settling into the lunar soil, but
there was no time for that kind of refinement. Aldrin set up the solar
array experiment; one panel popped up automatically, but he had to pull
on a lanyard with his gloved hand to get the other in place.
<p align=center>
<img src = "images/c351a.jpg" width=407 height=399 ALT="Aldrin at the MESA"><p>
<cite>Armstrong photographed Aldrin as he deployed scientific
experiments at Tranquility Base. In the foreground at right is the 35 mm
stereo closeup camera.</cite>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
Time was getting short, so Aldrin left the experiments and began
collecting the documented samples. Reminded by flight control that
scientists wanted two core-tube specimens, he pushed the tube about 10
centimeters into the ground and began tapping it with a hammer. When it
did not go much farther, he beat on it until the hammer made dents in
the top of the tube. Even then he could only get it about five
centimeters deeper. He pulled the sampler out of the ground, meeting
little resistance. He had an impression of moisture in the soil, because
of the way the material adhered to the tube. He tried again about five
meters away, but the results were not much better. During the rapping
and tapping, the seismic package transmitted the vibrations back to the
earth.
<p align=center>
<img src = "images/c351b.jpg" width=405 height=403 ALT="Aldrin near seismometer"><p>
<cite>Aldrin stands by the passive seismic instrument, with the laser
device in front of him. Beyond the U.S. flag is the black and white
television camera.</cite>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
Armstrong had been snapping pictures and filling sample boxes with lunar
rocks and surface soil, describing what he was doing as he went from
place to place. It took longer to gather the bulk samples than it had
during earth simulations. He tried to keep as far from the engine
exhaust blast area as he could. He operated the stereoscopic camera
developed by scientist Thomas Gold, even though the trigger was
difficult to pull with his gloves on. Once he wandered out about 100
meters, being careful not to get out of sight of the lander, to look at
a crater and take some pictures. The trip took only a few minutes and
was easy, but when he returned he wanted to stop and rest. Then he had
to close the sample boxes, which took more effort than he had expected.
<p align=center>
<img src = "images/c350d.jpg" width=416 height=409 ALT="Eagle's footpad"><p>
<cite>After years of questions as to whether the lunar soil would bear
the weight of a vehicle without its sinking deep into dust, the footpads
of <em>Eagle</em> made only a slight impression.</cite>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
All during the exercise, the consumables were adequate, and flight
control extended the time on the surface by 15 minutes. But, still too
soon, CapCom McCandless finally had to tell Aldrin he would have to head
back for the cabin in 10 minutes. The lunar module had withstood the
landing well. It had apparently been a very soft landing, because the
footpads had sunk only about five centimeters into the soil. The pilots
found little wrong with their machine except some broken thermal
insulation (the gold foil) on the lander's legs.<p>
After an hour and three-quarters on the surface, Aldrin heard McCandless
say, "Head on up the ladder, Buzz." The first step was a long
one, and the soil on the soles of his boots made the rungs slippery, but
he made it. Using the pulley, the crew hauled the sample boxes and
cameras back into the cabin. Armstrong did a deep knee bend and jumped
straight up, almost two meters, to the third rung of the ladder. Neither
crewman had any trouble getting into the cabin. Once inside, they threw
out a number of items that were just taking up space. For the most part,
the crew was out of touch with the earth at this time, because the
backpack antennas were again scratching against the ceiling. Flight
control told Collins that the lunar walkers had returned to their ship,
and he shouted, "Hallelujah."
<p align=center>
<img src = "images/c351c.jpg" width=414 height=406 ALT="Flag seen from the window"><p>
<cite>The view from the window - footprints and the flag, left behind on
the moon.</cite>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
Armstrong and Aldrin found the post-EVA check easier than the
preparations for getting out, but there was a long checklist to work
through. They were glad they had tossed out some of the equipment,
because there was still a "truckload" in the cabin. They ate
during this period, but made no real attempt to relax, let alone sleep.
They knew they could not sleep if all the launch preparations were not
finished. They wondered how Collins was faring, racing around upstairs
getting ready for the rendezvous.<p>
Once they had finished their chores and were ready to call it a night,
flight control began a question-and-answer session on the lunar surface
operations. This came after they had already said "good night"
twice. When the questions began to require extensive answers, especially
on geology, Aldrin asked Houston to postpone the discussion until later.
Flight control agreed, and Owen Garriott (now at the capcom console)
said he hoped this transmission would be the final good night.<p>
Armstrong and Aldrin found their lunar house dirty, noisy, crowded, and
too brightly lit. They put on their helmets to keep from breathing the
dust, to muffle the racket, and to protect themselves in any unexpected
cabin depressurization. Shutting out the light was not so easy. The
shades over the windows were little more than transparent sheets; even
the lunar horizon could be seen through them. When Armstrong noticed
that the light seemed to be getting stronger, he opened his eyes to find
that the earth was pouring its rays through the sextant.<p>
Getting to sleep proved to be a constant battle, and neither pilot was
sure that he ever completely dozed off. Aldrin was on the floor, and
Armstrong was on the ascent engine cover with his legs in a sling he had
rigged up from a tether. Neither was uncomfortable at first - the suits
were no problem ("You have your own little snug sleeping bag,"
Aldrin said) - but soon they began feeling cold. After a time, and much
fiddling with the controls, they were warmer, but they told Houston that
future moon pilots should adjust the cabin temperature before they
started to rest.<p>
While his crewmates had been active on the surface, Collins had been
busy in the command module. There was not much navigating to do, so he
took pictures and looked out the window, trying to find the lunar
module. He never found it; neither did flight control. There was just
too much real estate down there to be able to search the whole area
properly. Collins divided the part of the moon he was flying over into
segments, but he had no better luck. Armstrong and Aldrin had taken the
26-power monocular with them, but Collins did not think it would have
helped much, anyway. He did complain that all this searching cut into
the time he needed for taking pictures on each circuit, but he was
philosophical about it. As he said, "When the LM is on the surface,
the command module should act like a good child and be seen and not
heard."<a href = "#source10"><b>10</b></a>
<p>
<hr>
<p>
<a name = "explanation1"><b>*</b></a> Whether he actually uttered the
article or not later caused considerable discussion. Armstrong, himself,
later wrote: "I thought it had been included. Although it is
technically possible that the VOX didn't pick it up and transmit it, my
listening to the recording indicates it is more likely that it was just
omitted."<p>
<a name = "explanation2"><b>**</b></a> Armstrong even tried jumping
straight up. When he noticed a tendency to pitch backward, he stopped.
<p>
<hr>
<p>
<a name = "source10"><b>10</b>.</a> "Apollo 11 Debriefing," 1:
10-1, 10-6 through 10-68, 10-72 through 10-82, 11-1 through 11-6;
"Apollo 11 Voice," pp. 318-26, 331-36, 341-43, 352, 358-59,
368, 370-98, 400-11, 414, 422-30; "Apollo 11 Mission Report," pp.
1-1, 1-2, 3-2, 4-9 through 4-16, 5-7, 5-8, 9-1, 9-19, 9-33, 10-1 through
10-4, 11-1 through 11-5, 12-7; <cite>Mission Report: Apollo 11,</cite>
pp. 2-5; Armstrong to JSC History Off., 3 Dec. 1976; Armstrong to Loyd
S. Swenson, 2 Oct. 1975.
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