 20th July 1969 commemorates the first man on the moon. Here's some programme ideas that are so Global they are Out of this World! First Man on the Moon
It was the night of July 20, 1969 when the Apollo 11 astronauts first landed on the Moon. The men on board were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. It was Neil Armstrong who had the honour of stepping out of the spacecraft and onto the Moon’s surface and spoke the immortal words “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”. Millions of people around the world stayed up late that night to see the black and white televised landing. Unmanned space craft had visited the moon prior to this.
The astronaut stepped onto the Moon's surface, in the Sea of Tranquility, at 0256 GMT, nearly 20 minutes after first opening the hatch on the Eagle landing craft. Armstrong had earlier reported the lunar module's safe landing at 2017 GMT with the words: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." He described the surface as being like powdered charcoal and the landing craft left a crater about a foot deep.
'We came in peace'
The historic moments were captured on television cameras installed on the Eagle and turned on by Armstrong. Armstrong spent his first few minutes on the Moon taking photographs and soil samples in case the mission had to be aborted suddenly. He was joined by colleague Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin at 0315 GMT and the two collected data and performed various exercises - including jumping across the landscape - before planting the Stars and Stripes flag at 0341 GMT. They also unveiled a plaque bearing President Nixon's signature and an inscription reading: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."
Did you know:
Astronauts With Scouting Experience: Of the 27 men to travel to the moon on the Apollo 9 through Apollo 17 missions, 24 were Scouts, including 11 of the 12 men who physically walked on the moon's surface, and all three members of the crew of Apollo 13.
Thought/Reflection: Native American Prayer ‘Grandmother Moon’. We put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon. Now our minds are one.
Quote: “to be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars”
Henry Van Dyke The Herald of Gospel, Liberty, 12th August 1909 | 
