Jul 21 1969
From The Space Library
Click here to listen to Apollo 11 VOA Coverage July 21 1969
U.S.S.R.'s Luna XV (launched July 13) had landed on moon at 6:45 pm Moscow time (11:45 am EDT) and had ended its work, Tass announced. Spacecraft had "reached the moon's surface in the preset area" after 52 revolutions around moon and 86 communications sessions during which "the work of the new systems of the station was checked, the parameters of the trajectory of the movement was measured, and scientific research was conducted." Tass said Luna XV had demonstrated capability to land on various areas of lunar surface by changing selenocentric orbit and that mission had yielded important data on spacecraft systems. Sir Bernard Lovell, Jodrell Bank Experimental Station Director, said signals from spacecraft had ended suddenly and estimated craft might have landed in Sea of Crises, about 500 mi from Sea of Tranquility. "If we don't get any more signals, we will assume it crash-landed. But we don't make that assumption at the moment." (Gwertzman, NYT, 7/22/69, 1, 29)
Univ. of Texas astronomers reported second unsuccessful attempt to bounce laser beam off reflector left on moon by Apollo 11 astronauts. McDonald Observatory Director, Dr. Harlan Smith, said he expected eventual success. (AP, B Sun, 7/22/69, A8)
Galabert International Astronautics Prize for 1969 was awarded in Paris to Apollo 11 astronauts. Award of $4,000 was presented annually for notable contributions "to human progress for the advancement of all sciences and techniques associated with astronautics." (AP, B Sun, 7/22/69, A8)
HUD Secretary George W. Romney addressed International Platform Assn. in Washington, D.C.: "I do not propose that we now abandon our efforts to extend man's reach still further beyond our planet, any more than we abandoned our domestic goals while we were reaching for the moon. But I do believe the time has come for a revision-in fact, a reversal-of our national priorities. I believe that in the decades ahead, the public interest and indeed our national survival require us to assign our housing and urban goals a high priority-at least comparable to the priority we gave our space program in the decade just ending." (HUD News; Hutchens, W Star, 7/22/69, A6)
South Korea dedicated its first superhighway, linking Seoul with Inchon. It was named Apollo in honor of U.S. moon landing. (AP, W Post, 7/23/69, C5)
“Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong” article in Newsweek magazine
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