Jul 5 1969
From The Space Library
Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong (commander), Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. (M pilot), and Michael Collins (CM pilot) held press conference at NASA HQ. Astronauts were seated 50 ft from nearest newsmen and were partially enclosed in plastic booth as part of plan to limit crew's contacts during 21 days immediately preceding flight and prevent development of illness. Press pool questions were asked by Rhett Turner. Collins told press that from CM viewpoint, Apollo 11 should not be very different from previous manned Apollo missions. He did not feel "slightest bit frustrated" about going to moon without landing on it: "I'm going 99.9 percent of the way there, and that suits me fine." LM flight plan would pick up where Apollo 10 left off with phasing maneuver, Aldrin explained. There would be number of "firsts": "the ultimate test," actual touchdown; 1/6 g environment; new thermal conditions; two-man EVA on lunar surface; sleeping in LM on moon; star sighting technique with alignment telescope on lunar surface; and powered ascent from moon with seven-minute engine burn. One of important early activities after exiting from LM on moon would be determining best pace for moving about: ". . . there have been several different techniques employed in the partial zero gravity training. And, it looks like you can walk conventionally one foot after another. It also looks as though you can do a two-footed hop-kangaroo style." In training in aircraft flown at 1/6 g, "a fairly rapid pace" appeared quite easy to perform. "It looks like we shouldn't have too much difficulty in moving at something like 6, 8, or 10 miles per hour." Armstrong said crew would use "somewhat hybrid methods of manual and automatic" for descent to moon. "The predicted method at this point, although we have a great deal of flexibility and choice, based on the situation at the time, would be to maintain manual control of attitude and automatic control of throttle through the final descent from an altitude of somewhere between 500 and 1000 feet until such time as the automatic throttle rated descent was unsatisfactory, at which time we'll go full manual on the throttle . . flying it in a manner like a normal VTOL machine." Code names for CM and LM had been selected as "representative of the flight, the nation's hope," Armstrong revealed. LM would be called "Eagle" for U.S. national emblem, and CM would be called "Columbia" for U.S. symbol, statue on top of Capitol, and Jules Verne's fictional spacecraft, "Columbiad," which flew to moon 100 yrs ago. (Transcript; O'Toole, W Post, 7/6/69, Al)
Listen to Michael Collins interview on this day
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Listen to Neil A. Armstrong interview on this day
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Listen to Edwin Buzz Aldrin interview on this day
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July 5-6: In Moscow Apollo 8 Astronaut Frank Borman placed wreaths at tombs of Vladimir I. Lenin, founder of Soviet state; rocket designer Sergey Korolev; and Cosmonauts Yuri A. Gagarin and Vladimir M. Komarov. Later he placed wreath at tomb of Soviet Unknown Soldier. Borman and family visited Star City, home of cosmonauts outside Moscow, where he presented color film of Apollo 8. Cosmonauts presented Borman with model of Vostok I, first manned spacecraft. Later Borman toured major space tracking station at Eupatoria near Yalta in Crimea. (AP, W Star, 7/5/69, A13; UPI, W Star, 7/7/69, A2)
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