For All Mankind

We choose to go to the moon.

We choose to go to the moon...

We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,

not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained

and new rights to be won,

and they must be won and used

for the progress of all mankind.

We shall send to the moon,

240, 000 miles away,

from the control station in Houston,

a giant rocket,

more than 300 feet tall,

made of new metal alloys,

some of which have not yet been in vented,

capable of standing heat and stresses

se vera/ times more than have ever been experienced,

titted together with a precision better than the finest watch,

carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion,

guidance, control, communications, food and survival,

on an untried mission

to an unknown celestial body.

And, therefore, as we set sail,

we ask god's blessing on the most hazardous

and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.

Thank you.

Just like a person waiting in the wings to go on stage,

the y probably have less time to daydream

because the y're trying to remember what the y've gotta do.

You know, I had a feeling that I really ought to concentrate on remembering

Alan bean

buzz aldrin

John young

Charlie Duke

James ln/vin

Buzz aldrin

Gosh, here we are, and we 're gettin'down close.

I hope the suit checks out okay.

Dave Scott

Pete Conrad

Pete Conrad

and heart starts pounding.

It was like the big game about to Stan'.

Dick Gordon

but you still have to stay there.

You have to schedule it in conjunction with the booster schedule itself

Jack swigert

John young

John young

we 're there, not sitting out at the pad, until the count gets to a certain point,

John young

and then we 're called to proceed to the spacecrafl.

Gene cernan

dick Gordon

Apollo 77

Y'all take care, now.

Apollo 16

Apollo 77

Godspeed, men.

Right at the last minute,

there was a psychological block in there that said,

"don't count on this so heavily.

It mrght not happen."

This is such a brg thing. I frankly don't see how you can do it.

Even when participating in it, I think its audacious that you would try.

I clearly could ne ver understand, as a crewman,

how to make it work.

I could only learn how to operate my share of it.

Bein' command pilot, I was sittin'in the center seat,

so that meant I climbed in last.

I just stood around and waited until they strapped in.

And here was kind of a strange quiet

Jack Schmitt

look out, and you can see a large part of the state and the ocean,

and this thing out here,

you have the feeling that its alive.

That's the kind of thing that sort of for the first time,

begins to bring home the fact

that today is not the game we've been playing in training for years.

Jack Schmitt

Apollo 77

Tom Mattingly

and doggone if the moon wasn't visible in the day/rght

rrght strarght out the top of the window.

I know the y're doin' their job rrght because the moon is rrght strarght ahead,

and that's where we 're pointed.

They're just gonna launch us rrght strarght to this thing.

This is Apollo saturn launch control

all still go on the Apollo mission...

The flrght to land the first men on the moon.

The spacecrafl also now is on full internal power.

Up to this time, it had been sharing the load with an external power source.

Once we get down to the three-minute- and-ten-second Mark in the countdown,

gene kranz

gene kranz

all aspects from there on down will be automatic,

run by the ground master computer here in the firing room.

They don't have anyplace to take it down.

He's just looking to cross the pipeline to find out what the hell the trend is.

Gene kranz

a vehicle that werghs close to six and a half million pounds.

We all are in this together as a team effort.

We 're gonna make it work.

And / don't know how to make it work.

I don't know how to do most of this mission.

But I do know that I can assure you that m y piece of it is gonna work

and you won't fail because of me.

The members of the launch team here in the control center

are monitoring a number of what we call red line values.

Bob overmyer

they are standing by to call out any deviations from our plans.

All indications coming in to the control center at this time indicate we are go.

The supervisor now has informed launch vehicle testing you are go for launch.

Three minutes, 25 seconds and counting. We are still go at this time.

There is a long period of time

where you've done all the things in the cockpit you can do

and there are few things lefl to say.

Apollo 77

Apollo 77

there is just not much lefl to say except just sit there and wait.

And it feels good.

Astronauts report it feels good. One minute, 25 seconds and counting.

Our status board indicates the third stage completely pressurized.

Guidance system goes on internal at 77 seconds,

leading up to the rgnition sequence at 8.9 seconds.

Power transfer is complete.

Firing command coming in now.

Gene kranz

We 're on internal power with the launch vehicle at this time.

The second stage tanks nowpressun'zed. Thirty-five seconds and counting.

It won't fail because of me.

T-minus 20 seconds and counting. Guidance internal.

T-minus 20 seconds and counting. Guidance internal.

Fifteen, 74, 73, 72, 77,

ten, nine, engines go...

- Five, four; Three, in two... - Eecoll/I.

Launch commit.

Yahoo!

It feels just like it sounds.

I got a pitch and a roll program, and this baby is really goin'.

Roger that. Stand by for mode one bra vo.

Apollo soyuz

that's a lo very liflofif that's not bad at all.

Theres a moment there just of supreme elation,

a complete release of tensions.

To feel all that po wer precisely directed,

to know that we 're on course, first of all, for earth orbit,

and then precisely inserted onto the rrght orbit,

the rrght trajectory, for rendezvous with the moon.

Apollo to Houston. You're rrght smack dab on the trajectory.

Your lus doin ' a beautiful job.

I gota yaw program.

Trajectorys good. Thrust is good.

We 're on our way, Houston.

At last, I'm leaving the earth, and I'm destined for the moon.

Whata n'de. Whata ride.

Roger. We copy, Pete.

Roger. Looks good up here too.

Rolls complete.

Apollo soyuz

You can feel it shake. Theres a real strong vibration.

Of course, you're up at the end of this beauty.

Here you are, going along with the g on ya.

Gets up to about four gs, but you're psyched up, good shape and all that.

Even liflin' your arm to move switches — No problem.

Apollo soyuz

Here you are comin' up on staging, and when staging happens, its, like, man!

We got skirt step.

And that's for rgnition, Houston.

- To confirm, thrust is go. - Roger.

Trajectory, guidance, cmc are all go.

Thank you, Joe.

Houston, you're lookin' good here, nght down the center line.

That was shutdown rrght on the money.

Bob overmyer

And we 're out over the canaries.

Apollo, Houston, through the canaries. How do you read?

Loud and clear, Houston. Over the canaries.

Boy, its just beautiful up here lookin' out the window.

Its just really fantastic.

Roger.

Let me tell ya a little bit about the ride.

Uh, John, this is Houston.

If there is nothin'startling to report about the ride, we 'd rather hold ofi'.

No, theres nothing really spectacular or different

to report on the ride.

We'll hold ofi' on that.

The sunset is just as beautiful as always in this space business.

In Africa, there are a lot of nomads out in the desert.

Clear desert nrghts, you see the tires from all of these...

These little yellow dots that represent the fires

from all these nomads camping out.

And you realize the broad area that you're looking at.

And each of those little dots represented people...

Other humans that are out there in an environment

which I would consider more strange than the environment

they mrght think about... me.

Walter Cunningham

When you get there into orbit,

the engines shut down, and things start to feel sorta funny.