Four simple words sum up this story: “MAN ON THE MOON!”
Depending upon where you lived in these United States 55 years ago late last night or early this morning earthlings by the name of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first known humans to set foot on the lunar surface. Yes, it was another case of virtually the whole world was watching and that includes Group W Aerospace.
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon, 20-Jul-1969.
Correspondent Jim Slade who was aided and abetted by Beach Rogers of Westinghouse station, KFWB, Los Angeles. There were a multitude of places on the radio and TV dials to have followed this unforgettable story but Group W always figures in my accounts for two simple reasons: I was at the time, the morning news broadcaster at Westinghouse station KDKA, Pittsburgh, and Jim Slade’s work with words and explanations, impressed me to no end! That’s not to say that Mr. Rogers was an after-thought. Definitely not! What all started with JFK’s declaration on September 12, 1962 that “We choose to go to the moon,” included a promise to make this out-of-this-world journey before the end of the 1960s. So, less than 7 years later, President Kennedy’s vision became reality as Apollo 11 roared into the heavens carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins into history. Four days after the blast-off from Cape Kennedy, Armstrong and Aldrin were prancing about on the moon’s surface looking and observing in total wonderment as they went about conducting various experiments.
To be sure, it was a trip for the ages and featured a message left on the lunar surface that “We came in peace,” and then that memorable quote from Armstrong, Wapakoneta’s pride and joy, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!” That may be in the history books just a collection of meaningful words, but for the many millions across the Earth who were listening to their radios and watching the dramatic events unfold on television, that phrase truly packed a wallop! More than 8 days after lift-off in Florida the trio of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins made a safe splashdown in the Pacific about 800 miles southwest of Hawaii and a dozen miles from the recovery ship, the U.S.S. Hornet.
In looking back, this was another giant page in the annals of NASA’s outstanding work and an event chock-full of memories and history for skyward-watching Earthlings!
-Bob Gibson-
Bob Gibson – https://www.wnew1130.com/news/staff/e-f-g-i/bob-gibson/
Below is a reprise of the July 15, 2019 post by Edward Brown.
Click on links below for the Apollo 11 production, a profile of George Engle by Alan Walden, Executive Producer Mike Stein; and a National Geographic feature on the Future of Space Flight.
My very small role in the moon mission was as newsroom anchor for Metromedia’s Philadelphia station, WIP, during the moonwalk (middle of the night, local time).
WIP’s coverage was sponsored (and I am not making this up) by Conte Luna spaghetti sauce (Reach for the moon! Reach for Conte Luna!). My companion in the newsroom through the long night was my fiancee, Sharon. In less than three months, we would be married, have moved to Brooklyn, and I would be the night news editor at WNEW.
As with most momentous moments in our lives I remember exactly where I was that evening. At my parents house in Southern NJ, where I was still living as I was about to be a senior at Newark College of Engineering, my mom and Dad, and my fiance all went out into our yard on that incredibly clear evening after seeing the event on TV and we starred at the crystal clear moon as if we could see the astronauts! It seemed a moment in time that will last for eons that defined just what we are capable of doing as a society if we put our intellect to work. Sadly, reflecting back we seem to have lost our way since those times. Peace, Mike.