Buzz Aldrin captured an image of his footprint on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. The footprint remains there to this day, as there is no atmosphere, and therefore no wind, on the Moon.
Credit: NASA
WASHINGTON DC: The U.S. is marking the 40th anniversary of the historic first moon walk, with President Barack Obama kicking off events by meeting at the White House, with the crew of the Apollo 11 mission.
The crew became the first to accomplish the dream of ages and walk on the surface of the Moon – an endeavor now remembered at a time when U.S. dominance in space has become far less certain.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," said astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped down from the lunar lander onto the Moon's Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969, as an estimated 500 million people on Earth crowded round televisions and radios.
Celebrations across the nation
In addition to the White House reception, a host of events planned include a news conference in Washington today, with astronauts from the Apollo program and a simulcast to science centres across the U.S. about the Apollo legacy and the future of space exploration.
Celebrations will be held from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, where the Apollo 11 mission blasted off, to mission control at Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas and at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.
The lunar landing was a huge morale boost for a country mired in the Vietnam war and on edge because of the Cold War, ushering in a new sense of confidence and challenging concepts of science and religion.
"That was a proud moment, to be a military person and to salute that (U.S.) flag on the surface of the Moon," astronaut Buzz Aldrin told the Fox News Sunday program.
Glance between Aldrin and Armstrong
Aldrin, second to Armstrong to step onto the Moon, said what stays with him most about his rendezvous with history was a realisation, upon touchdown, of the scope of what he and the rest of NASA had achieved.
"What I want to remember most is the glance between Neil and myself, with the engine shutoff, just those seconds after we touched down, because we had just completed the most critical door opening for exploration in all of humanity," Aldrin said.
But dreams that we might all be able to travel to the stars some day have been rudely brought down to Earth.
solar wind
why will armstrong's footprint last on the moon for millions of years if there is solar wind? should solar wind be renamed to something else if it isnt truely WIND?? i dont get it.
Melissa