Yesterday marked half a century since the monumental efforts of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. On July 20, 1969, NASA’s Apollo 11 mission successfully touched down on the Moon, bringing an end to the Space Race with the Soviet Union. Mr Armstrong became an international celebrity overnight after being the first man to walk on the moon and delivering his “one smell step” speech, before Mr Aldrin joined him 20 minuted later.
However, the pair were not impressed with the smell.
After two-and-a-half hours of collecting samples from the Moon’s surface, MrArmstrong and Mr Aldrin headed back and re-pressurised the Eagle lunar lander, but their suits and equipment were soiled by lunar dust.
Mr Aldrin recalled to Space.com in 2015: ”It was like burnt charcoal.
“Or similar to the ashes that are in a fireplace, especially if you sprinkle a little water on them.”
It was like burnt charcoal
Buzz Aldrin
Mr Aldrin also revealed why they had some concerns over the dust.
He added: ”Before we left Earth, the lunar dust was considered by some alarmists as very dangerous, in fact pyrophoric, capable of igniting spontaneously in air.
“The fact that the lunar dust had been so void of contact with oxygen, as soon as we re-pressurised our lunar module cabin it might start to heat up, smoulder, even burst into flames.
“At least that was the worry of a few.
“A late-July firework display on the Moon was not something advisable.”
So Mr Aldrin and Mr Armstrong collected samples quickly and stashed them in their pockets in case there was a problem that forced the moonwalkers to depart the scene in a hurry.
That grab specimen was placed on the top of the Eagle’s ascent engine cover.
As the cabin began to fill with air, both Mr Armstrong and Mr Aldrin waited to see if the lunar sample would indeed smoke and smoulder.
Mr Aldrin explained: ”If it did, we’d stop pressurisation, open the hatch and toss it out.
“But nothing happened.
“We got back to the business of readying for departure from the moon.”
Yesterday, Aldrin’s Apollo 11 secret was revealed.
During his time alone inside the lunar module, ldrin called back to Mission Control to inform everyone that they deserved a moment to think about what they had just achieved.
He said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”
Then Mr Aldrin, who was an elder at the Webster Presbyterian Church, admitted he had snuck a small bottle of consecrated wine and a piece of bread on board.
He then turned off his radio and performed a communion in a touching gesture to his faith.
He told Guideposts magazine in 1970: “I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me.
“In the one-sixth gravity of the moon the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup.
“It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements.”
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