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all 182 comments

[–]Tuesday_D 114 points115 points ago

This is my all-time favorite photo from the Apollo missions. I'm glad NASA chose it as the photo to attach to their public announcement.

[–]ThaddeusJP 14 points15 points ago

You should check out www.apolloarchive.com - they have almost all the photos from the Apollo missions. The photo above happens to be AS11-37-5528.

[–]twistedtxb 2 points3 points ago

Well there goes my afternoon.. Thanks so much!!!

[–]ThaddeusJP 0 points1 point ago

I hope you were able to find as much joy and interest out of it as I have. It's a great site.

[–]MrBurd 44 points45 points ago

I've never seen it before(Or rather, never really looked for it) and I think I'll adapt this one as my favorite as well.

[–]Tuesday_D 25 points26 points ago

There is a wonderful book called "Full Moon" that is high quality prints made from the master dupes of the Apollo 70mm film. My favourite shots are the post-mission ones. Seeing how they all were simultaneously awestruck and weary speaks so much about their experiences.

[–]yuruku 13 points14 points ago

Having never seen this image, I can't believe how powerful it is. You can just see the pure happiness, a childhood dream is immortalized in this picture.

[–]BlindSpotGuy 9 points10 points ago

"We just walked on the moon, man! The fucking moon!

[–]Panfish 1 point2 points ago

The original timeline had Neil and Buzz taking a nap immediately after landing on the moon. After they touched down, they realized that wasn't going to happen, so they went on the moonwalk instead. Then they were supposed to sleep before takeoff. That didn't work either. Neil's been awake for a long time (40 hours?) at the time the picture was taken.

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/19jul_seaoftranquillity.html

[–]B267949A 11 points12 points ago

It's not the iconic earthrise or the footprint or the full-frame image of the full earth, but it's one of those photographs that shows the humanity of the people involved. That's something easily lost in the grandeur and gravitas of great events.

[–]Darknight007 268 points269 points ago

This is an astonishing piece of history. God damn it's amazing.

[–]frogstomp427 53 points54 points ago

Absolutely. It's terrible that we had to lose this amazing man, even if he did live a full life.

[–]TheGoodSir11 75 points76 points ago

He's a legend man. His story will live on forever. Who's gonna forget the first guy to step on the moon?

[–]LongDongSchlongers 52 points53 points ago

There should be a monument built on the moon after colonization of the Apollo 11 crew.

[–]B267949A 44 points45 points ago

No, there can be no more fitting monument than the landing site itself. To even stand the flag back up would mean disturbing the dust and footprints on the lunar surface. Those footprints will outlive the United States and all of humanity. Long after the last man-made structure crumbles into dust, the lunar surface will preserve the footprints of the Apollo astronauts for millions of years longer.

[–]Creabhain 39 points40 points ago

Considering how covered by impact craters the surface of the moon is, I suspect that sooner or later the footprints will either be covered by falling dust after an impact or actually struck directly and destroyed.

I like the thought of the footprints lasting millions of years just as you do. Nothing we product now will last, other than our DNA travelling into the future in the form of our offspring.

A sobering thought.

[–]B267949A 15 points16 points ago

the moon is over 4.5 billion years old, and impact rates have slowed since its younger days. Even with the possibility of impacts, the footprints are likely to last millions of years.

[–]Creabhain 16 points17 points ago

I would not be so sure. Read this interesting NASA webpage detailing research into moon impacts.

[–]kx2w 3 points4 points ago

Everything experiences a death eventually.

[–]101UsesForADeadGovt 9 points10 points ago

There is a monument, the descent stage of the LM with its plaque.

[–]manymoose 7 points8 points ago

Richard Nixon has his name on the moon. I don't know why I find that amusing.

[–]Lets_buttfuck_Jesus 18 points19 points ago

It is perfect. Highlights how the iniquitous are never far behind the best of humanity.

[–]barbaricyawp24 8 points9 points ago

dat vocabulary.

[–]HighGuy92 9 points10 points ago

Brought to you by "Lets_buttfuck_Jesus"

[–]klauschadman 7 points8 points ago

This raises the question, for me anyway, of what will become of the artifacts of the Apollo 11 landings. Should the moon one day be colonized, will they build a museum around the landing site?

[–]LongDongSchlongers 17 points18 points ago

One of the first episodes of Futurama

Fry and Leela goto the amusement park on the moon. For Leela it's no big deal. It's quite magical for Fry, however. He convinces Leela to leave the park and drive the lunar rover to the Apollo 11 landing site. Fry it taken back and is brought to tears, Leela doesn't really care. It's only the moon.

Anyways, the Apollo 11 site had been forgotten about and would forever be on the dark side of the moon.

[–]thisdudeisme 20 points21 points ago

Leah?...

[–]klauschadman 3 points4 points ago

I actually think of that very episode whenever I wonder about the future of the moon.

[–]Creabhain 4 points5 points ago

I love the fact that the Futurama writers explained why the lunar lander would still be there (in reality they used it to return) by having a plaque from the "Historical Sticklers Association" saying it was returned there at a later date.

[–]TracyMorganFreeman 1 point2 points ago

We're whalers on the moon...

[–]ZankerH 0 points1 point ago

But it's not on the "dark" (far) side of the moon.

[–]Olivecloak 0 points1 point ago

Hell, they should name the first Lunar Colony like... "Armstrong", or something.

[–]neomicron 1 point2 points ago

We're colonizing the crew?!?!

[–]LongDongSchlongers 0 points1 point ago

Nope, if you read that's not what I said at all.

[–]neomicron 2 points3 points ago

Might I recommend:

There should be a monument of the Apollo 11 crew built on the moon after colonization.

[–]Azzmo 0 points1 point ago

Your grammar was poor. He knew what you meant, but what you said was that a monument should be built on the moon after the Apollo 11 crew is colonized.

Better alternative:

"After colonization, there should be a monument built on the moon of/to the Apollo 11 crew."

[–]Onotix 8 points9 points ago

My 15 year old brother has never heard of Neil Armstrong until today.

[–]crzagazeta 12 points13 points ago

Wow, that's bad...

[–]Onotix 11 points12 points ago

Gets worse he thought he was "the guy who rides bikes."

[–]crzagazeta 8 points9 points ago

You need to do something about this, maybe smack him with a book?

[–]Panfish 0 points1 point ago

"smack him with a hook"

FTFY

[–]ouchmyback 2 points3 points ago

This makes me so sad. :(

[–]Ml1125 0 points1 point ago

Has he been to school? I'm sure they would mention somewhere. How can you not know who he is?

[–]Ryan2468 0 points1 point ago

Sad, but inevitable.

[–]diamondjim 0 points1 point ago

You should send him to school.

[–]Cunnilingus_Academy 0 points1 point ago

How is that possible, don't they learn about this stuff in school?

[–]Featherstoned -3 points-2 points ago

Knock on wood! Quick!

[–]ImmanuelXavier 6 points7 points ago

How is it terrible. He was old and he died. He wasn't going to live forever. He lived his life as a legend and didn't suffer many hardships as far as I know.

[–]Rustysporkman 4 points5 points ago

Personally, and for a wholly selfish reason, I think it's terrible because I never got to meet the guy.

[–]linlorienelen 2 points3 points ago

His daughter died of cancer when she was 2.

[–]Zansh1n 0 points1 point ago

Exactly...death is not always terrible...

[–]audacityx 13 points14 points ago

Seems like a genuine reaction from a guy who just achieved the impossible.

Although this picture is not evidence one way or another I wonder how the moonlanding deniers feel about this photo

disclaimer: I don't want to argue about the moonlanding just a thought I had that led to a question

[–]krinkov[!] 3 points4 points ago

This was the peak of us. As Americans, this was our scientific, cultural, and historical peak. Not to say we didn't do many amazing feats afterwards, but all future generations will look at this as our greatest accomplishment.

[–]stuffingisawesome 0 points1 point ago

Until mars, but that will be an international effort.

[–]Ivesisbanksy 71 points72 points ago

Not sure if teary-eyed, or no sleep for the last few hundred thousand miles.

Love ya Neil, thanks for not being a crazy tabloid sell-out.

[–]Novistador 24 points25 points ago

Wasn't it the case that the moon dust had a sort of allergen effect on the Astronauts.

[–]iamadogforreal 39 points40 points ago

"Dust is the No. 1 environmental problem on the moon," said Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, who reported having a severe allergic reaction to moon dust during his mission in 1972. "We need to understand what the (biological) effects are, because there's always the possibility that engineering might fail."

http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2005/04/67110


Not sure about the other guys, but this guy had a reaction.

[–]pliskie 30 points31 points ago

Moon dust has nothing to erode it, no air thus no wind, no water, no biological activity. The only forces acting on it, extreme heat and cold, can only serve to fracture it more. Sharpest dust imaginable.

[–]03Titanium 9 points10 points ago

And guess what: ground-up moon rocks are pure poison.

[–]fireinthesky7 14 points15 points ago

Still, it turns out they're a great portal conductor.

[–]bennybenners 2 points3 points ago

Are they really? This NASA article says that moon dust is not chemically poisonous (it is mostly silicon), but that it is dangerous due to it fine particulate nature.

[–]Harachel 2 points3 points ago

He's alluding to Portal 2

[–]bennybenners 1 point2 points ago

Doh! I've never played Portal.

Woooooooosh.

[–]mediochrea 0 points1 point ago

No, that's asbestos.

[–]arabisraeli 1 point2 points ago

This is a great little factoid.

[–]Mazakaki 0 points1 point ago

Like super insulation fibre.

[–]eifersucht12a 6 points7 points ago

I haven't heard that but I recall hearing that the dust was extremely abrasive, almost razor sharp. The effect on their suits was a very real concern.

[–]gulpeg 2 points3 points ago

I'm sure he wasn't the only teary eyed one that day!

[–]Lunchable 0 points1 point ago

Definitely teary-eyed. Just imagine how you'd feel if you launched yourself toward a theoretical physical object in the universe, planning to land on it and walk around. After all, the very ideas of planets and satellites are only a few hundred years old. I'd probably cry a little.

[–]cracklins 34 points35 points ago

I am in awe of the courage they had. They traveled to the moon in a vehicle much less sophisticated than the airliner we use to travel to the next major metropolis. Just like the barnstormers of old, only in space. Bubble gum and bailing wire - To the moon or bust.

[–]Gimli_The_Dwarf 23 points24 points ago

250,000 miles through hard vacuum. In the solar wind. Uphill each way.

[–]cracklins 9 points10 points ago

Hahaha..Yep. Old school brass clangers.

[–]cracklins 9 points10 points ago

I didn't mean to diminish the importance of Armstrong's passing. R.I.P. General Armstrong.

[–]Gimli_The_Dwarf 6 points7 points ago

When I die, I hope someone says "He had huge brass balls" at my funeral

[–]Dubbys 61 points62 points ago

People have frequently scorned Armstrong for not speaking to any media after the moon landing but as described in the documentary In The Shadow Of The Moon, the landing on the moon was not a single persons accomplishment or even a nations accomplishment, It was an achievement to be shared by everyone on Earth.

We can all take part in the awesome achievement because we don't have a single person on newsreels taking credit for the action. He was the absolute perfect person to be chosen to walk on the Moon first because he understood this and prepared for it in advance. Thank you for that and RIP Neil Armstrong.

[–]Gimli_The_Dwarf 44 points45 points ago

Neil Armstrong was an incredible human being. He was simply "doing his job" and wanted no fame or glory. He felt like he's just one of a talented bunch of pilots who happened to get picked, and that when he put his boot down, it was the result of decades of work by thousands of people.

NASA could not have picked a better man for that mission. His humility has made the achievement so much greater in the decades since.

[–]Dubbys 6 points7 points ago

The amount of Humility and Modesty that must have taken is beyond understanding for me. I just can't fathom not taking credit for an achievement like that. Yes, it has made the act so much greater, it's just a great outcome to a great thing.

[–]gilgoomesh 11 points12 points ago

On the topic of contributions to the landing... biographies I've read today have put the number at 400,000 people who worked on the Apollo missions. Mr Armstrong frequently pointed out that he was only a tiny part of the accomplishment.

[–]NewAccts 54 points55 points ago

I think most of us take the moon landing for granted. The majority of us were born after it happened so it was some intangible event that we just learned about in school.

More I think about it the more amazing it is. First man in the history of our species to make our first physical human step to exploring the universe.

God damn that is awesome

[–]SeamanHindsight 5 points6 points ago

"Holy living fuck" hahahahaha

[–]Satans_pro_tips 11 points12 points ago

I remember watching the landing on TV as it happened. As a kid, I was amazed at the technology that for our time was beyond anything we, the average person, could comprehend. It was the stuff science fiction was made of.

Now to think it was all accomplished with computers aboard those spacecraft that were less powerful than the average hand-held calculator.

The courage to climb into those seats, strapped to those rockets....can't comprehend that still.

[–]Margatron 7 points8 points ago

Not to mention the sack of tinfoil and bolts they were sitting in...

[–]One_Catholic 2 points3 points ago

A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin was mind blowing reading for me. The shear scale of the program...

[–]cantankerix 16 points17 points ago

Poignant image. I was 11 in 1969, but this is the first time I've felt emotions about it quite like this.

[–]The_Look_of_Acorn 1 point2 points ago

You're not old. I remember the original Lost in Space. Zachary Smith. To this day he sends a thrill of half amusement / half indignation down my spine. And the robot "you bumbling booby".

[–]cantankerix 1 point2 points ago

“Danger, Will Robinson!” Oh my, yes. I remember.

[–]WatRedditHathWrought 1 point2 points ago

I was 6 and the hair on the back of my neck still stands up when I hear the words.

[–]cantankerix 0 points1 point ago

If you haven't seen it, and you can spare an hour and twenty minutes, For All Mankind is available on Hulu.com. I watched it for the first time last night, and I'm glad I didn't see it until then.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]SeamanHindsight 4 points5 points ago

Swing and a miss.

[–]Word_Inventor 2 points3 points ago

No-one likes you. In real life I mean. Do they ?

That's good. No-one likes you on Reddit either.

[–]The_Look_of_Acorn 1 point2 points ago

His old what ?

Idiot.

[–]SlugsOnToast 36 points37 points ago

That is the look of a humble man. Imagine the weight of being the first person in the history of mankind to step foot on another celestial body. Thousands of years worth of people dreaming of visiting the moon, and you're the first. Absolutely mind-boggling.

[–]4thFloyd 11 points12 points ago

Now I'm teary-eyed. WAY TO GO, Neil.

[–]carsvschildren 20 points21 points ago

It speaks volumes of the man that he was so composed. His entire life was class personified. R.I.P.

[–]bohemian_bastard 10 points11 points ago

This gave me chills... To imagine such an experience! Neil, you darn lucky and amazing man!

[–]vballkatie97 24 points25 points ago

This photo just cuts through you

[–]fernguts 24 points25 points ago

I've been methodically "hiding" redundant links about Armstrong's death (half the subreddits I subscribe to have this story on the front page), but this one really touched me. It really says it all. It truly makes me proud to be human!

[–]mollay[S] 13 points14 points ago

I felt the same way, it's a very moving moment captured on camera and I'm glad it can be shared.

[–]Wilky323 7 points8 points ago

Good guy Neil Armstrong. R.I.P. to one of the greatest Americans.

[–]Margatron 6 points7 points ago

We should also take a moment to appreciate Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. I'm sure they will miss their fellow crewman.

[–]fireinthesky7 4 points5 points ago

I've always been happy that the exhibit about the Moon landing in the Air & Space museum in Washington does actually mention Michael Collins and the role he played in the mission.

[–]rml4206 5 points6 points ago

This is why I love this subreddit! Rare glimpses into earth-shattering moments.

[–]totallysharky 5 points6 points ago

seriously beautiful.

[–]jtopper 4 points5 points ago

And look what we've done with his legacy. Precious little.

[–]CptES 1 point2 points ago

Blame the governments of the world for cutting funding for space programs, blame the media for not caring about it and blame the people for losing their curiosity of just what is out there beyond the earth.

[–]GrainBeltPremium 4 points5 points ago

I fear we won't have another great accomplished like this for many years.

[–]ThaddeusJP 4 points5 points ago

For those interested, this photo, along with thousands of others are available at the Apollo Archive. This particular photo is AS11-37-5528.

[–]mollay[S] 1 point2 points ago

Thanks for that!

[–]ThaddeusJP 2 points3 points ago

SOoooooo many amazing photos on that site. My personal favorite: AS12-49-7278 - Apollo 12's Alan Bean, holding a vacuum-sealed lunar soil sample container!

[–]hussard_de_la_mort 2 points3 points ago

"Look you guys! I found some science!"

[–]duudass 6 points7 points ago

hey Buzz, i've just done the most amazing thing mankind has ever achieved...

[–]Gimli_The_Dwarf 5 points6 points ago

Oh, hey - sorry. Your stuff was good too.

[–]jvnk 3 points4 points ago

Absolutely beautiful - I doubt anyone could hold themselves together after that.

[–]DeadAlready 3 points4 points ago

Didn't they bring onboard moondust that caused them a shitload of problems?

Not entirely relevant, but looking to make conversation

[–]Paladinltd 3 points4 points ago

I hope not. Moondust is practically asbestos.

[–]DeadAlready 1 point2 points ago

I don't feel like googling it, kills the whole "conversation" thing I was going for, but, IIRC one of the first trips to the moon is how/when they discovered how fine moon dust is. It caused problems with the suits, and symptoms of hay fever for the astronauts.

[–]B267949A 3 points4 points ago

Yes, the moon dust is a terrible problem. It is ultra fine and hard. It gets into any moving parts and wears them down quickly. Even kevlar body suits won't last long. This is part of the reason there have been so few rovers on the moon.

[–]Void_0 2 points3 points ago

TIL. Thank you :) A little irrelevant but if I could go back in time, I would want to watch the moon landing live. I understand if I get shit about not killing hitler. He might have brought nations together against him, but Apollo 11 united humanity and a part of me is sad that I didn't get to witness it.

Thank you and Godspeed Neil.

[–]ThaddeusJP 1 point2 points ago

It created some issues they did not plan for but nothing horrific. Fun fact: Moon dust smells like burnt gunpowder. When they got back, however, it no longer had the smell.

[–]DeadAlready 1 point2 points ago

Weird stuff, terrifically interesting.

[–]thebryanator 3 points4 points ago

The greatest achievement in the history of mankind, reduced to one photo. Truly amazing stuff!

EVERYONE GO THANK AN ENGINEER RIGHT NOW

[–]jmnk 2 points3 points ago

I think i want to frame this photo, it's beautiful.

[–]Porcchop 2 points3 points ago

It's nice to know that the enormity of that moment was equally touching to the man who did the stepping and the rest of mankind who appreciated his leap. RIP Mr Armstrong.

[–]RetardedJedi 2 points3 points ago

It seems so unreal to me. I'm only 19 so I wasn't born when he walked on the moon. It seems unreal to me that a man, just like me, walked on something so ridiculously far away before I was even born.

[–]babababombs 2 points3 points ago

i smiled at him for minutes cuz he just walked on the fuckin moon

[–]Bogey_Kingston 3 points4 points ago

This should be used as evidence against the conspiracies that the moon landings were staged, because this man clearly just did something absolutely incredibly awesome, for science.

[–]Imapilot 0 points1 point ago

Dang it Buzz stop cutting onions! Start having man tears

[–]Mrjetsondc 2 points3 points ago

The last of the heroes. Now we have to look at fat fuck Kim Kardashian and her flamer Kanye.

[–]semarj -1 points0 points ago

TIL Neil Armstrong looked like Jayne Cobb.

[–]DeskFlyer 1 point2 points ago

What blows my mind is that this heart-warming picture was taken from the surface of the Moon. In 1969.

[–]cmg079 0 points1 point ago

Boiler Up

[–]scarlem 0 points1 point ago

the man!

[–]timbo79 1 point2 points ago

It's like I'm Neil Armstrong. I turn around for a sip of Tang, and you jump out first!

[–]nmosc89 1 point2 points ago

Bless the brave men who go where few would ever dare to. Bless the men who risk their lives so that the scope of humanity and our understandings of who we are and where we come from can be expanded. Bless the men that take one small step, while taking one giant leap for mankind. Rest in peace you amazing bastard, the loss of you is a loss for all of us.

[–]Magzy -1 points0 points ago

10 guy!

[–]murphmurphy 0 points1 point ago

One of the lesser known facts of the moonwalks is how physically exhausting they were. The suits were soft suits, meaning that the internal pressure of the suit wanted to force the joints back to their "resting" position. I like this picture because it shows how DRAINED they were after just two hours on the surface. Also they had less sleep then the mission plan had scheduled.

[–]Ghosttwo 0 points1 point ago

This is great picture. Just think; in every other picture of a person you've seen, the subject was either on earth, drawn by someone on earth, or in rare cases of someone in orbit. On the other side of that wall is the surface of the moon, and the vacuum of space.

[–]Soylent_Gringo 0 points1 point ago

Ok. If I'm not mistaken, what I am about to propose likely violates some form of Reddiquette, but, please, Dear Reader, stay with me for just a moment.

This post is on its way up. At this time it's 2539(5,000+ down votes?? really??).

When it gets to 54321, upvoting/downvoting stops.

'Til the end of the internet.

[–]mphatik 0 points1 point ago

He's teary eyed because he realized that he and his mates could never make it past the Van Allen belts alive.

[–]Cognoggin[!] 0 points1 point ago

Picture of someone just after they achieve a lifelong dream, something pretty rare and special for sure.

[–]gvsteve 0 points1 point ago

It just occurred to me that it was probably not easy or possible to shave on that rocket.

[–]DonDoobie 0 points1 point ago

Jesus H. Christ, Houston. We've landed on the fucking moon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzc2d9viDW4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[–]sumoshart 1 point2 points ago

That's fucking hilarious, talk about comic relief! Just what this thread needs, if you ask me!

[–]stooney -2 points-1 points ago

so brave

[–]ThisIsYourPenis 0 points1 point ago

The Eagle has flown.

[–]HatersOnlyFriend -3 points-2 points ago

for some reason, the first thing I thought of in this pic was that I'm sure that Niel, Buzz, and Mike all blew each other on that mission, just so each could know what it's like to get head in space. They never told anyone about it, but I'm sure it happened.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]rohinton 20 points21 points ago

He's literally teary-eyed in the photo. I assume he was a bit emotional after WALKING ON THE MOON.

[–]ChoadFarmer 3 points4 points ago

just walked on the moon, nbd

[–]SL61 0 points1 point ago

It blows my mind that (hopefully) in a hundred years that really won't be a big deal.

[–]kjoneslol[M] 7 points8 points ago

Comments like this one will get you banned from the subreddit.

[–]Jokrmein 2 points3 points ago

What happened here?

[–]kjoneslol 0 points1 point ago

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]agentlame[M] 4 points5 points ago

You sound banned.

[–]sumoshart 1 point2 points ago