0:00:12 > 0:00:14That's one small step for man...
0:00:15 > 0:00:18One giant leap for mankind.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25he not only made a giant leap for mankind,
0:00:25 > 0:00:29he changed the course of his own life for ever.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33For someone to be able to do that
0:00:33 > 0:00:35in their lifetime,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39and experience it, where they actually touched down
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and walked on another surface,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44is overwhelming.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Armstrong was suddenly one of the most famous people
0:00:47 > 0:00:49who have ever lived.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53It sort of caught me by surprise, really,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56when I realised that being number one on the moon
0:00:56 > 0:00:59was going to be a really, really big deal.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01CHEERING
0:01:01 > 0:01:03- WOMAN:- 'What can you do?
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'You can just smile and laugh and wave.'
0:01:06 > 0:01:08This was the beginning.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'People wanted a piece of him. And it wasn't just anyone...'
0:01:14 > 0:01:16it was everyone.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19After years perfecting the skills needed
0:01:19 > 0:01:21to be one of America's finest astronauts,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Armstrong was now required to play a very different role.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27There's a mission you train for
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and there's a mission you DON'T train for.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It just never stops.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Armstrong refused to live in the media spotlight
0:01:37 > 0:01:41and would seldom discuss his greatest achievement with the press.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46He became an enigmatic icon and struggled with his fame.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53I think I did see him suffering and I tried to help him, and I couldn't.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56It was an awesome...
0:01:58 > 0:02:00..price to pay.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06This is the story of the real Neil Armstrong,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08told for the first time on camera
0:02:08 > 0:02:15by those who loved, lived and worked with the first man on the moon.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Neil would dream he could hold his breath
0:02:37 > 0:02:38and that would make him float.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41And then he could float just by holding his breath
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and then when he let it down, why, he'd come back down.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Apparently he could repeat this dream periodically,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52which made him very happy.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55That was a really nice, happy dream to have.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03July 16th 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 prepared to leave for the moon.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Alongside Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Neil Armstrong was in command.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12In his hands lay the responsibility for a mission
0:03:12 > 0:03:16that had taken more than 400,000 people over ten years to achieve.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20We, the crew of Apollo 11,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25are privileged to represent the United States
0:03:25 > 0:03:32in our first attempt to take man to another heavenly body.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40By July 20th 1969, Apollo 11 was in orbit around the moon
0:03:40 > 0:03:42and tension was building.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It's grown quite quiet here in Mission Control.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49A few moments ago, Flight Director Gene Kranz
0:03:49 > 0:03:51requested that everyone sit down,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54get prepared for events that are coming.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And he closed with, "Good luck to all of you."
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Now the world held its breath,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07as Armstrong and Aldrin entered the lunar module,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09leaving Mike Collins behind.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11And Armstrong and Aldrin,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14within the LEM, that will be their home for the next 30 hours or so.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19For the astronauts' families it was a nerve-racking experience.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24We were in our homes during flight. We had integrated communications,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27we called them the squawk box, because it squawked all the time.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I had the squawk box in my bedroom
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and I had one out in the living room and I did listen to those.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39All I knew was that if everything worked
0:04:39 > 0:04:44they would attempt to do it and, I would think, be successful.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47That was in the back of my mind.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51But everything had to work...
0:04:51 > 0:04:52and it just wasn't likely.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58While Armstrong and Aldrin
0:04:58 > 0:05:00began the final 60-mile descent to the surface,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Mike Collins remained in lunar orbit.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10I figured that our chances of 100% success were about 50/50.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14At least the crew had few doubts about each other.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18I never really had any thought
0:05:18 > 0:05:22that Neil might have some hesitation about...anything.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But almost as soon as they started the descent,
0:05:27 > 0:05:28things began to go wrong.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'That's Charlie Duke putting in a call to the crew.'
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- MAN:- As they went around the moon, looking at their trajectory,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40the bottom fell out.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45We started having communication problems, had data drop out.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Then, as they descended towards the surface,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56the main computer began to raise a series of alarms.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04And then started getting computer-overload alarm.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05That really shocked me,
0:06:05 > 0:06:10as it could potentially be a show-stopper on the mission.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Neither of us knew what 1202 meant.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19We knew where we could find the answer,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21but it was in a document about that thick
0:06:21 > 0:06:23and you'd have to leaf through it.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Here we are halfway down, landing on the moon.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32But there's a bunch of guys back on Earth, they can look it up.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The team at Mission Control found an answer in 23 seconds.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Capcom, we're go for landing.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Houston, you're go for landing. Over.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Now, just 3,000 feet above the surface,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56everything hung on the skill of one man.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Neil took over and he was focused on doing the landing.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05That was his one opportunity in a lifetime
0:07:05 > 0:07:07to make a landing on the moon.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11As Armstrong got his first close-up look at the landing site
0:07:11 > 0:07:13he discovered it was strewn with boulders.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21And with fuel running low, he had only seconds to decide what to do.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I said, you know, "What single thing
0:07:29 > 0:07:36"do you have the most uncertainty about?"
0:07:37 > 0:07:40And he says, "How deep is the dust?"
0:07:46 > 0:07:481930.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50America was suffering under the twin disasters
0:07:50 > 0:07:54of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00During those uncertain times, on 5th August,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Neil Alden Armstrong was born here in Wapakoneta, Ohio,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06in America's Midwest.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16I do believe my mother was just thrilled,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19first of all, to have a baby.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21A baby of her very own.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25My parents were very frugal,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29but in those days, I think most people were frugal.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35They were somewhat standoffish,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38as far as showing real deep affection.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Were they there for us?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Always.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46By the age of five, Armstrong had a younger brother and sister,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48and not long after,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the family moved to the small town of Upper Sandusky in Ohio.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55We had a small rented house.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57There were three bedrooms.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03The first time I was allowed to sleep in Neil's bedroom
0:09:03 > 0:09:05it was a big day for me.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11And it was not for HIM, because I wet the bed.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19JUNE HOFFMAN: Neil seemed to thrive on friendships.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23He had four or five friends that he played regularly with.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27He was quiet.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28He was very quiet.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Did not say much,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33but when he did say something, you listened.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35He enjoyed my jokes.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40Anyone enjoying my jokes is going to be a friend of mine!
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Kotcho recalls the beginnings of his pal's fascination with flight,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49an obsession that would shape the rest of Neil's life.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52'Army planes roaring overhead
0:09:52 > 0:09:54'at the national air races in Cleveland, Ohio,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56'thrilled 40,000 spectators.'
0:09:56 > 0:09:58When he was, like, five years old,
0:09:58 > 0:10:03his father took him on an aeroplane ride on a Trimotor.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Dad got sick, but Neil just absolutely loved it.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13In the mid-1930s, short rides in aircrafts such as this Ford Trimotor
0:10:13 > 0:10:15were a form of entertainment.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17And as with many children,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21this first taste of flight for Neil would leave a lasting impression.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31This was the start and the feeling of being airborne
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and actually flying like a bird.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40It kindled his inspiration to fly.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48He absolutely loved everything about flight.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52He would have three or four model aeroplane projects
0:10:52 > 0:10:54going on all the time.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Mostly gliders, he got into the rubber-band type
0:10:58 > 0:11:04and he just kept building bigger and bigger ones
0:11:04 > 0:11:06and better ones.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12We both made models early, and of course our desire then,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15as it was later in our careers,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19was to make these things go higher and faster.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And my solution to higher and faster was
0:11:22 > 0:11:26you took a couple of extra turns on the rubber band.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Neil's solution -
0:11:28 > 0:11:30he built a wind tunnel!
0:11:33 > 0:11:36When we were ready for the test, he said, "Go get Mum."
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I said, "Neil wants you to see something."
0:11:39 > 0:11:42So he turned it on.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44And all of a sudden the house shook.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46And I mean the house really shook.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53How many kids could build a wind tunnel in their basement?
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Not any that I know, except Neil.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02By the time he was 15 and enthused by exploits of World War II pilots,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05he'd begun to take flying lessons at his local airfield.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10But Armstrong saw no need to tell his family about it.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16I honestly do not think that my parents actually knew
0:12:16 > 0:12:19when he first started to take flying lessons.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25In an interview recorded in 2001, Armstrong recalled the time.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49He had his pilot's licence before he had his driver's licence.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Armstrong's first flights
0:12:50 > 0:12:54coincided with a series of extraordinary advances
0:12:54 > 0:12:55in aviation technology.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Since the Second World War,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01engineers had been pushing the development of aircraft so far
0:13:01 > 0:13:05that now not even the sound barrier stood in their way.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11In October 1947, Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound
0:13:11 > 0:13:13in his Bell X-1 rocket plane.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15The Cold War was under way.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Armstrong, keen to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering,
0:13:20 > 0:13:25won a Navy scholarship to study the subject at Perdue university.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29But then everything changed, as the Cold War began to get hotter.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36At the end of his second year,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39which would have been 1950, the Korean War started.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The 20-year-old Armstrong became a Navy pilot.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46After intense training he joined Squadron VF-51
0:13:46 > 0:13:49on the aircraft carrier USS Essex.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55There was a lot to learn - and fast.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57But the skills he'd honed
0:13:57 > 0:14:00would make him one of the best pilots of his generation.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20The carrier was a dangerous environment.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23On 16th September 1961,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26this accident on the Essex killed seven sailors.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Below deck, Armstrong had a narrow escape.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It was not his first brush with death.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45One of his jobs was to dive-bomb and blow up bridges and railroads.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53And he said that the North Koreans strung up wires.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57For the young pilots flying at low altitude,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00anti-aircraft cables were an ever-present danger.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04And they were hard to spot, even for the eagle-eyed Armstrong.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15Battling to keep control,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Armstrong's instinctive ability came to the fore.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22As long as he could keep a certain speed,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26he could stay up, but as soon as he slowed down, the plane would drop.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29And so, he knew that he could not land on the aircraft carrier,
0:15:29 > 0:15:30he'd have to bail out.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33It was the first in a series of close shaves
0:15:33 > 0:15:37in which he developed the ability to remain calm when in danger.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42He never showed any fear
0:15:42 > 0:15:46or anything involving his close calls.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49He really loved what he was doing.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54It was a very meaningful time for him.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Armstrong had flown 78 missions over Korea.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02He was now a skilled and experienced pilot at the age of just 22.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06He returned from Korea in 1952
0:16:06 > 0:16:09as the Cold War arms race was reaching ever higher,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12with each superpower racing to launch its nuclear warheads
0:16:12 > 0:16:14on more and more powerful rockets.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18But back at Purdue University,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22this young man of few words had other things on his mind.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26I met him at Purdue.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30He told someone that I was the one he was going to marry.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35But he never asked me out until he had graduated.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38This will kind of illustrate about Neil.
0:16:38 > 0:16:45I had never heard a word about Janet Shearon for two years,
0:16:45 > 0:16:50or that he was even seeing her, dated her, knew her, or anything.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53He didn't like to talk about much.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55And he never did talk about much.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00But what he did say seemed to be meaningful.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06We were married in January 1956, and after that, in May,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08we went up to the desert.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13With his degree in aeronautical engineering
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and his military flight experience,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Armstrong landed a job as a test pilot
0:17:17 > 0:17:20at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24It was here that the very latest planes were being developed,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and for Armstrong, it was the perfect opportunity
0:17:27 > 0:17:29to develop his talents further.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36We were out at the edges of the flight envelope all the time,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38testing limits.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45If memory serves, there were 17 aircraft, pretty much all different.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49A lot of X-airplanes and fighters
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and a B-47 and a couple of B-29s
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and all kinds of exotic aircrafts.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59And as they became more confident of my abilities,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02they gave me more and more jobs
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and I did a lot of different test programmes in those days.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14And then finally, I was flying the X-15.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22The rocket-powered X-15 was the pinnacle of aviation technology
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and the fastest plane in the world.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Only the very best pilots got to fly it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31The X-15 was absolutely the top of the line.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35It was a whole supersonic zone above the rest of us,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and therefore all the people who flew the X-15
0:18:39 > 0:18:44were held in the highest regard by the rest of us peasants.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Neil, of course, was one of that group.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51It was a very exciting programme.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Challenging goals.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57I think it was certainly one of the memorable parts of my life.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05For Janet, life in the desert would prove equally challenging.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10It was totally different, foreign, to anything I'd ever known in my life.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12And then I got pregnant.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15So we bought a house up in the hills.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19That's where we lived when Rick was born,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and then shortly thereafter, Karen.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I think he was absolutely thrilled with Karen.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29He called her Muffy
0:19:29 > 0:19:35and she was the sweetest little toddler you would ever want to hold.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40In 1961, Karen fell seriously ill.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Karen was a precious thing
0:19:45 > 0:19:50and she developed a tumour in her brain.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52She was just barely two.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54And, erm...
0:19:55 > 0:19:58We could not save her.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02We did everything we could for her.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Karen died on 28th January, 1962.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11The death of Karen really hurt him.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14It was the only time that I have ever seen him
0:20:14 > 0:20:18really, really hurt. Couldn't talk about it.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Well...
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Maybe you just can't find the words.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- SHE SIGHS - And then it was back to work.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Armstrong focused back on his work,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40pushing himself and the fearsome X-15 to the limit.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55I got the nose up above the horizon
0:20:55 > 0:21:01and I found I was actually skipping outside the atmosphere,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04where I had no aerodynamic controls.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Soaring out of the atmosphere at almost a mile a second,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Armstrong was unable to keep control.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17What I couldn't do is get back down in the atmosphere.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20I pulled over and pulled down, but it wasn't going down
0:21:20 > 0:21:22because it had no air to bite into.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26So I just had to wait
0:21:26 > 0:21:29until I got back in with enough air
0:21:29 > 0:21:34to have aerodynamic control and some lift on the wings
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and immediately started making a turn back.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Armstrong had touched the edge of space,
0:21:40 > 0:21:45making the longest ever X-15 flight,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47180 miles in just over 11 minutes.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50But beyond the skies of Edwards,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53a new generation of pilots were flying so high
0:21:53 > 0:21:56that the world had christened them spacemen.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12The space race had pitched America against Russia,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15but by 1962 the Russians were ahead
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and President Kennedy set a new, ambitious goal.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Before the end of the '60s, we will see a man on the moon, to the moon,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23an American, and we're very proud
0:22:23 > 0:22:27that our country continues to produce these young men,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31who go so far and carry with them so much.
0:22:31 > 0:22:3570 seconds. Leaving a nice paper trail now, looks real fine.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40To meet Kennedy's challenge, NASA went looking for more astronauts.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Curiously, the Milwaukee Journal gave me a call.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48And they said,
0:22:48 > 0:22:54"I understand your brother is one of the newest astronauts."
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Er... I think I was speechless.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59And then I called my mother and she said,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03"Oh, I know, I just found out myself."
0:23:03 > 0:23:05She saw it on television.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08June's reticent brother was now called upon
0:23:08 > 0:23:10to carry the hopes of the nation,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13as America sought to beat the Russians to the moon.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Along with Janet, Rick and a new son, Mark,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Neil began a new life in Houston, Texas,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26home to America's rapidly growing space programme.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It was a nice house, you know, it had a pool.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Because it was Houston and because it was often very hot,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36there was a lot of swimming.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The neighbourhood was buzzing with trainee astronauts,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46including Ed White, one of Armstrong's friends from Edwards.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51I was visiting Ed White, I knew him pretty well,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55and there was this guy in the backyard,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58in front of the garage, where there's a lot of cement.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01And here's this guy roller-skating.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I said, "Who's that?"
0:24:05 > 0:24:08He said, "Oh, that's Neil Armstrong."
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Armstrong's first space flight would come with the Gemini programme.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24It was a vital part of the preparations for the Moon Landings.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Gemini had already had some successes,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31the first close approach of two spacecraft in Orbit,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and the first US spacewalk,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35by Armstrong's friend and neighbour, Ed White.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37OK, I'm coming over.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39It looks beautiful.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Armstrong's mission would be the first
0:24:44 > 0:24:47to attempt to dock with another spacecraft in orbit -
0:24:47 > 0:24:51a procedure which was vital if they were ever to reach the moon.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54His co-pilot was Dave Scott.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Well, yes, I mean, the whole programme depended on docking.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04So, docking had to be proven or we couldn't go to the moon.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06So it was a critical mission, yeah.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Squeezed into their tight-fitting Gemini capsule,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12the pair prepared for launch.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Neither of them knew what lay in store.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21'Three, two, one, zero.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23'We have ignition.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'And we have a lift-off at three seconds.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29'Three seconds.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32'Neil Armstrong reports the clock has started.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37'Roll programme is in, Armstrong says.'
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I remember watching the launch on TV
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and I remember having the squawk box on the TV,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45where you could hear the Mission Control.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51When they talked air-to-ground you could update yourself.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54They started out just great.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Their docking target was an unmanned craft called Agena,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10which had been launched earlier that day.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13It's a spectacular view, to see another object in orbit.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Neil takes his hand off the controller and says,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23"Boy, this is really great." And you don't move.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25You're just stationary.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40As Armstrong and Scott passed into the night side of the Earth,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42they prepared for docking.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Neil eased it forward
0:26:51 > 0:26:52and we moved right in.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Then Scott noticed that something was wrong.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09The two spacecraft were not stable now they were joined together.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12You're supposed to fly straight and level, like an aeroplane,
0:27:12 > 0:27:16with a horizon, but all of a sudden I noticed that we were tilted.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17And I said, "Neil, we're in a bank."
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And he looked over and said, "Yeah, we're in a bank."
0:27:20 > 0:27:23The tilt on both spacecrafts soon turned into a slow spin.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Neither man was sure of the cause of the problem.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31We first suspected that the Agena was the culprit.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34We were on the dark side of the Earth,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36so we really didn't have any outside reference.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Out of contact with the ground,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41each astronaut tried in turn to regain control
0:27:41 > 0:27:43using the Gemini's thrusters.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Finally, I notice that
0:27:46 > 0:27:50we're down to about 13 or 16% propellant in the Gemini
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and we're running out of gas, basically.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55So I said, "Neil, we'd better get off."
0:27:55 > 0:27:59He said, "Yeah, we'd better get off, let's prepare to undock."
0:27:59 > 0:28:00And he says, "Ready?"
0:28:00 > 0:28:04And I put my hand on the switch and Neil says, "Undock."
0:28:06 > 0:28:08And then things start really moving.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Undocking from the Agena had caused the Gemini capsule
0:28:16 > 0:28:18to enter a terrifying tumble,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21but Mission Control was still unaware of the problem.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Then we go into a very rapid roll, which was almost a tumble.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40And at that point we realised that it wasn't the Agena,
0:28:40 > 0:28:41it must be the Gemini.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44As the spin rates increased,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Armstrong and Scott started experiencing intense G-forces
0:28:47 > 0:28:49within the capsule.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50If Neil doesn't find a solution,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53we'll spin up to the point where we'll both black out
0:28:53 > 0:28:56and nobody will ever hear from us again.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59They were spinning at maybe a revolution per second.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02At home, a photographer captured Janet
0:29:02 > 0:29:04as she listened to the unfolding drama.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09You knew they were spinning fast
0:29:09 > 0:29:13and there was a very strong concern that they would black out.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17And that would be it, it would be over.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22And then NASA cut the squawk box.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26I didn't like that,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29so I went over to NASA
0:29:29 > 0:29:33and I was refused entry.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Back in orbit and still tumbling out of control,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43Armstrong kept his cool and turned to his only remaining option,
0:29:43 > 0:29:48switching on the re-entry system to regain control of the spacecraft.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53He had to reach up above his head and throw switches,
0:29:53 > 0:29:55under this high-speed roll.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57That's amazing, that he was able to do that.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00And he knew exactly where the switches were,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02exactly which ones to throw.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10I mean, the guy was brilliant.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14He knew the system so well that he found a solution,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17he activated the solution under extreme circumstances,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19and I've got to say,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22it was my lucky day to be flying with Mr Neil Armstrong.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Splashing down on the South China Sea a few hours later,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35Armstrong might have lost his mission but he'd saved their lives
0:30:35 > 0:30:38and possibly even the space programme itself.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45He landed and came home - drove his car home.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Came in with his gear and put it down in the bedroom.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53We went into the kitchen, had a cup of coffee,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58and he was telling me about the flight.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01We knew that they could have lost their lives.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06We knew that anyway, so there was no point in talking about it.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08Either you do or you don't.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12That's the way it is.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14You know?
0:31:20 > 0:31:23The full risks of the space programme would be brought home
0:31:23 > 0:31:26less than a year later, in January 1967,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29with the deaths of three astronauts in a fire
0:31:29 > 0:31:30on board the Apollo 1 spacecraft.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Armstrong found himself burying his close friend Ed White who had
0:31:36 > 0:31:39died along with Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Everybody's attitude that I knew was that this was a real disaster.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Very sad. Very depressing.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53But we go on because we know Gus, Ed and Roger would want us to go on.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55They wouldn't want us to stop.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00No Americans would fly into space for almost two years.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07But after a series of unmanned test flights of the Saturn 5 moon rocket,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10NASA was ready to launch men into space again.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20ENGINE ROARS
0:32:23 > 0:32:25The first men to ride this giant rocket
0:32:25 > 0:32:28went straight into orbit around the moon on Apollo 8.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Armstrong was the backup commander
0:32:35 > 0:32:38and watched closely from Mission Control.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41This guaranteed him command of a following mission.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45And as luck would have it, that was Apollo 11.
0:32:45 > 0:32:46On Apollo 11,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50it was the first spacecraft that was capable of landing.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55The first lunar module that could even attempt a landing.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57And so I think Neil's attitude is,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01"I'm not number one. I won't be number one on the moon."
0:33:01 > 0:33:05What I saw in his attitude was,
0:33:05 > 0:33:09"I'm training to be the first one to ATTEMPT the landing on the moon."
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Part of the preparations to attempt to land on the moon
0:33:15 > 0:33:18required Armstrong to fly a lunar-landing training vehicle,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21affectionately known as the flying bedstead.
0:33:25 > 0:33:26It was difficult to fly.
0:33:26 > 0:33:32But on the other hand, I think we all felt it absolutely mandatory
0:33:32 > 0:33:35to be able to fly that type of vehicle before you go to the moon.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38On one of Armstrong's flights,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42a failure of the fuel system suddenly caused the craft to tip.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46He only had a second to decide what to do.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54It was yet another close call for the fast-thinking astronaut,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56escaping with only minor injuries.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00And I get a telephone call.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04HE SLURS: "Hello, Dean? Neil.
0:34:05 > 0:34:12"I just want to tell you I'm OK. Just cut my tongue in two with my teeth.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13"But I'm going to be OK."
0:34:15 > 0:34:18I said, "Great to hear from you." HE LAUGHS
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Back at work the next day, Armstrong's training continued.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32The pace was relentless as he prepared for that first step
0:34:32 > 0:34:34he would take on the moon.
0:34:38 > 0:34:43As launch day approached, there was one last thing to do for the family.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48And the reserved engineer prepared for it in the only way he knew how.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52I do remember a meeting. We had a family meeting.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Before he left.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00But it was sort of a Q&A type meeting where he did say,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03"You know, there is some risk in this mission.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08"We are confident we are going to at least get back, you know,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10"but that might not happen."
0:35:12 > 0:35:16July 16th, 1969. Cape Kennedy.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21Over a million people came to watch Apollo 11 leave for the moon.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Among them was Armstrong's childhood friend Kotcho Solacoff.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28The day before the launch,
0:35:28 > 0:35:32we had a tour of the facilities at Cape Kennedy.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36We stood in front of the rocket while my wife took their picture
0:35:36 > 0:35:39and we shook hands and said congratulations,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43we had finally got Neil on a good job, at last.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Then we give him a salute. HE LAUGHS
0:35:47 > 0:35:51We didn't say goodbye. It was more like good luck.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55He leaned over and gave me a little peck on the cheek.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58Just a little bitty kiss.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01And then he turned around and was gone. He didn't say a word.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04He didn't say anything. That was it.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09'Launch operations manager Paul Donnelly wished
0:36:09 > 0:36:12'the crew on the launch teams good luck and Godspeed.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16'Neil Armstrong reported back when he received the good wishes,
0:36:16 > 0:36:19'"Thank you very much. We know it will be a good flight."'
0:36:19 > 0:36:26Actually, my wife took the movies. I was taking 35mm shots.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30'All engines running. Lift-off. We have lift-off.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35'32 minutes past the hour. Lift-off on Apollo 11.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:39I just kept saying, "Go, Neil! Go, Neil! Go, Neil!"
0:36:39 > 0:36:42I was just yelling like this. "Go, Neil."
0:36:53 > 0:36:56It would take four days for Armstrong, Collins
0:36:56 > 0:36:58and Aldrin to get to the moon.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Then would come an attempt to pull off one of the most audacious
0:37:01 > 0:37:04achievements in human history.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Without a doubt, powered descent
0:37:08 > 0:37:13and landing successfully is what it was all about.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14That's what the President said.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20"Land a man on the moon and bring him back safely."
0:37:27 > 0:37:30We were certainly aware that the nation's hopes largely
0:37:30 > 0:37:33rested on us doing the best job we could.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Armstrong's job was now to fly the lunar module
0:37:38 > 0:37:41for the first time in his life, and land it successfully.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43'All flight controllers, going to go for a landing.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47- 'Retro.- Go.- Fido.- Go.- Guidance.- Go. - Control.- Go.- Tel Comm.- Go.- GNC.- Go.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50- 'E Comm.- Go.- Surgeon.- Go. - Capcom, we're go for landing.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53'Eagle Houston, you are go for landing. Over.'
0:37:53 > 0:37:57Working around the broken communication links and computer alarms,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Armstrong was just 2,000 feet above the lunar surface.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03I was in my bedroom.
0:38:03 > 0:38:10We were tracking it on a map as they pointed out verbally where they were.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20With the fuel starting to get low,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24Armstrong was still looking for a safe place to touch down.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It was a fairly steep slope and it was covered with very big rocks
0:38:28 > 0:38:30and it just wasn't a good place to land.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34That's why he had to hover around there,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37to find a good spot to put down.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42I wanted to make it as easy for myself as I could.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49There was a lot of concern about coming close to running out of fuel.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57With only 30 seconds of fuel left, the landing
0:38:57 > 0:39:00hinged on the unflappable test-pilot-turned-astronaut.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I was sure he was going to do it.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16We copy you, Eagle.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20I just jumped up and down and screamed and cried
0:39:20 > 0:39:22and yelled and everything.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27I was in orbit, of course, when they landed
0:39:27 > 0:39:32and I was delighted they were down and safe on the surface.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35I gave a little sigh of relief.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38With Apollo 11 safely down,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41press attention turned to the astronauts' wives.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Every time a door opened,
0:39:44 > 0:39:48some press person would rush up with the camera and yell,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51"Who is that? Who is that?" And all of this kind of thing.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55And what they all wanted to ask Janet was what Neil would say
0:39:55 > 0:39:56when he first stepped out.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Do you have any inkling what he's going to say? He wouldn't tell us.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- When he steps out on the moon.- No, I have no idea what he's going to say.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05But whatever he says, I'm sure it will be worthwhile.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Armstrong always said he thought up his famous words
0:40:11 > 0:40:12AFTER landing on the moon.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15But his brother Dean remembers it differently.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Before he went to the Cape,
0:40:19 > 0:40:24he invited me down to be with him and spend a little time with him.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28He said, "Well, why don't you and I, when the boys go to bed,
0:40:28 > 0:40:30"why don't we play a game of Risk?"
0:40:31 > 0:40:33I said, "I'd enjoy that."
0:40:35 > 0:40:37We started playing Risk.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43And then he slipped me a piece of paper and said, "Read that."
0:40:44 > 0:40:46And I did.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49And on that piece of paper there was,
0:40:49 > 0:40:54"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
0:40:56 > 0:40:59He said, "What do you think about that?"
0:40:59 > 0:41:01I said, "Fabulous."
0:41:03 > 0:41:06He said, "I thought you might like that.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08"But I wanted you to read it."
0:41:10 > 0:41:14- It was, "That's one small step for- a- man."
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Prepared with the words that history would best remember him for,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Armstrong started down the ladder.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27'We are getting a picture on the TV.'
0:41:27 > 0:41:30It was somewhat difficult to see.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33I mean, we were watching our sets like this.
0:41:33 > 0:41:40Because we weren't quite sure if he was coming down the step.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44'Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.'
0:41:44 > 0:41:49I can remember vividly that grainy TV picture and him saying,
0:41:49 > 0:41:53"I'm on the footpad now. And now I'm stepping off."
0:41:55 > 0:41:57'I'm going to step off the LEM now.'
0:42:05 > 0:42:09'That's one small step for man.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14'One giant leap for mankind.'
0:42:14 > 0:42:16Perfect!
0:42:18 > 0:42:20It was pure Neil.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23I was pretty close to him when he said that. HE LAUGHS
0:42:26 > 0:42:32He was really surprising in how he would say
0:42:32 > 0:42:35just the right thing at the right time.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40Oh, it's...
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Overjoyed. You know? Unbelievable.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50I've never had such great feelings in my life.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54'Isn't that something? Magnificent sight out here.'
0:42:56 > 0:42:59'Magnificent desolation.'
0:42:59 > 0:43:06Finally, it began to sink in with me, that really is another planet.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08'Roger. The EVA is progressing beautifully.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11'I believe they are setting up the flag now.'
0:43:13 > 0:43:16At last, after the years of preparation, the launch
0:43:16 > 0:43:20and the landing, the first two human beings on the moon could
0:43:20 > 0:43:23simply marvel at this strange environment.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29'That looks beautiful from here, Neil.'
0:43:39 > 0:43:43The 2.5 hour moonwalk passed all too quickly.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45And soon it was time to come home,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48as the pair climbed back inside their spacecraft.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52'I'd like to say, from all of us and the countries in the entire world,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55'we think that you've done a magnificent job up there today.'
0:44:06 > 0:44:11He got me there, and he got me back. Safe.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15And I made a couple of mistakes.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19Fortunately, they...they were not that crucial.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23And I'm not going to tell you about them. HE LAUGHS
0:44:31 > 0:44:34A brief period in quarantine would be the crew's only respite
0:44:34 > 0:44:37before an extraordinary madness began.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Armstrong, the humble aeronautical engineer and test pilot
0:44:40 > 0:44:44from small-town Ohio, was about to have his life utterly transformed.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49We did New York, Chicago and LA all in one day.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52There were thousands and thousands of people.
0:44:52 > 0:44:58People from windows above, apartments and so on. It was fabulous.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01It was like nothing I'd ever seen before in my life,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03or ever had done before in my life.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06We were in open cars. Open convertibles.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09I can remember, you know, I'm in a car and I'm waving
0:45:09 > 0:45:12and I'm like, "I didn't do anything. Not sure why I'm in here."
0:45:12 > 0:45:14CROWDS CHEER
0:45:14 > 0:45:17The schedule was punishing,
0:45:17 > 0:45:21with the astronauts forced into the role of international ambassadors.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Together with their wives,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26they visited 23 countries in just 45 days.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Their mission now was to shake hands with the world.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32And everyone was eager to meet the first man on the moon.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42We went to each country and it would be, of course,
0:45:42 > 0:45:47a huge welcome at the airport, which called for a speech.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51A huge luncheon or something, which called for a speech.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54And then there would be the major State dinner,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56which called for a speech.
0:45:56 > 0:46:02And I always felt that Neil had the responsibility,
0:46:02 > 0:46:07the burden, if you will, of always saying the perfect thing.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09He was the star.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14But I have to say, he had a pretty darn good supporting cast.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16This was the beginning.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21This was the beginning of it all. But there was nothing you could do.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23These people were just happy to see you.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29None of us had married an astronaut.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33And here were our husbands, all of a sudden,
0:46:33 > 0:46:40and people are calling and saying, "Oh, we want an interview."
0:46:46 > 0:46:48People wanted a piece of him.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52I either want your autograph or I want my picture taken with you.
0:46:53 > 0:47:00And I think that it wasn't just anyone - it was everyone.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Such an intense level of intrusion into Armstrong's life would
0:47:05 > 0:47:09eventually start to take its toll on him and his family.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13To be out to dinner and sort of minding your own business and
0:47:13 > 0:47:17to have people coming and looking at you, going, "I know who that is."
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Coming over and, "May I have your autograph, please?" You know.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23After a while, even if they do it in the nicest possible way,
0:47:23 > 0:47:28which many of them did, still, it just wears you out after a while.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31And he really didn't know what he wanted to do.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35That was a problem.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38"What am I going to do now?
0:47:38 > 0:47:40"What CAN I do?"
0:47:41 > 0:47:45In 1971 Armstrong resigned from NASA.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53It seemed there were no greater challenges left.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57He could fly no higher and no faster than he'd already flown.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02He chose instead to pursue his first love, aircraft design,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05and accepted a professorship at the University of Cincinnati,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07back in his home state.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10We were looking for a place to live
0:48:10 > 0:48:13and he wanted to live out in the country.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17I guess he wanted to escape the people. He wanted privacy.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22The Armstrongs bought this secluded farm in Ohio.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26It was a radical change of lifestyle, and not just for Neil.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30Life on the farm was very quiet.
0:48:30 > 0:48:37We had 200 acres of land and we had maybe 100 head of cattle.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39And we raised crops.
0:48:40 > 0:48:45I kept thinking, "I wonder how they manage this."
0:48:45 > 0:48:51And Neil sat there and prefaced his remarks by saying,
0:48:51 > 0:48:56"Well, I do have a very competent farm manager."
0:48:56 > 0:49:00And then I realised later that
0:49:00 > 0:49:03the good, competent farm manager was Janet.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07I ended up taking over the management of the farm.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11I'm not sure that Mom really wanted the farm life.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15But she did very well. She was a trooper.
0:49:17 > 0:49:18While Janet dealt with the farm,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Neil turned his attention to teaching.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24But escaping his fame was never going to be easy.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Whenever Neil Armstrong came onto the campus,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33there was a number of rather interesting reactions.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37The first day was rather chaotic.
0:49:37 > 0:49:43As class was letting out, the media was massed outside the classroom.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46And he did, in fact, push the students out of the classroom
0:49:46 > 0:49:50and then quickly closed the door with himself inside the classroom.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Eventually, behind the closed doors of academia,
0:49:53 > 0:49:57Armstrong found refuge from the consequences of his fame.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I began to think of him as simply Neil.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Not as Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05I just thought of him as Neil.
0:50:07 > 0:50:08But outside university,
0:50:08 > 0:50:12the burden of celebrity still sat uncomfortably with him.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14He felt he was an engineer.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18He was a test pilot and he was just testing one of the machines
0:50:18 > 0:50:20when they landed on the moon.
0:50:20 > 0:50:26He was given the credit and he didn't think he deserved it all.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30Armstrong eventually opted for a pragmatic approach,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33shunning the limelight and rationing interviews.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37Which led to the media unfairly branding him a recluse.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40He just didn't feel the need to notify the media
0:50:40 > 0:50:43about what he was doing... so, a media recluse maybe,
0:50:43 > 0:50:45but that's a completely different thing.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Struggling with the never-ending burden
0:50:50 > 0:50:52of being the first man on the moon,
0:50:52 > 0:50:56Armstrong coped in the only way he knew how -
0:50:56 > 0:51:00throwing himself deeper into his work, just as he'd done in the past.
0:51:00 > 0:51:05In 1979, he left the university in search of new opportunities -
0:51:05 > 0:51:09this time in the world of business.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Chrysler 5/50 protection plant.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13He even ventured into the world of advertising.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Unexpected repair bills for five years for 50,000 miles.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20It protects you longer than any other American carmaker's plan.
0:51:20 > 0:51:25His calendar was double-parked all the time.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29He was gone during the week and he'd be home in the weekends
0:51:29 > 0:51:32and he really didn't want to work on the farm on the weekends.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36He wanted to do things with the boys and so on and so forth, and I did too.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39I think that she'd hoped that at some point
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Dad would work a little less and they might be able to do some things
0:51:43 > 0:51:46that they'd always wanted to do.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Um, but he was a workaholic.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55Er, and, so it was, I think, Dad's strong work ethic
0:51:55 > 0:51:59and Mom's isolation on the farm
0:51:59 > 0:52:03that eventually came between them.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Janet and Neil separated in 1990,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21divorcing four years later.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24The break-up between he and Janet
0:52:24 > 0:52:27was devastating to him.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31So, I think, for several years,
0:52:31 > 0:52:36he just...was miserable.
0:52:36 > 0:52:41Er, I just think it opened his eyes a little bit and made him
0:52:41 > 0:52:46aware that he didn't have to work all the time.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48That was very good for him.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52It put him in a great position to meet other people.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57During his later years, Armstrong finally began to ease up,
0:52:57 > 0:52:59swapping endless rounds in the boardroom
0:52:59 > 0:53:03for rounds on the golf course with his sons.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06And it was during a golfing breakfast in 1992
0:53:06 > 0:53:11that his life would take another direction on meeting Carol Knight.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14And a few weeks later,
0:53:14 > 0:53:18somebody called and he had a really quiet voice.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23And I said, "Who is this?" He said, "Well, it's Neil."
0:53:23 > 0:53:26And I said, "Neil who?"
0:53:26 > 0:53:30It didn't dawn on me he'd be calling.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32He said, "What are you doing?"
0:53:32 > 0:53:35I said, "Actually I was outside, trying to cut down
0:53:35 > 0:53:37"this dead cherry tree."
0:53:37 > 0:53:41Then he sprang to life cos he's a farmer, and he said, "I can do that!"
0:53:41 > 0:53:44So, he was at the house in a half-hour.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49Two years after meeting, Neil asked Carol to marry him.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53He liked good wine and good food and I like to cook.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56And, yeah, it was mellow.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59In the last 10, 15 years, I just feel like
0:53:59 > 0:54:06there was just a general lightening up in all aspects
0:54:06 > 0:54:09of his interactions with people.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14Dr Neil Armstrong. Ladies and gentlemen...
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Thank you so much.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23The method we used to descend from orbit
0:54:23 > 0:54:29to the surface of an alien world, er, worked.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31LAUGHING
0:54:31 > 0:54:35But it would have been far more efficient
0:54:35 > 0:54:41and far less traumatic if we could just beam down.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:54:46 > 0:54:51All the men have certainly, as we say quietly, mellowed.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54So that they're more relaxed,
0:54:54 > 0:55:03they're more ready to just spend time doing something just for fun.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Armstrong turned 80 in 2010.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12And Carol decided to do something special to mark it.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15His 80th birthday party, I thought, "We could have a surprise party
0:55:15 > 0:55:20"and it'll be a lot of fun." And I had about 250 people on a list
0:55:20 > 0:55:24because our friends are spread all over the country.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33I think he was surprised. He put on a good act if he wasn't.
0:55:35 > 0:55:40We had a great time. He was grinning ear to ear.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44And then, by the end of the evening, he was playing the piano.
0:55:44 > 0:55:50And, he asked somebody to have me come up front
0:55:50 > 0:55:54and I didn't know why. So I went up front but I sat down.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57He was serenading me.
0:55:57 > 0:56:02# Here's to precious days
0:56:02 > 0:56:07# I'll spend with you... #
0:56:07 > 0:56:12And then every guy in the audience was mad at him.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23After almost everybody left, I went up to him
0:56:23 > 0:56:28and congratulated him on his birthday and everything.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31He hugged me and he says, "You know, I love you."
0:56:31 > 0:56:35I said, "I do too, Neil. We go back a long way."
0:56:35 > 0:56:38He said, "Yeah, we do."
0:56:38 > 0:56:40That was the last time.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48On 7th August 2012,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Neil Armstrong was admitted to hospital for heart surgery.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55He remained there until his death on August 25th.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02If there's a legacy, I think he may have left it already.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05He very much wanted
0:57:05 > 0:57:08the exploration of space
0:57:08 > 0:57:11to be an accomplishment
0:57:11 > 0:57:15that was important for this planet and everyone on it.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19His inspiration
0:57:19 > 0:57:25to, um, the generations that will follow
0:57:25 > 0:57:29is incalculable, I believe.
0:57:31 > 0:57:36It's overwhelming to think about how much has come from that inspiration.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42If there was something that he could pass along
0:57:42 > 0:57:47to future generations, I think it would be
0:57:47 > 0:57:51the conviction... to do the right thing.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58One thing, he was true to himself.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05He WAS the man that you saw.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09That was him.