0:00:04 > 0:00:0640 years ago,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09the world watched breathless
0:00:09 > 0:00:12as humanity achieved something incredible.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17Houston, Tranquillity Base here, the eagle has landed.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Putting men on the Moon marked a leap in science and technology.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Roger, the clock is operating. They're on their way.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33It signalled a new era of exploration...
0:00:35 > 0:00:40when pioneers would photograph places few had ever imagined.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45Now these explorers relive their incredible stories.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48The descent was a very tricky business.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52100 feet above the ground we got the call -
0:00:52 > 0:00:5360 seconds.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55And with newly enhanced footage
0:00:55 > 0:00:57they show us vividly
0:00:57 > 0:01:01for the first time the spectacular things they saw.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17July 1958, America establishes the National Aeronautics
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and Space Administration - NASA.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23It's a direct reaction to their Cold War enemy,
0:01:23 > 0:01:24the Soviet Union,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27who, less than a year before, launched the first
0:01:27 > 0:01:31man-made satellite, Sputnik, to the shock of the West.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36They just simply didn't believe it. They thought of the Soviet Union
0:01:36 > 0:01:39as being a country that couldn't build a refrigerator,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41let alone a satellite.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46NASA's brief is to beat the Russians.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49It was the United States
0:01:49 > 0:01:52rising to the challenge of the Soviet ambitions
0:01:52 > 0:01:54and Soviet progress in space.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58The Space Race is on.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00When the new space agency, NASA,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02announced their intention,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06it created a great deal of excitement.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09To recruit its first ever astronauts,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12NASA draws from the reservoir of the brave -
0:02:12 > 0:02:14military test pilots.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Project Mercury is born.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25Please, ladies and gentlemen, the nation's Mercury astronauts.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28It's objective - to put a man in Earth orbit.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Mercury was the beginning
0:02:31 > 0:02:34of everything that we would do thereafter.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Without Mercury there would have been no going to the Moon.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43In 1961, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard is selected
0:02:43 > 0:02:47to ride NASA's first manned rocket beyond our atmosphere.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Roger, liftoff and the clock is starting.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It is a great first step, but NASA is still trailing
0:03:01 > 0:03:05the Russians who have already put a cosmonaut into orbit.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11After a 20 minute flight, Shepard splashes down
0:03:11 > 0:03:13as America's first space pioneer.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19US president John Kennedy makes an astonishing pledge.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23We choose to go to the Moon.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26We choose to go to the Moon in this decade
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and do the other things
0:03:28 > 0:03:31not because they are easy but because they are hard.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36Kennedy's announcement electrifies America's young space programme.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38We had a total of 20 minutes'
0:03:38 > 0:03:43of manned space flight experience, when president Kennedy issues this challenge.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Many of us wondered what the heck he was talking about.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I mean it was, er...a very audacious step forward.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54That challenge came three weeks
0:03:54 > 0:03:58after Alan Shepard flew. We knew beans about going to the Moon.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04We didn't know the mathematics, we didn't have the real time capability
0:04:04 > 0:04:09so it wasn't until we were forced to start thinking about it seriously
0:04:09 > 0:04:11that we realised a change
0:04:11 > 0:04:13in the state of art was going to be required.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20NASA addresses the science of space travel
0:04:20 > 0:04:23with Mercury's follow-up programme, Gemini.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27To prepare for a trip to another heavenly body
0:04:27 > 0:04:30astronauts learn to orbit the Earth for as much as two weeks at a time,
0:04:30 > 0:04:36dock two orbiting spacecraft and perfect the art of the space walk.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39We caught up with the Russians, we had surpassed
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the technical skills and capabilities they had. Now it's time
0:04:42 > 0:04:48to show the Soviets and the world what we can do as a free nation.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53It's time for NASA to set its sights on the Moon.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56The new programme is called Apollo.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Apollo 1 will test a new command module in Earth orbit.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07First time astronaut Roger Chaffee joins veteran NASA fliers
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Ed White - the first American to walk in space -
0:05:11 > 0:05:14and Commander Gus Grissom, perhaps the most respected
0:05:14 > 0:05:16all-round astronaut in the US space programme.
0:05:16 > 0:05:22In January of 1967, their launch is nearing its countdown.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The transition from the Gemini to the Apollo programme
0:05:29 > 0:05:33was probably the most difficult period of time
0:05:33 > 0:05:37that we had in the entire space programme to date.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Only three years remain to fulfil
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Kennedy's pledge to land on the Moon by the end of the decade.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46The pressure to deliver is intense.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48It just seemed that we were running
0:05:48 > 0:05:51faster and faster and faster and weren't catching up -
0:05:51 > 0:05:54the programme was accelerating out ahead of us.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Apollo 1 is less than four weeks from liftoff.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Tests now simulate realistic launch conditions.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11By that time, the Apollo programme was well underway
0:06:11 > 0:06:13and the Apollo 1 crew were going to test
0:06:13 > 0:06:15the Command Module, the mother-ship,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18the part we would live in going back and forth to the Moon.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23This procedure involves pressurizing the closed cockpit
0:06:23 > 0:06:27to 16 pounds per square inch of pure oxygen
0:06:27 > 0:06:29to simulate spaceflight conditions.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34All the individuals had the opportunity to call off
0:06:34 > 0:06:37the test. The flight director, launch director,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39the crew could have said, "This isn't our day.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43"Let's back out and sort these things out," but nobody did that.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50KLAXON BLARES
0:06:50 > 0:06:54There was a fire down on the pad. And it was obvious
0:06:54 > 0:06:59when I arrived, that a very horrific event had occurred.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Apparently there was an electrical short of some kind and bam
0:07:06 > 0:07:07everything went
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and the three guys lost their lives.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15A spark from the capsule's wiring starts a fire,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18killing all three astronauts within 30 seconds.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19We had no idea
0:07:19 > 0:07:24what the effect of high oxygen content environments
0:07:24 > 0:07:27would do as far as burning goes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And, er, we learned the hard way.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36The problem is when you pressurize a vehicle like the Apollo spacecraft
0:07:36 > 0:07:42to 16 psi oxygen, 100% oxygen, you're living potentially in a firestorm.
0:07:44 > 0:07:52NASA has been using pure oxygen in the Command Module to deliver life support in the spacecraft.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57It takes a tragedy to illustrate their poor judgment.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Ed White flew with me on Gemini 4
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and he was undoubtedly my closest friend
0:08:02 > 0:08:05in my whole life. We didn't have to talk to each other, we could tell
0:08:05 > 0:08:09what each other was thinking because we spent so much time together.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It was a great tragedy to me personally,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15but it was also to the country.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25I wasn't sure whether they were burying our friends or the entire Apollo Programme at that time.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29I don't think any of us were sure where we were headed.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42That fire, their sacrifice, made us stop and think.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46We were the ones
0:08:46 > 0:08:50that were responsible for the loss of the Apollo 1 crew.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57The Apollo team overhauls
0:08:57 > 0:09:00the capsule's design including materials,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03wiring and a quick-release emergency escape hatch.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05You know, it was like the phoenix
0:09:05 > 0:09:07rising out of the ashes, we built
0:09:07 > 0:09:10a far better, far safer, far more complete spacecraft.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13We looked to see what caused the problem,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15tried to fix it as best we could,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16made major changes.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24After five unmanned flights of the improved module, Apollo 7,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28with a crew onboard, achieves Apollo 1's mission objective.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30But it's 18 months later.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33The deadline for the lunar landing is pressing.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38Pressure is increased further when word reaches NASA
0:09:38 > 0:09:41that the Soviet Union is turning their sights on the Moon
0:09:41 > 0:09:43with their latest N1 rocket programme.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51The Americans suddenly face a big decision, play it safe
0:09:51 > 0:09:55moving in small steps through space and risk falling behind the Soviets,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59or take an unplanned leap to the Moon to assure being first.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I thought this was probably the riskiest first step
0:10:05 > 0:10:09that we'd ever take in the business of space flight.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12News of the decision is brought to Apollo 8 commander
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Frank Borman by the flight director.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17He said that the Soviets were going to try to put
0:10:17 > 0:10:20a manned flight around the Moon before the year end.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23So that was our mission, to go the Moon
0:10:23 > 0:10:26orbit ten times them come home. That was it.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Borman's Apollo 8 crewmates will include
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Bill Anders and Jim Lovell -
0:10:30 > 0:10:35Borman's crewmate on the epic Gemini 7 thee years earlier.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39I had already spent 400 hours in Earth orbit, and I thought
0:10:39 > 0:10:43that going some place else was much needed for me.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Frank Borman is fond of saying
0:10:46 > 0:10:49that Apollo 8 was just another battle in the Cold War.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54So, as a military guy, I was, er, pleased to take on this extra risk.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Borman and the crew of Apollo 8
0:10:58 > 0:11:03are now to embark on the greatest adventure of all space voyages.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It was, to me, the most dangerous mission
0:11:06 > 0:11:08that NASA ever undertook.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Er, there's no question in my mind that it was the boldest decision we ever made in the space programme.
0:11:20 > 0:11:26To get to the Moon, Apollo 8 will need to travel more than a thousand times further away
0:11:26 > 0:11:30than any astronaut ever has and break new speed records.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31To leave Earth's orbit,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35we have to continue to accelerate from this orbital velocity
0:11:35 > 0:11:39of five miles per second up to seven miles per second.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And then we have to set it on a trajectory path
0:11:42 > 0:11:46within a range of 50 to 100 miles in front of the Moon,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49so they can go into orbit around the Moon.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55To transport three men at this velocity will require
0:11:55 > 0:11:57the largest rocket in history -
0:11:57 > 0:11:59the Saturn 5.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06As tall as a 36 storey building, it's been test fired just twice.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10But Apollo 8 will be the first time men ride it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The fact that we want to leave Earth
0:12:16 > 0:12:19to travel all the way, 240,000 miles, to the Moon
0:12:19 > 0:12:23gave it a considerably higher level of risk to any previous flight.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Well, I actually, er, went out and sat in the parking lot
0:12:29 > 0:12:33with some friends of mine the night before the launch.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36And we sat on the hood of their car and you could see
0:12:36 > 0:12:39the rocket, with the searchlights, over in the distance
0:12:39 > 0:12:44and behind it was this very thin sliver of the Moon.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48And it was starting to sink in more on me
0:12:48 > 0:12:52that this Moon was one heck of a long way off.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56This is Apollo Launch Control with two hours 20 minutes and counting.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Countdown still going very satisfactory at this time.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04We expect that astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell
0:13:04 > 0:13:08and Bill Anders will be coming out in a matter of a few minutes.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10We appear to have a beautiful morning here for a flight
0:13:10 > 0:13:13to the Moon and we're also synchronizing
0:13:13 > 0:13:19the clocks in the spacecraft with the Mission Control Centre in Houston.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22The ever present smell of coffee and cigarettes
0:13:22 > 0:13:25literally dominates this room.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28You could have walked in and picked it up instantly.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Then there's the sound of the room.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33There's a hum, a noise level.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Somehow you get to feel the atmosphere just crackling in there.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41We felt, OK we're going for it we're going to get it today.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45It was very early in the morning.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47We were driven down to the Saturn 5.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49We took the elevator up.
0:13:49 > 0:13:55It had onboard around 5 million pounds of high explosives.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04This is Apollo Launch Control. T minus 16 minutes and counting.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Though I didn't share it with Valerie at the time...
0:14:08 > 0:14:15I thought our chances were about one in three, of not making it back.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19I knew the risks and I had five children
0:14:19 > 0:14:24and I simply didn't allow myself to anticipate tragedy.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Everything was secondary other than the mission.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Nothing mattered as much as doing your job.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Susan and the family were in second place.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36That's not easy to say but it happens to be true.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41I'm not going to sit here and be namby-pamby about it. It was true that I was more interested
0:14:41 > 0:14:45in that succeeding than anything else in life, at that point in my life.
0:14:45 > 0:14:51I honestly felt that if Apollo 8 was going to be the
0:14:51 > 0:14:54the success story that we all wanted it to be,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56it was going to be a miracle.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59T minus 90 seconds and counting.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03The Saturn 5 had had only two test flights before
0:15:03 > 0:15:05and the last one had done very, very badly.
0:15:05 > 0:15:0650 seconds and counting.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10We were killed more times in simulation than you can shake a stick at.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11We have power transfer
0:15:11 > 0:15:16and we're now on the flight batteries within the launch vehicle. 45 seconds.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20I do remember lying there having a very limited view of the sky,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24but seeing a seagull circling over our escape tower.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I just wonder whatever happened to that bird?
0:15:26 > 0:15:30He must have been the most surprised animal in the world when that thing took off.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35The Saturn 5 is the most powerful machine ever made.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39At launch, it holds so much explosive power that only
0:15:39 > 0:15:42three carefully selected men are allowed within a three mile radius.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And they are sitting inside it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Anytime you sit on top of a rocket.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51You're taking a risk cos there's an awful lot of chemical energy.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56I think the Saturn 5 had the same equivalent energy as a small atom bomb.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Multiple high speed cameras
0:16:01 > 0:16:05cover the launch for analysis in the event of disaster.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08..Ten, nine. We have ignition sequence start.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12The engines are on. Four, three,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15two, one, zero.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43I felt like I was a rat
0:16:43 > 0:16:44in the jaws of a big terrier.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49The thrashing was violent and you couldn't see the instrument panel.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I was sure we were hitting the launch tower.
0:16:55 > 0:17:01Frank Borman told me later that he took his hand off the critical launch abort handle
0:17:01 > 0:17:06for fear that, er, he would activate it inadvertently.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10He said he would rather die than make a false abort.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14No-one was ready for Saturn 5.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We were three miles away. Believe me that's close enough.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20You don't want to go any closer because all of a sudden
0:17:20 > 0:17:23we get this rattling like an earthquake or something
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and it flops your skin on you as it goes up.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35Walter Cronkite was next door to us and they hadn't done a very good job in building his studio,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38so the roof comes down on top of his head.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I had to grab a microphone
0:17:41 > 0:17:47and I had to run outside. Our equipment was falling off of shelves.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50The clapping and the thunder of it...
0:17:50 > 0:17:51you can't see it on TV -
0:17:51 > 0:17:54you have to be there to know what I'm talking about.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05The Saturn 5 breaks the sound barrier within a minute,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07burning more fuel than any other rocket,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10lifting the mass of a sea-going ship.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18It burned over 1,000 gallons of fuel a second, lifted 6.8 million pounds -
0:18:18 > 0:18:22about the equivalent, as I recall, of a Navy destroyer.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Five engines in the first stage,
0:18:27 > 0:18:32blast the Apollo 8 spacecraft to seven times the speed of sound.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42Erm, the first stage burned out I think we were doing three or four Gs, suddenly it quit.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45S2 has ignited we can confirm.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47You go bang, bang.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51I felt like I was being hurled through the instrument panel
0:18:51 > 0:18:53by one of these big war catapults.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05After less than three hours orbiting the Earth,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Apollo 8 is cleared to blast thrusters, throwing them out of orbit towards the distant Moon.
0:19:10 > 0:19:16I had lit the third stage to get the velocity which is almost...
0:19:16 > 0:19:1824,000 miles per hour.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24It reminded me of going into a tunnel. You could actually see
0:19:24 > 0:19:29the Earth shrink as we sped on our way away on our way to the Moon.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32It was quite an interesting sight.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37As Apollo 8 hurtles at 24,000mph to the Moon,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40the crew is given the first ever view
0:19:40 > 0:19:43of the whole Earth as a globe.
0:19:46 > 0:19:54Back on Earth, hundreds of millions of people are peering back towards them in stunned fascination.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- Well, Patrick Moore, what did you think of that?- Quite incredible,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02- probably the greatest technological triumph made by man.- And nobody would deny
0:20:02 > 0:20:06that we will eventually leave the Earth and venture out into the universe.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08The next step is necessary.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11But while the media gears up
0:20:11 > 0:20:15to provide maximum coverage, the press feeding frenzy comes at a cost for some.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The news media came from around the world
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and you would look out the window
0:20:21 > 0:20:27and it was almost frightening because the cars kept coming,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and they just engulfed the neighbourhood so to speak.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35And every time we left the house, of course they were there waiting.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38We had no media training -
0:20:38 > 0:20:40that was not part of the programme -
0:20:40 > 0:20:46and there was not any preparation apart from the fact that we had been military wives.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52After three days' journey, Apollo 8 approaches its target.
0:20:53 > 0:20:59We're going to target a spacecraft to the Moon where the Moon is moving, the Earth's rotating
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and we're going to try and get 50 miles in front of it three days later.
0:21:03 > 0:21:09One degree off course could mean flying off into infinity or crashing into the Moon.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Houston, one minute to LOF.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14All systems go.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19It was a very narrow little slit that this spacecraft had to go through.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22As they enter lunar orbit, Apollo 8 will swing behind the Moon
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and lose radio contact with the Earth
0:21:25 > 0:21:27until they emerge from the other side.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29That was one of the key points in the flight plan.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34If we lost communications at the moment we were supposed to, we knew we were on course.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40Now you're gone. Command, reset the tape recorders forward, low bit rate.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Roger, stay steering, guys.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Thanks a lot, troops.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49We'll see you on the other side.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53At the instant when we were supposed to loose radio commission, we lost it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59After flying 240,000 miles I think we were off
0:21:59 > 0:22:02about a mile-and-a-half when we got to
0:22:02 > 0:22:05the place we were suppose to aim on so that's pretty incredible.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09And there were just stars everywhere,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13and suddenly the stars stopped and there was this big dark hole...
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and that was the Moon.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18And I must say the hair went up
0:22:18 > 0:22:21on the back of my neck when I saw that.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29The idea of romance seems to leave you when you're that close.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It was an incredible sight to see for a moment,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34very incredible.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Apollo 8 reaches the far side of the Moon,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44only 70 miles above its surface,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47the first ever sighting by human eyes.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50As they scan the lunar surface with their cameras,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54the men are unprepared for a bigger surprise up ahead.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00When we made the burn, Frank turned the spacecraft
0:23:00 > 0:23:02180 degrees and rolled.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Now, for the first time, when the Earth came up ahead of us
0:23:07 > 0:23:12that's when we were, er, amazed at this beautiful planet.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20The most impressive sight of the whole flight
0:23:20 > 0:23:23was seeing the Earth from 240,000 miles -
0:23:23 > 0:23:28the only thing in the universe that had any colour. That was the high point of the flight.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30I just grabbed the cameras
0:23:30 > 0:23:32with the rest of the crew and started shooting.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37The result is one of the most famous photographs in history.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39It's called Earthrise.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43The Earthrise picture tells us more about the Earth
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and what it really is and what we have here.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And you can only see it when it's so far away
0:23:49 > 0:23:53that your thumb can hide it when you put it up to the window.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Though we had prepared for and trained to go the Moon,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01to study the Moon
0:24:01 > 0:24:04what we discovered was our own planet Earth.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12'For all the people back on Earth the crew of Apollo 8
0:24:12 > 0:24:16'has a message that we would like to send to you. In the beginning,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20'God created the Heaven and the Earth
0:24:20 > 0:24:27'and the Earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.'
0:24:27 > 0:24:32When the crew starting reading from the Book of Genesis, this was the magic time for us
0:24:32 > 0:24:38because it put this whole context of space and what we were doing,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41I think, in a very appropriate fashion.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45It turned out to be from our advantage point at least perfect,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49because you can see almost what the beginning was and then the...
0:24:49 > 0:24:53and of course in the distance was the Earth as it is today.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00'And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.'
0:25:00 > 0:25:04It happened to be Christmas Eve and it happened to be Genesis
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and Genesis was significant.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11So it made a huge impact. I mean, we were all sitting there crying.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17Oh, it was, it was just, just such a perfect way to end.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22'And God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.'
0:25:27 > 0:25:29It's time to come home.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32To break free of lunar orbit, Apollo 8
0:25:32 > 0:25:35will rely on its rocket to fire one last time,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39steering them back towards Earth.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Chris Kraft came by the house to see how we were doing
0:25:42 > 0:25:46and I said, "Chris, you have got to tell me the truth.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50"Please, please tell me what you think the chances are
0:25:50 > 0:25:54"that you are going to get them out of lunar orbit."
0:25:54 > 0:25:58I think that I told Susan that the chances
0:25:58 > 0:26:02of mission success were probably 50-50.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06And I said, "You honestly are going to give them a 50-50 chance?"
0:26:06 > 0:26:08He said, "Do you buy that one?"
0:26:08 > 0:26:13I said, "Yes, I'll buy that," because I wasn't giving them that big a chance.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Susan thought we weren't going to make it. I never had any question that we wouldn't.
0:26:17 > 0:26:2137 agonising minutes of radio silence pass
0:26:21 > 0:26:24as the spacecraft makes its final trip behind the Moon.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29All anyone can do is wait.
0:26:29 > 0:26:36Unquestionably the most tense moment was firing the engines behind the Moon on the return to Earth.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41Because if you know anything about science and engineering you know it doesn't take
0:26:41 > 0:26:44much for the damn thing to go wrong.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49Nobody could really know if the million details that had to work
0:26:49 > 0:26:52could all come together and make a successful mission.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57When you know they're in their last lunar orbit
0:26:57 > 0:27:02and they go behind the Moon I was so deep in prayer
0:27:02 > 0:27:09that I don't think I even really heard much of what was going on, on that squawk box.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11'Apollo 8,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13'Houston. Over?
0:27:15 > 0:27:17'Apollo 8, Houston. Over?'
0:27:21 > 0:27:23'Houston, Apollo 8. Over.'
0:27:23 > 0:27:26APPLAUSE
0:27:30 > 0:27:37The relief at that moment. I really don't think I could describe...
0:27:38 > 0:27:40what I felt.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44We were just...ecstatic.
0:27:44 > 0:27:52It was just a triumphant moment and even the children seemed to really grasp that part of it.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57You can take a deep breath now. The spacecraft's coming back home
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and it was a marvellous time.
0:27:59 > 0:28:05A major hurdle has been cleared by getting Apollo 8 back out of lunar orbit and headed home.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07If the surface propulsion engine had not fired,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10we would still be orbiting the Moon 40 years later.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13We were very fortunate yes,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17but we were damn good, too.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19But the real celebrations must wait.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Home is still 240,000 miles away.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Apollo 8 will freefall back to Earth,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30reaching a record-breaking re-entry velocity upon arrival.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31We came back
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and entered the Earth's atmosphere I think at about 25,000 miles an hour.
0:28:35 > 0:28:41Pretty soon I think we were sitting in the middle of a blowtorch, and what worried me
0:28:41 > 0:28:43is that I would see these chunks flying off.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48And I thought, "Oh, my God." I could almost feel the heat through the back.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50That was the most dangerous part of the flight.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55At about 40,000 feet the drogue chute came out
0:28:55 > 0:28:58and then around 12,000 feet the three big chutes came out.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Apollo 8 finally splashes down on target in the dark of night.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07The impact was so hard that we flipped over.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10And so here we were hanging upside down
0:29:10 > 0:29:12and all the trash, that had been in the spacecraft
0:29:12 > 0:29:17and collected on the floor during entry, was now raining on our face.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20We were floating in the pitch dark and a rough sea.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25I got seasick and threw up all over Anders and Lovell.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28What a way to end a trip to the Moon.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36The huge milestone of Apollo 8 is that humans reached the Moon.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39The final task now awaits -
0:29:39 > 0:29:41to land on it.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47Apollo 9 will bring NASA one step closer to that ultimate goal.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Apollo 9 was the first flight of all the equipment
0:29:51 > 0:29:54they were going to take to the Moon where it was all together.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57It was also the first flight of the Lunar Module
0:29:57 > 0:30:00and it was pretty much an engineering test flight.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03We want to develop the techniques we'll use around the Moon
0:30:03 > 0:30:05and take the first shot at them around the Earth.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09To land on the Moon, NASA needs a super-lightweight
0:30:09 > 0:30:14Lunar Module that can detach from the main spacecraft in orbit.
0:30:15 > 0:30:21Whenever I saw a model of the Lunar Module it had these rigid sides and really looked strong.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26Turns out the exterior is made of cellophane and put together
0:30:26 > 0:30:32with Scotch tape and staples. It's Mylar and it's a very dangerous vehicle.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36This thing is really a piece of junk.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40We're gonna fly this flimsy thing?!
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Training pilots to fly this strange craft
0:30:44 > 0:30:47involves an even weirder contraption.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49The Lunar Landing Training Vehicle.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52It truly did give you as close to the lunar dynamic environment as you
0:30:52 > 0:30:53could possibly get
0:30:53 > 0:30:55in the real world on Earth.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59They were so sensitive that we had ejection seats in them
0:30:59 > 0:31:03and Neil Armstrong was one of the guys who ejected before his flight.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22Lift-off. We have lift-off at 11am Eastern Standard Time.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27McDivitt commands Apollo 9.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32Its mission - test fly the Lunar Module, the LEM, in Earth orbit.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35Apollo 9, you are go all the way. Everything looks good.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39It's the final piece in the puzzle required for a lunar landing.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42After months of simulators and rehearsal,
0:31:42 > 0:31:47it's now time to check that the LEM can really fly in space.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49It was a difficult vehicle to fly but you had to learn
0:31:49 > 0:31:53how to do that because that's the way you landed on the Moon.
0:31:53 > 0:31:573, 2, 1. Lift-off.
0:31:59 > 0:32:05In Earth orbit, McDivitt leaves the command module to detach and fly the Lunar Module solo.
0:32:05 > 0:32:11It's the first time a human flies a spacecraft not capable of bringing him back to Earth.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16The Lunar Module didn't have a heat shield on it, and so it would have burned up on the way in,
0:32:16 > 0:32:23so our only way home to Earth was to get back to the Command Module and that's known as a motivator.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27So we were motivated to get back to the Command Module.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31- How does that sports car handle, Jim?- Pretty nice.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35Apollo 9 showed that that the engineering aspects of the vehicles
0:32:35 > 0:32:37together in the Lunar Module were fine.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41Hey, Dave. We're at 29 miles and we can still see you.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46It all went together in an unbelievably good way.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Now you're coming in.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51So we had a good idea how all this stuff worked.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55That's good looking.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59There you go.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02I think you got a handle on it now.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03Good show, Spider.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08OK, Houston, we're locked up.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13Apollo 9 successfully demonstrates that the Lunar Lander can fly and rendezvous in space.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16One final journey must be taken before
0:33:16 > 0:33:18any attempt to land on the Moon.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Apollo 10 was the first time a Lunar Module went to the Moon.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28We flew the exact same profile on Apollo 10 as they were going to fly on Apollo 11.
0:33:28 > 0:33:33Apollo 10, you can tell the world that we have arrived.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Apollo 10 - Gene Cernan, John Young, and commander Tom Stafford
0:33:37 > 0:33:41rehearse a lunar landing right up to 10 miles from the Moon's surface.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44We detached in the Lunar Module
0:33:44 > 0:33:45went down to 10 miles,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49we'd radar map, we'd photo map, we picked out the landing site.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53It was great. We'd practised so much in the simulator
0:33:53 > 0:33:55we knew we could do it,
0:33:55 > 0:34:00Pitch over and look out the window and know where you're gonna land, it was pretty straightforward.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Charlie Brown, Houston, over.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07Roger, read you loud and clear. Snoopy looks good for DOI.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Sounds great, we copy.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13It's impressive to go that fast that close. 47,000 is pretty close
0:34:13 > 0:34:16after you've gone a quarter of a million miles.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21You look down and your amazed at the giant craters and particularly
0:34:21 > 0:34:25the boulders they're as big as a 40 or 50 storey building or bigger.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Oh, Houston, Houston, this is Snoopy.
0:34:28 > 0:34:34- Rog, Snoop. Go ahead.- We is going. We is down among 'em, Charlie.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39Roger, I hear you are weaving your way up the freeway. Can you give me a post-burn report over?
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Hey, Joe, we're about ready to dock.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Roger that.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48The mission was to paint that white line in the sky so Neil wouldn't get lost.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Apollo 10 is a success.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00The next mission is cleared to attempt a landing on the Moon.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Apollo 11's commander is to be Neil Armstrong.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08Apollos 7, 8, 9 and 10 had all done a great job.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Each flight achieved all its objectives,
0:35:12 > 0:35:16giving Apollo 11 all the information that was needed
0:35:16 > 0:35:18to try a descent to the lunar surface.
0:35:19 > 0:35:25Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot, and Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32They're training for the mission that will make some of the biggest news in history.
0:35:35 > 0:35:41Neil Armstrong was the consummate professional, the ice man, he was the kind of guy
0:35:41 > 0:35:43that would always remain an American hero.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Buzz Aldrin we had worked with on Gemini.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52He was the guy that was working by checklist, he had an intuitive feel
0:35:52 > 0:35:55for this thing called orbital mechanics and descent trajectories
0:35:55 > 0:35:57and abort trajectories.
0:36:00 > 0:36:01Mike Collins.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Almost the astute professor.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08The kinda guy that you wanted to have in your hip pocket if things got tight.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18Neil Armstrong recognised the intensity of the training,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21the intensity of the preparation for the first landing.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I worked with Neil and Buzz and Mike Collins
0:36:27 > 0:36:31probably starting about three months out.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36As launch date nears, the media spotlight swings toward NASA
0:36:36 > 0:36:40and the team that is preparing for a mission many believe is not possible.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43The interest is worldwide.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50The Module together with its power unit and main engine which sits
0:36:50 > 0:36:54underneath it down there, is generally referred to as the Mother Spacecraft.
0:36:54 > 0:37:00For the BBC, James Burke makes numerous special reports leading up to the launch.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04Inside, it's even more cramped than it looks from outside for three men
0:37:04 > 0:37:07all of whom are about 5ft 11 each.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12The Lunar Module pilot, Buzz Aldrin, lies in that couch there.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17In the centre couch, which has been taken out to let us get in, Michael Collins, the Command Module pilot.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21And Neil Armstrong, the man who will be the first to set foot on the Moon,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24the commander, flies in the left hand couch here.
0:37:26 > 0:37:32You had the feeling that this team was in Superbowl form.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37They were capable of accomplishing anything that would come their way.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Less than six months before President Kennedy's famous deadline,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51the Moon explorers are ready to launch.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54The astronauts then sat down to breakfast.
0:37:54 > 0:38:00They had a menu of filet mignon, scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and tea.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04This is Apollo Launch Control. We're still aiming toward our planned lift-off
0:38:04 > 0:38:11at the start of the lunar window, 9.32am Eastern Daylight.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14You did all the worrying before the flight,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18and you did all the training and the testing before the flight.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21And I think once you climb on board, you're ready to go.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26So it was just an adventure, that's why we all volunteered.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31This is Apollo Launch Control. T minus 3 hours, 4 minutes, 32 seconds and counting.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Right on time as far as the astronaut countdown is concerned.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39The flying crew now departing from their crew quarters here at the Kennedy Space Centre.
0:38:41 > 0:38:48The transfer van now departing on the start of its 8 mile trip to launch pad A here at complex 39.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Right now, our count at 3 hours, 3 minutes, and counting.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56As the Apollo 11 crew approach their ride to the Moon,
0:38:56 > 0:39:02nearly a million people have gathered at the Cape to witness and take part in history.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Everybody was coming to the Cape.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08All the RVs, you couldn't get a hotel room
0:39:08 > 0:39:11anywhere near, I mean, they were sold out up to 100 miles away.
0:39:11 > 0:39:19It's just unbelievable that the people who came and tried to get on the Cape.
0:39:19 > 0:39:20It was really something.
0:39:20 > 0:39:27I could watch the sunrise and the waves coming in and the evidence of the crowds
0:39:27 > 0:39:33and I felt a calmness, with this giant rocket,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36was something that I wanted to remember
0:39:36 > 0:39:39as the sun was rising on a very eventful day.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Once Armstrong and Collins are aboard then Aldrin will be called
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and he will take the middle seat in the spacecraft.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49This is Apollo Launch Control.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53We've passed the 6 minute mark in our countdown for Apollo 11,
0:39:53 > 0:39:55the flight to land the first men on the Moon.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59The swing arm now coming back, as our countdown continues.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Filing command coming in now. We're on an automatic sequence
0:40:03 > 0:40:07as the master computer supervises hundreds of events
0:40:07 > 0:40:09occurring over these last few minutes.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13T minus 15 seconds. Guidance is internal.
0:40:13 > 0:40:1812, 11, 10, 9,
0:40:18 > 0:40:25Ignition sequence starts. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
0:40:29 > 0:40:32- ENGINES ROAR - Lift-off! We have lift-off!
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Once the spacecraft rockets out of Earth orbit,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58the astronauts settle in for a three day ride to the Moon.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Back at Houston, a much larger team is hard at work
0:41:08 > 0:41:10to keep the mission on course.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13To me, the, the crew was the sort of the tip of the iceberg.
0:41:13 > 0:41:21There were 400,000 people underneath them in various roles that supported the flight.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25And you might have thought you were invincible, but you weren't going to
0:41:25 > 0:41:28make it to the Moon without everybody doing their job.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33One of the things I have always been compelled to do is
0:41:33 > 0:41:37very emotionally, talk to my people about what we were about to do.
0:41:39 > 0:41:45On the 5th day after launch, Apollo 11 faces its mission objective.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48I start off, to a great extent, laying out what we intend to do.
0:41:48 > 0:41:54I say from the day we were born, we were meant to be in this room
0:41:54 > 0:42:00Whatever we will do in this room today, I will stand behind every decision you will make.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05We came into this room as a team and we will leave this room as a team.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08Because from this moment forward,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11we are going to lock those Control Room doors.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15No controller will enter this room or leave this room,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18until we have either landed on the Moon,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21we have crashed into the Moon,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23or we have aborted the landing.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27And only one of those things is good, the other two are bad.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33Aldrin and Armstrong have moved into the Lunar Module.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36We separate the Command Module from the Lunar Module.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38Roger, how does it look?
0:42:41 > 0:42:45We did that so our orbit remained the same
0:42:45 > 0:42:47and Mike moved away from us briefly.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51I'd say everything is going just swimmingly. Beautiful.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55After the separation manoeuvre, when we came back again on the back side of the Moon,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58while we made a manoeuvre to a lower orbit.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Houston, Eagle. How do you read?
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Eagle, standing by for your burn report, over.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Roger, the burn was on time.
0:43:05 > 0:43:11Tempo in the room picks up right as we acquire spacecraft telemetry and we immediately got problems.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13X and Z notes.
0:43:13 > 0:43:14RADIO STATIC
0:43:14 > 0:43:18We got communications problems you cannot believe.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20Columbia Houston, we've lost all data with Eagle.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Please have engine reapply on the high gain, over.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27Houston loses direct communication with the Lander.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Columbia Houston, we've lost them, over.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Kranz improvises.
0:43:32 > 0:43:38Charlie Duke is my principal communicator, voicing instructions up to Mike Collins
0:43:38 > 0:43:41who is passing the instructions on to Neil and Buzz in the Lunar Module.
0:43:41 > 0:43:46Eagle, Houston. We recommend you go 10 right.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49It will help us on the high gain signal strength, over.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Yeah, you should have me now, Houston.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53Eagle, we got you now. It's looking good, over.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58But we finally keep it all together and at descent minus five minutes
0:43:58 > 0:44:01I give the go for a powered descent.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05You are go to continue powered descent, continue powered descent.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Eagle, we got you now...
0:44:07 > 0:44:10This will mark Apollo 11's greatest and unique challenge.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Landing an experimental vehicle on unknown ground.
0:44:14 > 0:44:19As a seasoned test pilot commander, Armstrong has been training for this moment all his career.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21You should be with me now, Houston.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24The descent was very tricky business.
0:44:24 > 0:44:29The challenge was to try to land at a relatively specific landing site
0:44:29 > 0:44:34that had no runway, no control tower, no radar and no navigation aids.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38Our plan was to start at a specific point
0:44:38 > 0:44:43in lunar orbit at about 50,000 feet altitude and something over
0:44:43 > 0:44:483,000 miles per hour to use one continuous rocket burn
0:44:48 > 0:44:51to decelerate to a hover in the landing area.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Eagle, Houston. Everything's looking good here, over.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58- OK, all flight controllers, going to go for landing. Retro.- Go.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01- Fido?- Go.- Control?- Go!- Telcom?- Go.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03- Jimsay?- Go.- Ekon?- Go.- Surgeon?- Go.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06- Captain, go, we're go for landing. - You're go for landing, over.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09- ALARM BUZZES - Program alarm.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11The computer said this is not normal.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13It's a 12-02.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16So it turned on 12-02 alarm.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Of course, we didn't really understand or remember exactly what that was.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25We were having these computer problems, data drop out and all of those things.
0:45:25 > 0:45:31So all of that builds tension and anxiety into the whole process.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33Give us a reading on the 12-02 program alarm.
0:45:33 > 0:45:40The computer in Apollo would rank the jobs that it had to do within this cycle.
0:45:40 > 0:45:45If it didn't get through all of the tasks that was on the list it said computer overload.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49With information technology in its infancy,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52the Apollo computer struggles to multi-task.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Mission control had encountered this only once before.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59We had seen these on our final day in training.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02We had rehearsed them with the back up crew on the spacecraft.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05So of course the guidance guy knew what they were.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09And so Steve Bales gave a go on those alarms.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Roger, we're going that alarm.
0:46:13 > 0:46:19My focus, at that point was the fuel, but all the other had just built up
0:46:19 > 0:46:24this tremendous tension in Mission Control,
0:46:24 > 0:46:29you could feel like you could just cut it with a knife, and it was dead silence.
0:46:29 > 0:46:342,000 feet. 2,000 feet. 47 degrees. Roger.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36Above the Moon,
0:46:36 > 0:46:41Armstrong and Aldrin disregard 12-02 and continue their descent.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Eagle looking great, you're go.
0:46:45 > 0:46:50But overload is not the only problem coming from the Apollo computer.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Altitude 1600.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57So we get down and then we start seeing this funny trajectory, at least I did.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00400 feet down. 3½. 47 forwards.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Well, at about 400 feet, if I remember correctly,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Neil levelled off and was flying horizontally.
0:47:06 > 0:47:091½ down.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12Our computer was steering us toward football stadium-size craters,
0:47:12 > 0:47:16surrounded by steep slopes and covered with large boulders.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20Armstrong is going to have to take over and manually land this thing.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Better than the simulator.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26That takes fuel to slow down and level off, then to land.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31Improvising, Armstrong will now have to find a landing site
0:47:31 > 0:47:33with his naked eye.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40We only have enough fuel for two minutes at a hover throttle setting
0:47:40 > 0:47:46and we then get very quiet in the room and the only, call-outs that
0:47:46 > 0:47:50are being given from then on, are seconds of fuel remaining.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55Lunar Module test flights on Apollo 9 and 10
0:47:55 > 0:48:00gave us a reasonable confidence level in the engine thrust and fuel consumption.
0:48:00 > 0:48:05We hoped to reach the landing area with about a minute and a half of fuel remaining.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09100 feet. 3½ down. 9 forward.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14At about 100 feet above the ground, we got the call of 60 seconds.
0:48:14 > 0:48:19- Simple call, Eagle, 60 seconds. - 60 seconds.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22And at that point the low level quantity light came on.
0:48:22 > 0:48:27And of course the tension is mounting rapidly in Mission Control.
0:48:27 > 0:48:34I could look out the window calling out the altitude rate and velocity, to Neil.
0:48:34 > 0:48:3640 feet down, 2½...
0:48:36 > 0:48:41I don't think anything prepared us for the intensity of the work
0:48:41 > 0:48:44we would see. Because there were battles.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47Four forward, drifting to the right a little.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Now they had 30 seconds to go...
0:48:49 > 0:48:5130 seconds.
0:48:51 > 0:48:57We used most of our remaining fuel finding a relatively level and smooth landing spot.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Faint shadow. Picking up some dust.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04I called out "Faint shadow, picking up some dust" cos the descent engine was beginning to cloud.
0:49:07 > 0:49:12In the final stages of the landing, everybody was watching their systems.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19Contact light? OK, engines stop, ACA out of descent
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Control, both engines over-ride...
0:49:22 > 0:49:27Our eyes met each other and I remember just patting him on the shoulder.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30Inside the Eagle, we shook hands.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32Maybe we did both, I'm not sure.
0:49:32 > 0:49:344-13 is in.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38We copy you down, Eagle.
0:49:38 > 0:49:44Houston...Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.
0:49:52 > 0:49:57That day, with this team, we just landed on the Moon.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Houston, this is Neil, radio check.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04Neil, this is Houston, loud and clear.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07The time has come to take the first walk on the Moon.
0:50:07 > 0:50:13- Breaker, breaker. 5 square.- Roger.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Break, break. Buzz, this is Houston.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Radio check and to verify TV circuit breaker in.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23Our shift was over, so I went home and...
0:50:23 > 0:50:25we watched it on the TV at home.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31Duke joins a record breaking audience as people the world over
0:50:31 > 0:50:36tune in to see and hear for themselves an event many had thought impossible.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Just the whole world stopped,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42it was just wonderful.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46In Britain it's 4am as the world's eyes watch a live broadcast
0:50:46 > 0:50:48from the Lunar Lander's cameras.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52And there, the Lunar Module on the surface of the Moon.
0:50:52 > 0:50:58At Mission Control, the new Capsule Communicator is astronaut Bruce McCandless.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02OK, Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.
0:51:04 > 0:51:09I just couldn't bring myself to believe that there were people that I knew, friends of mine,
0:51:09 > 0:51:13on the Moon at that point, it didn't look any different
0:51:13 > 0:51:14than it had before
0:51:14 > 0:51:17and it was just a surreal feeling.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26OK, Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30Very, very fine grain as you get close to it.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32It's almost like a powder.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Stepping off the LEM now.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49It's one small step for man...
0:51:51 > 0:51:54..one giant leap for mankind.
0:52:04 > 0:52:10It was very difficult to try to capture the events that describe the feeling
0:52:10 > 0:52:13that the entire world has at this instant,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16as we are witness to history, that we've had the opportunity
0:52:16 > 0:52:20to look over the shoulders of the explorers at these
0:52:20 > 0:52:22very momentous events as they are occurring.
0:52:22 > 0:52:27Thank God we were here at this time,
0:52:27 > 0:52:29in this place and could observe it.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34There was a great feeling of elation accomplishing the goal that
0:52:34 > 0:52:38hundreds of thousands of people had been working on for a decade.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42OK, the contingency sampler is down...
0:52:42 > 0:52:45The first thing that do when you get down on the surface
0:52:45 > 0:52:50is pick up some of the lunar soil, put it in a little bag put it in your suit pocket
0:52:50 > 0:52:56so that if everything deteriorates from that point on at least we have some lunar soil.
0:52:56 > 0:53:01- I'll try to get a rock in here. - That looks beautiful, Neil.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04It has a stark beauty all its own.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08It's like much of the high desert of the United States.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12It's different but it's very pretty out here.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14OK, you ready for me to come out?
0:53:14 > 0:53:15All set.
0:53:15 > 0:53:1915 minutes behind his commander, Buzz Aldrin is ready to join
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Armstrong on the surface of the Moon.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25You've got three more steps and then a long one.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Those who haven't read the plaque, we'll read the plaque.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34It's on the front landing gear of this LEM...
0:53:34 > 0:53:38We went around to take the cover off of the plaque
0:53:38 > 0:53:44and to read it back to Earth and that's when it was Neil's task to read this.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49"Here, men from the Planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53"July, 1969 AD.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57"We came in peace for all mankind."
0:53:57 > 0:54:05Those phrases I think summarise the major symbolism of the entire Apollo missions.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11We came in peace for all mankind.
0:54:11 > 0:54:16Columbia, this is Houston, reading you loud and clear, over.
0:54:16 > 0:54:2160 miles above them, Michael Collins orbits the Moon alone in the Command Module.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Reading you loud and clear. How's it going?
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Roger, the EVA is progressing beautifully.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28I believe they're setting up the flag now.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Great.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35I guess you're about the only person around that doesn't have TV coverage of the scene.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39That's all right, I don't mind a bit.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46- Tell me if you got a picture, Houston.- Oh, we got a beautiful picture, Neil.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49You didn't want a flag just lifeless, hanging...
0:54:49 > 0:54:52OK, I'm gonna move it.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57..so you have to have a rod that goes along the top of the flag and it has to snap into position.
0:54:57 > 0:55:04- Pull that in...- OK.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08Got the flag up now. The Stars and Stripes are on the Moon.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12- The Stars and Stripes are on the Moon.- Beautiful, just beautiful.
0:55:12 > 0:55:19When explorers come to a new location they take the flag of their country,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22so the decision was made that it was going to be an American flag
0:55:22 > 0:55:26- Beautiful, beautiful. - Ain't that something?
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Magnificent sight out here.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Magnificent desolation.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Neil and Buzz, the President of the United States
0:55:36 > 0:55:41is in his office now and would like to say a few words to you, over.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43That would be an honour.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46We didn't rehearse the phone call from the White House at all,
0:55:46 > 0:55:51matter of fact the whole idea of communication with the White House was kind of a surprise.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54All right. Go ahead, Mr President. This is Houston out.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Hello, Neil and Buzz. I'm talking to you by telephone
0:56:00 > 0:56:02from the Oval Room at the White House
0:56:02 > 0:56:07and this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made.
0:56:07 > 0:56:13I just can't tell you how proud we all are of you what you...
0:56:13 > 0:56:17For every American, this has to be the proudest day of our lives...
0:56:17 > 0:56:19I talked to President Nixon and I only got to do this,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22in the first place you don't have anything to do with this,
0:56:22 > 0:56:24it was a Kennedy-Johnson deal.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27In the second place you're going to be taking up too much air time,
0:56:27 > 0:56:31I said you're better off just being very low key about it.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32And he said I agree and he did.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36And thank you very much and I look forward, all of us look forward
0:56:36 > 0:56:38to seeing you on the Hornet on Thursday.
0:56:40 > 0:56:46Armstrong and Aldrin spend just over two hours exploring the surface of the Moon.
0:56:49 > 0:56:56When the space walk was successfully completed, they were back inside there was a very definite feeling
0:56:56 > 0:57:02of relief and of pride that we were right where we needed to be.
0:57:02 > 0:57:03And we were on our way.
0:57:03 > 0:57:079, 8, 7, 6,
0:57:07 > 0:57:135, first stage, arm entrance, 3.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21Apollo 11 was the culmination in my view of the Apollo programme.
0:57:21 > 0:57:26Humans travelled to another planet and eventually landed on it
0:57:26 > 0:57:31and explored it. And that was their legacy.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51The world would join in celebration of this great human achievement
0:57:51 > 0:57:54as the crew of Apollo 11 toured their own planet
0:57:54 > 0:57:59to collective awe everywhere.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03We were looking at all this cheering and certainly
0:58:03 > 0:58:09there was a sense that the world was thinking that yeah, WE did it.
0:58:11 > 0:58:17It was a magnificent testimony to the evolution of humankind.
0:58:19 > 0:58:24The Space Race is over but the story of the human race in space is only just beginning.
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:43 > 0:58:46E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk