3. Tears
When we think of astronauts, tough and resilient men who took part in the early space program, we would never imagine them choking back tears, if not for Alan Shepard. Truly, he was one of the most underrated American astronauts. Not only was he among the first Americans in space, but at the age of 47, he became the oldest person to walk on the Moon. After retiring from the space program several years earlier due to inner ear issues, Shepard promised to overcome the affliction and return to play. In early 1971, he was part of the Apollo 14 mission.
By the way, this is the same astronaut who on the Moon fashioned a makeshift golf club and made the longest drive in history ("miles and miles"). However, few know that this same astronaut could not hold back his emotions when he took his first steps on the lunar surface. Alan Shepard cried while standing on the Moon. What's the big deal – after all, he couldn't wipe away the tears.
4. Communion on the Moon
NASA bosses warned astronauts that since practically the entire world would be listening to them, they should not participate in any religious rituals during their trips to the Moon. If they represent all of humanity, why offend representatives of other faiths? However, Buzz Aldrin considered this occasion too important to let it slip by.
Thus, after the landing was completed and everyone awaited the historic steps, Aldrin turned on the radio and asked everyone listening to find a way to mark this moment in history and thank whoever they deemed necessary. For him, this meant opening a small flask of wine and taking out bread that he had brought with him. After reciting a passage from the Gospel, he took a bite of bread and a sip of wine, becoming the first and only person to honor the Christian ritual of communion on the Moon. Neil Armstrong watched his partner with respect but did not participate.
5. First Words
Neil Armstrong's famous words when he took the first step on the Moon are often quoted as follows (according to official history): "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Of course, these words have been the subject of endless debate, plus many claim he misspoke and said not "for a man" but "for man," which slightly diminishes the significance of his words.
In reality, the first words spoken on the Moon were still inside the spacecraft, usually considered the first words after a safe landing: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." However, before and after these words, there was so much technical jargon exchanged by the astronauts that it's actually difficult to say which words were truly the first spoken on the Moon.
Further complicating matters is that Armstrong's landing was so soft that no one could be entirely sure what he said immediately after landing. Decryption comes down to three likely scenarios. Aldrin may have pointed out what activated the contact light, saying "contact light." Then Armstrong may have instructed Aldrin to turn off the descent engine by saying "off." Aldrin shut down the engine and said "okay, engine stop." None of these phrases were significant, so it's probably best to take Armstrong's message to the Flight Control Center in Houston as the starting point.
6. Moon Smell
Astronauts who visited the Moon were surprised by its distinct smell. Of course, they didn't smell it until they returned to the lunar module and removed their spacesuits. Fine dust was everywhere, on the astronauts' hands and faces. Some even tasted lunar dust. But the first contact of lunar dust with oxygen in four billion years produced a rather unique smell.
Most astronauts described it as smelling like spent gunpowder, something they were familiar with from military service. Why did it smell like that? Unknown. Chemically, the Moon and gunpowder are not similar at all, so there are different theories as to why this happened. The first person on the Moon, Neil Armstrong, said the Moon smelled like wet ashes in a fireplace.
7. Records or Prestige
Of course, "Apollo 11" can be called "iconic," and overall, it was a very defining moment for humanity's exploration of space. However, the dress rehearsal for this mission, "Apollo 10," set several records that have yet to be broken. In addition to cool names (command module "Charlie Brown" and lunar module "Snoopy"), the three men who flew on the mission went down in history as the furthest from home than anyone else. Eugene Cernan, Thomas Stafford, and John Young were more than 408,950 kilometers away from Houston when they reached the far side of the Moon.
Due to the terms of their mission, the Moon was particularly far from Earth, and the planet's rotation turned Houston to the opposite side of the Earth. After setting this record, the team set another one – they reached a speed of 39,897 kilometers per hour on their way home. At the moment, this is the maximum speed ever traveled by a human.
8. Lunar Module Pilots
Astronaut Pete Conrad was a man who expanded horizons. As commander of "Apollo 12," the second manned flight to the Moon, he waited for his module to land on the dark side of the Moon and out of radio signals, then did the unthinkable: on the way back from the lunar surface to the lunar module allowed his pilot to fly, "hold the helm." Thus, he showed that "lunar module pilot" is not just a name.
The lunar module pilot's job (like many others) was to provide the commander with all the information needed to fly under his command. He could only control the lunar module if the commander could not fly for certain reasons that never occurred. While they drifted on the dark side of the Moon, Conrad turned to his pilot, Alan Bean, and said, "Can you drive this transport for a minute?" Surprised but pleased, Bean was happy to take over, albeit briefly.
9. Priceless Sculpture
David Scott, commander of "Apollo 15," wanted to pay tribute to the many people who died during American and Soviet space programs. Before the start of his mission, he asked Belgian artist Paul van Hoeydonck to create a small statue that could honor all astronauts – American and Soviet – who died in pursuit of the dream of all humanity. The sculpture looked like a human but did not represent race, gender, or nationality. There was no commercial profit from the goodwill gesture, just honoring the memory of all astronauts who died in the line of duty.
The artist agreed, and on August 1, 1971, the crew of "Apollo 15" left a finger-sized statue on the top of Mons Hadley alongside a memorial plaque with the names of 14 known astronauts who died (actually two Soviet astronauts had died by then, but the USSR had not yet reported it). Several years later, the artist decided to "raise" a bit of money by selling signed copies of the sculpture, but Scott convinced him that it was a breach of agreement. Perhaps someday the small statue will be in a lunar museum on the Moon's surface.
10. Scientist on the Moon
As the Apollo program wound down due to budget cuts, NASA faced increasing pressure from the scientific community to send a real scientist to the Moon while it was still possible. Up until that point, NASA had only sent its own test pilots, trained as astronauts. But they only took a short course in geology and, of course, couldn't replace those who had devoted their lives to studying rocks.
With this in mind, NASA began hiring scientists and teaching them astronautics until they could fly a plane. These guys had no chance, but when it became known that ".
