In the building behind me are the testaments to Apollo and to what came before - the chariots of fire flown by Armstrong, Yeager, Lindbergh, and the Wrights. So, today is not only an occasion to thank these astronauts and their colleagues - the thousands of talented men and women across the country whose commitment, creativity, and courage brought this dream to life - it's also a time to thank the American people for their faith, because Apollo's success was made possible by the drive and daring of an entire nation committed to a dream. Apollo is a monument to our nation's unparalleled ability to respond swiftly and successfully to a clearly stated challenge and to America's willingness to take great risks for great rewards. Within one lifetime, the human race had traveled from the dunes of Kitty Hawk to the dust of another world. And then out of the static came the words: "Houston - Tranquility Base here: The Eagle has landed." With new alarms signaling a loss of fuel and the view now blocked by lunar dust, Mission Control began the countdown for a mandatory abort.Īmerica, indeed the whole world, listened - a lump in our throat and a prayer on our lips.
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Armstrong seized manual control to avoid a huge crater strewn with boulders. Alarms flashed, and a computer overload threatened to halt the mission while Eagle dangled thousands of feet above the Moon. Second boy, Jeb, 16 that summer - teaching English and listening by radio in a small Mexican village where electricity had yet to arrive. Our 12-year-old kid, Marvin, was on a trip out West with family friends and remembers stopping at a roadside motel to watch. Barbara and our daughter, Dorothy, were with me in our red-brick house right here on the outskirts of Washington, where we moved up here to represent Houston in the United States Congress. It was a perilous, unprecedented, breathtaking voyage. Three days and three nights they journeyed. A crowd of one million, including half of the United States Congress, held its breath as the Earth shook beneath their feet and our view of the heavens was changed forevermore. The Sun rose a second time that morning as the awesome fireball of the Saturn V lifted these three pioneers beyond the clouds. But America dreamed it, and America did it. Project Apollo, the first men on the Moon - some called it quixotic, impossible - had never been done. And for those who were not yet born or then too young to recall - you who are the children of the new century, raise your eyes to the heavens and join us in a great dream, an American dream, a dream without end. And for those old enough to remember that historic night 20 years ago, step outside tonight with your children or your grandchildren, lift your eyes skyward, and tell them of the flag - the American flag - that still flies proudly in the ancient lunar soil.
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Īnd later this evening after the crowd disperses and the Sun goes down, a nearly full Moon will rise out of the darkness and shine down on an America that is prosperous and at peace. And Michael Collins, former director of this amazing museum and the brave pilot who flew alone on the dark side of the Moon while Neil and Buzz touched down - Mike, you must be the only American over age 10 that night who didn't get to see the Moon landing. Neil and Buzz, who originated the moonwalk 15 years before Michael Jackson ever even thought of it.
It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed. And we are very proud to be part of this unprecedented gathering of America's space veterans and to share this stage with three of the greatest heroes of this or any other century: the crew of Apollo 11. And before me stand those on whose shoulders this legacy was built: the men and women of the United States astronaut corps. And thanks to all of you, who have braved the weather to join us today.īehind me stands one of the most visited places on Earth, a symbol of American courage and ingenuity. Vice President, for your introduction and for undertaking to head the National Space Council and for already demonstrating your skill for leadership there.
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