Monday, July 20, 2009

Mosaic Monday: The Original Moonwalk

Photograph of Buzz Aldrin from NASA Web site. The newspaper photographs are my originals.

I was only seven years old when U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin took their historic first steps on the moon. I don't remember watching the coverage on television, but my older sister remembers. She said we were at our grandparents' house and that my Papa didn't believe any of it was true. "I remember him saying that they were in Russia, not on the moon," she said.

As a former journalist and a space enthusiast, imagine my excitement when I unpacked old newspapers that my husband's grandmother had kept over the years. These newspapers (which I photographed and used in my mosaic) were published between July 15 and July 22, 1969... when NASA launched Apollo 11 and Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon! I'm thrilled to own these historic documents!

Since today is Mosaic Monday, I also went into the NASA archives and used some of their photographs to create another mosaic. Information about each photograph is included below.



1) Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins take a break during training. 2) Apollo 11 blasts off! 3) A serious mood dominates Mission Command during the lunar landing. 4) Earthrise from the moon 5) This is one of the first photographs Armstrong took after landing on the moon. 6) (center shot) Armstrong also took this photograph of Aldrin. When you enlarge or zoom in on the photograph, you can see Armstrong in the reflection on Aldrin's visor. 7) Aldrin salutes the American flag. 8) astronaut's footprints on the moon 9) This photo was taken after Armstrong returned to the module after his moon walk. 10) Mission Control cheers a successful mission. 11) The astronauts await their pick-up after splash down. 12) While in the quarantine van, the astronauts can only wave to their wives. 13) President Nixon congratulates the crew.

One thing I noticed as I looked through the photos actually taken on the moon was that Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was not in many of them. Hmmm. I'm guessing Armstrong was like a lot of us bloggers. He was usually the person behind the lens instead of in front of it!

Wishing you blue skies and joy on this Mosaic Monday!

11 comments:

Silver said...

The mosaic comes together beautifully.

i like what you said about your observation that Armstrong was not in the picture.

I guess that is the same in many other respects of life too, that the "bigger" person is not usually the one where the limelight falls upon. But, i don't think that is half as important as whether a life changing goal or big moment is being achieved or not at the end of it.

I always like to think that a great leader is only great NOT because of who he is but WHO is behind him/her.

Have a great week ahead, Roban!

~Silver

miruspeg said...

I remember the moonlanding very well. I was at College and of course we all stopped to watch this historic event on TV.

Forty years ago, that was quite a feat to send astronauts to the moon and back again safely.

Apparently Australian audiences witnessed the moon walk and Neil Armstrong's first historic step 300 milliseconds before the rest of the world.

Glad you blogged about it Roban....the mosaics are great.

Take care
Peggy

McMGrad89 said...

I love both mosaics. I just found out recently, that my best friend's mother thought that the lunar landing was also a hoax. When I heard that NASA "lost" (taped over)the video tapes and that Hollywood was going to help revive the tapes that did exist, I thought, "Well, the conspiracy theorists have just received more fuel for their fire." Regardless, it was an exciting time for most of the world, I am sure. I was only 1 and a half.

Carrie and Jim said...

I love the photo combination. What a remarkable time in our history. Great way to display it for all to see and remember those brave explorers. Before my time...but still a part of our history and something important to remember.

Sandie said...

What a great tribute for mosaic monday. Takes me back to my younger years.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! Love your blog!

Sara said...

I love the mosaics. Unfortunately, I don't remember watching this event either.

I was seventeen when the walk on the moon happened and a typical teenager. Instead of appreciating this historic moment, I was probably hanging out with my friends at Steak and Shake:~)

I did, however, absolutely love Tom Hanks' From Earth to the Moon about the Apollo space program. Hopefully, this redeems me somewhat:~)

Monica said...

I love your mosaic. How talented you are. How excited you must have been to find those articles!

beth said...

what a wonderful tribute for something I wasn't old enough to understand at the time...

now...loving photography the way I do...I'm loving all that I'm seeing !

Liara Covert said...

Found you on Talon's blog. To reminisce about the history of space travel reminds human beings that they are connected with capacities far beyond what they currrently choose to use. Science fiction is based on elements of truth. Time travel and telepathy are only some of the skills people have forgotten how to use. Selective amnesia does not last forever. Awakening is underway. Consdier my new Self-Disclosure: Changes from Within book. Choose to explore your true self.

Mary said...

Roban, these are wonderful! I was 12 at the time, and I remember watching on TV and complaining that the picture was fuzzy. LOL I guess I didn't really realize what a technological feat it was to transmit live video from the moon... :)