Don't Bogart My Blog: Science Times: You’ve Never Seen the Moon Landing Like This Before

Plus: Reliving Apollo 11 in Pictures and the Story Behind 8 Unforgettable Words —

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Friday, July 19, 2019

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Loss of Signal

On day four, Apollo 11 went around the far side of the moon.

Unplugged from Earth, with on-board tape recorders logging their conversations, we see another side of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

No longer in constant communication with Houston, the crew dove into the critical work of orbiting the moon. As the men chattered to each other, it became clear how well they work together.

But in one stage of this complex labor, just before the computer prepares to initiate a long burn of the engine, they become distracted by their destination.

"Plaster of paris gray to me," Mr. Collins said.

Mr. Aldrin replied, "Man, look at it."

And in the next second, Mr. Armstrong gently upbraided the two men: "Don't look at it. Here we come up."

As they completed these crucial engine burns, the men resumed gawking at the terrain.

And later, back in communications with Earth, they pointed their TV cameras at the moon, sharing their uncommon view with a planet full of people who couldn't wait for the next day, when two men would attempt to land there.

Michael Roston

Apollo 11: As They Shot It

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

From the Earth to the moon, in the astronauts' words and photographs.

The Apollo 11 lunar lander Eagle, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin after a walk on the moon, returning to the Columbia command module carrying Michael Collins, who took this photo, for the journey back to Earth.

NASA

Reliving the Moon Landing in Pictures

It may be a familiar yarn, but humankind's lunar journey in 1969 continues to be a spellbinder.

• When the space race was young and fun

John Wilford, right, covering the Apollo mission from Houston in 1969. At left is John Morris, The Times's photo editor.

Gary Settle/The New York Times

The Story of 8 Unforgettable Words About Apollo 11

By JOHN SCHWARTZ

John Noble Wilford recounts some of what went into writing the story of humanity's giant leap for the July 21, 1969, edition of The New York Times.

Mike McQuade

Messages on the Moon From a World Turned Upside Down

By KEN LIU

Our journey to the moon took us a long way from Earth, but it was always tangled up with power politics here on the ground.

Dr. E. A. King of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in July 1969, with moon rocks that were collected during the Apollo 11 mission.

NASA, via Associated Press

Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon, and Its First Great Geologist

By KENNETH CHANG

Had the Apollo program stopped after July 21, 1969, another astronaut says, its lunar samples would have been enough to reshape knowledge of the solar system.

Mike McQuade

Vantage

By NATASHA TRETHEWEY

A poem by the two-time U.S. poet laureate, reflecting on the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Buzz Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon after he stepped off this ladder on July 20, 1969.

Neil Armstrong/SSPL, via Getty Images

One Small Step for Man, One Big Step for Moon Boots

By JOHN BRANCH

Who decided what the most famous footprint in the solar system would look like?

In addition to hosting an Apollo party, the New York Hall of Science also has a space-themed summer exhibition,

Ann-Sophie Fjelloe-Jensen/New York Hall of Science

Apollo 11 Anniversary: How to Celebrate This Weekend

By LAUREL GRAEBER

Around New York, all roads lead to the moon: Here's a roundup of events honoring the small steps and giant leaps that made the mission possible.

VCG Wilson/Corbis, via Getty Images

Imagining the Moon

By SHANNON STIRONE

The moon in art has changed from symbol to something real, but that hasn't changed our will to see it.

ONE GIANT LEAP: THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING, 50 YEARS ON

On July 21, The New York Times presents the reading of a short play by Tony Award-winning author J.T. Rogers. Commissioned specifically for this event, the play weaves together transcripts of the Apollo 11 mission, Times coverage from the period and excerpts from interviews with the men and women who made it happen.

Following the reading, Michael Barbaro of "The Daily" will host an onstage conversation with Michael Collins, command module pilot on Apollo 11, Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the International Space Station, and Poppy Northcutt, the first female engineer to work in NASA's mission control, starting with Apollo 8.

Tickets $50–$200. For more information, see https://timesevents.nytimes.com/onegiantleap.