Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas: Man on the Moon
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Man on the Moon
In 1961, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Houston to be the home of a new Manned Spacecraft Center, now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, as part of America’s goal to send humans to the moon. While launches took place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, astronauts trained in Houston, and NASA personnel managed flights into space from its now-famous Mission Control Center. The 1969 Apollo 11 mission took place after many spaceflights and a practice run with Apollo 10. The team of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins left on the lunar mission July 16, 1969. On July 20, Armstrong reported, “Houston, Tranquility Base down, the Eagle has landed,” before he stepped out onto the surface of the moon, memorializing the city in the history of space travel.
"Armstrong and Aldrin Walk on Moon After Dusty Landing,”
July 21, 1969, Beaumont Enterprise.
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Die casts, State of Texas Medal of Honor to Apollo 11 astronauts, 1969 TSLAC Artifacts collection, ATF0436. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
These are the die casts used to produce the Medal of Honor given to the crew of Apollo 11. The die on the left shows a branch of live oak representing strength and an olive branch symbolizing peace in the form of a wreath surrounding the lone star of Texas. The dies for the medal and a replica were placed in the State Archives to commemorate the historic achievement.
Astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon. Texas Tourism Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials, 1991/077-0114_005.
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The Apollo 11 flight to the Moon was managed from this Mission Control Center at the NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston. Texas Tourism Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials, 1991/077-0114_011.
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The crew of Apollo 11 (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin) receiving the Medal of Valor from Texas Governor Preston Smith, October 17, 1970. Bill Malone Materials, Current Events Photographic Documentation Program collection, 1971/022_043. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy proposed a national goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth before the decade was out. On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the surface of the moon. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon’s surface. He described the event as “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin wearing the Medal of Valor and holding a framed photograph of himself standing on the moon, October 17, 1970. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Bill Malone Materials, Current Events Photographic Documentation Program collection. Buzz Aldrin joined Neil Armstrong on the surface of the moon, exploring the area they called “Tranquility Base” and collecting lunar material to bring back to Earth. The astronauts were on the moon’s surface for 21 hours and 36 minutes. Pilot Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia in lunar orbit, allowing the crew to return to Earth safely.
Texas Lone Star Flag carried by astronaut James Lovell in the Gemini VII mission in December 1965. TSLAC Artifacts Collection. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Astronaut James Lovell took this flag with him aboard the spacecraft Gemini VII. The mission commanded by Frank Borman lasted 14 days and demonstrated that humans could live in weightlessness. During the mission, the spacecraft also met up in space with Gemini VI-A. These two achievements were critical to preparing for the Apollo moon landing.
State of Texas Medal of Honor, Apollo 11 Astronauts, 1970. TSLAC Artifacts collection, ATF0472. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Texas Governor Preston Smith presented the Apollo 11 astronauts with the Medal of Honor on October 17, 1970, honoring their historic mission to the moon the previous year. This replica and the dies were placed in the State Archives to commemorate the historic achievement. The medal on the left depicts the State of Texas wreath with the Lone Star in the center. The medal on the right depicts two astronauts deploying the American flag on the surface of the moon with Earth in the background. The legend states: We Came in Peace, July 20, 1969.