The first lunar landing was on this date. What will be your giant leap for mankind?

[Rebecca W.]

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind"
My "one giant leap for mankind" will be to take my first picture as Rebecca. I will then post it on here and land on my two feet in high heels. What will be your "one giant leap for mankind"?
Please dont be shy on posting, we all enjoy the responses to all of the threads on here.

[NathalieX66]

I specifically rememeber watching the whole thing unfold on a 19" black & white tv. Even up to 1972 I was so excited about astronauts that I made a lunar module out of a cardboard refrigerator box, and made the instument cluster out of clippings from the automotive section of a Sears catalog, and I had a pair of dining room chairs that were reclined on the floor to simulate the Apollo spacecraft during takeoff
memories. :).

I also remember a hot sweltering full moon night around that time, and my mom carrying me from our swimming pool back to the house singing:
I see the the moon, the moon sees me
the moon sees somebody I want to see
So God bless the moon and God bless me
and God bless somebody i want to see

[Nicole Erin]

I want to "moon" a bunch of skinheads.

[StaceyJane]

The movie M*A*S*H was being filmed at the same time as the Apollo 11 landing. Ther is a shot of the moon over a PA speaker that was taken while the astronauts were on the moon.

My giant leap would be to start transitioning but I'm not ready for that yet so I will have to take the small step of getting electrolysis for my face.

[Rebecca W.]

It was a special day for me too. I was watching it on our 19inch black and white tv like you did Nathalie and my eyes never left the screen! I assembled a model of the lunar module and I had lots of fun pretending to be an astronaut. When life is so stressful, it is nice to reflect back on such special historic events in our lives.:)

[Kara Connor]

I grew up following the Apollo program. I was 6 at the time of the moon landing and allowed to stay up until 1am which was when the first footstep on the moon happened, GMT. Still love following NASAs activities. Pity they don't spend more money on that sort of thing. It is very inspiring to get young people into science and engineering, or at least it would be if the news and other television programs showed an interest. There is a great bit in the Jenny Boylan's book where she writes to NASA offering to be the first transsexual in space, along with a rather boiler-plate reply from NASA :)

[Fab Karen]

Yeah, I watched it live early in..er, uh, I mean I've seen videos of that...yeah, that's it...:whistling:

[Barbara Jo]

Yeah that was a long time ago.

What the younger generations don't realize is, back then, lunar landings almost became routine.

The sad thing is, 40 years later we wont even have a space vehicle anymore in 2011 when the shuttles are retired.

[Kate Simmons]

I've been "leaping" since I've been here. MY biggest one will be when I finally get to leave this "party".:)

[Frédérique]

What will be your giant leap for mankind?

That reminds me -- it was exactly a year ago that I became active on this site. Against the odds, I’m still here, but please don’t think too much about it, since it means nothing…:doh:

Doing what I’m doing in the transgendered arena is my “Giant Leap,” but I would prefer not to draw attention to myself. I won’t be reproducing, I won’t be influencing a young crossdresser in my family, I won’t be active in fostering awareness (however temporary), nor will I burden an SO with my personal choices. I will reach out here, in this little box, if you have the courage to reach out a little towards me. Maybe this is my “Little Leap,” purely for personal satisfaction, since the term “mankind” scares me. We’re here now, for whatever reason, at this time and place, and I’m of the belief that nothing has any meaning (see above). Acting upon that thought I crossdress, mainly because I want to and because I can, not because it can have some impact on human evolution. We aren’t going anywhere, so I might as well dress appropriately for the occasion…:battingeyelashes:

BTW, it would be nice to have some new human EXPLORATION of space going on, wouldn’t you say? It’s a bit sad to be remembering an event from over 40 years ago as the pinnacle of extraterrestrial achievement – we were supposed to be OUT THERE by now! I know, it’s expensive and very dangerous to do anything off-Earth, but what happened to wanderlust? :thinking:

[suit]

I wonder why after spending all that $$ to get that flying state of the art insulated (most expencive insulation known)school bus outof the grips of gravity and dumping some one off at the space station did they not then take it for a joy ride, to the moon ?
it 's insulated , got plenty of space in back for picic basketts and beach umbrellas, but inthe 20 years its flown its neve gone past 200 mile magnetic envelope that tiny uninuslated aluminum can did ....why!

[Teri Jean]

That day so many years ago I was sitting with a buch of fellow sailors in the barracks watching the landing and having a party. At the moment Armstrong's foot touched the surface of the moon it was nuts.

Since then there have been many firsts for me but I think the most apprehensive step for me was the day, Oct. 4th of 2009, I stepped out of my vehical as Teri and walked into work as a woman for the first time. Halloween does not count, LOL.

[victoriamwilliams1]

Yeah that was a long time ago.

What the younger generations don't realize is, back then, lunar landings almost became routine.

The sad thing is, 40 years later we wont even have a space vehicle anymore in 2011 when the shuttles are retired.

So true! I guess in 2011 we will make the leap back wards and go back to capsule based rockets which they have been using in other nations. I was not born when the landing took place but I have heard stories about it.

[Sarah Doepner]

Back then. A friend brought a small portable TV to my work and set it up in an empty office on the 7th floor so we could watch the report. We are using better technology now to communicate with each other than they could imagine and yet they pushed the envelope the farthest it's ever been. While the mechanical exploration of space continues, it doesn't do anything to expand the vision of where humans fit.

I hope that I'll be able to continue to dream and achieve new things for myself, my family, my friends and my community. My giant leap may have happened already or it may be yet to come. But I'll be happy too explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before, or something like that.

[Reid]

haha, I'm a bit jealous of those who were around during the moonlanding. My parents were just kids back then. Wish I was there too ^^

My biggest step would have been this weekend, when I finally came to terms with myself, and ordered my first clothes. And there are many more big leaps to come :D

[Lynn Marie]

I've been involved with electronics and aviation since the early days of the Apollo program. Today, it scares me to think they went to the moon multiple times with the poor quality electro-mechanical gear that was state-of-the-art in those days. You probably have more computing power in your wrist watch than they had getting to the moon and back.

Oh, and how about that canned, politically correct statement from Neal Armstrong. Hell, I'd have shouted "Holy $hit we made it!" Only a couple of weeks prior he'd had to make a zero-zero ejection from the "flying bedstead" trainer. I've no doubt he was very worried, but what a cool customer under pressure he was.

My "giant leap" was joining this forum and coming out of the closet.

[Maryesther M.]

I stayed up until three in the morning GMT to hear Neill Armstrong's words 'Tranquility base here'. It was the following day, several hours later that they did the walk and use the b&w camera on the surface.
Later on that year the guys on Apollo 12 had a colour camera, inadvertantly pointed it at the Sun on landing, burnt the image reciever out and we had no video footage at all of their moon walks...only stills transmitted later.
My Giant leap will be a professional make-over. I struggle with this ol' dial of mine and that's the weakest part of my CD pictures by far.

[Barbara Jo]

I wonder why after spending all that $$ to get that flying state of the art insulated (most expencive insulation known)school bus outof the grips of gravity and dumping some one off at the space station did they not then take it for a joy ride, to the moon ?
it 's insulated , got plenty of space in back for picic basketts and beach umbrellas, but inthe 20 years its flown its neve gone past 200 mile magnetic envelope that tiny uninuslated aluminum can did ....why!

Because it wasn't designed (or able) to go to the moon.
When the shuttle was being developed and then put into service many did critsize it saying why do we need a "truck" that can only orbit the earth?

The answer from NASA was that they can develope new products and conduct other research with it. .
Translation, the shuttle will benefit coporations more the scientific comunity who are more interested in exploration.

Umanned robotic devices are cheaper and give you a wealth of info they also said. So again, why build a truck that can only orbit earth?

Keep in mind the the originall design for the shuttle called for it to be launched at a very high altitued from a specially designed aircraft.
I was to be launced somewhat like the X-15 was.
However it was deemed too expensive and it was decided that a couple of solid rockets woud be strapped to it and it would be launched from the ground.
Other compromises were also made to cut cost. It should have been retired years ago and replaced with something better and more useful by now.

BTW it has been said that the total cost of getting to the moon initialy cost every tax payer about $3
$3 to go to tha moon? I would say that is a real bargin! This fact is, the NASA budget is relatively small when compared to other things

[Inna]

I want to ask congress to set aside budget equal to that of apollo program for my FFS needs.
My slogan will convey: One small surgery for a man, one giant relieve for man kind.:daydreaming:

[Jilmac]

I vividly remember watching that chapter of history unfold on live tv as Neil Armstrong set his foot in the dust of the lunar surface. What an awesome event that was. It's a shame that the Wright Brothers were no longer on earth to witness how far their first flight at Kitty hawk had progressed in 66 years. !903 was the small step that put humans into powered flight and 1969 was the giant leap into space exploration. But I'll get off my soap box now and say what I want my giant leap to be. I just want it to be total acceptance of me whether it's Jill or my male personna. I believe total acceptance of all of us by society would be our giant leap for mankind. :thumbsup:

[Electra]

Oh, and how about that canned, politically correct statement from Neal Armstrong. Hell, I'd have shouted "Holy $hit we made it!" ...

Neil Armstrong's first words were 'Houston, the Eagle has landed'. He did not make the 'politically correct statement' involving the giant leap as his first words.

[Daphne S]

My "giant leap" will be to tell my whole family about me being TG. I don't think all of mankind will benefit though...maybe I'm selling myself short:D

[SuzanneBender]

Our kids just don't get the incredible moments when the world comes to a stop for something that is not a tragedy. All of the famous newsmen on TV using little toy rockets, some on a stick, to explain to us what is going on. I remember looking up at the moon thinking there are men on it. Even though I was six it made a huge world seem a little smaller.

My giant leap has already happened. It was telling my wife about this side of me. All the other leaps are not as big as Neil's because you can't leap that high in heels.

[Annaliese2010]

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind"
My "one giant leap for mankind" will be to take my first picture as Rebecca. I will then post it on here and land on my two feet in high heels. What will be your "one giant leap for mankind"?
Please dont be shy on posting, we all enjoy the responses to all of the threads on here.Aww I missed it. Amazing to think how a common pocket calculator is many times more powerful and sophisticated than the on-board computers used in the manned Apollo rockets!