Countdown to the Moon: final training ahead of the launch

Half a century ago, the astronauts commenced a final week of training ahead of their historic moon-­landing mission.

The Apollo 11 crew relaxes during training in 1969.

On this corresponding Tuesday, half a century ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz’” Aldrin and Michael Collins had touched down at Cape Kennedy to begin a final week of training ahead of their historic moon mission.

“The Apollo 11 crew will simulate sections of its mission and study in detail the spot selected on the moon’s surface for the landing by Armstrong and Aldrin,” said The Australian’s front-page coverage on Tuesday July 8, 1969.

“The landing craft, named the Eagle, plans to touch down on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquillity. Aldrin said they had several simulations to carry out with the control centre, including the ‘moon walk’ and reviews of how to handle systems in the event of malfunctions.

“A key activity in the final pre-launch days would be a close study of photographs of the landing site, he said.”

The crew had spent the previous weekend with their families in anticipation of the almost three weeks they would have to spend in quarantine on their return to Earth.

To commemorate this month’s 50th anniversary of the historic moon landing, The Australian wants to hear readers’ recollections of the moment.

Where were you when the landing took place? What was the atmosphere like? Perhaps the event sparked an interest in space and adventure?

The Countdown to the Moon, which we are now recreating in the lead-up to July 21, was a day-by-day series of full-page features to illustrate every step of the momentous and dangerous journey.

Our moon-landing coverage on July 8, 1969, included facts about the Saturn rocket, the launch vehicle that had been taking US astronauts to space since the Apollo 7 mission in 1968.

“The most powerful known ‘launch vehicle’ in use, it is 365ft high — equivalent to a 36-storey building — and weighs 3000 tons,” the coverage read alongside a model drawing of the rocket.

“The first stage (138ft long, 33ft in diameter) ... drops away 36 miles up with the vehicle travelling at 6000mph. Nine minutes after lift-off, at 108 miles, the 81ft second stage is detached.”

The day’s coverage involved speculation as to how long the first human footprint would remain implanted on the moon’s surface.

“With care it could be preserved for half a million years,” ­according to geologists at the time.

Go to theaustralian.com.au/memories to submit your moon memories and photographs.

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The day the boys in blue took over lounge room

I celebrated my third birthday on July 20, 1969.

My two older brothers and I lived in Marlborough Street, Leichhardt, Sydney, immediately beside the police station.

We were children of Italian immigrants who came to Sydney in the 1950s. My mother and father were always extremely respectful of the police next door. Requests for assistance from them were not uncommon: milk, sugar, put something in the fridge. Consistent with the times, all the coppers were big burly blokes from the old school.

They were also appreciative of the small kindnesses my parents sometimes gave.

Come the day of the lunar landing, my brothers and I sat in our TV room to watch. My father was at work, my mother was in the back of the house.

There was a knock at the door and my mother answered to find one of the police sergeants. “Mrs Ingui,” he started, “the first man will soon step out on the moon. We don’t have a TV. Do you mind if a few of us come over to watch the TV in your house?”

“Sure, no problem,” she said.

She left the front door open and returned to her chores. A half hour passed and my mother ­realised she hadn’t heard boo from her boys for some time. Out of curiosity, she walked down the corridor to the front of the house and into our lounge room. Her three small boys were sitting on the lounge excitedly watching Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. They were in safe hands. Some 20 police officers and detectives were either sitting on the floor or standing, packed into the small room, glued to the screen.

The police sensed my mother’s initial shock, apologised and ­offered to leave. She insisted they stay. She brought back cups of tea and coffee and the obligatory Italian biscuits for them all.

Robert Ingui, Pyrmont, Sydney