1 00:00:08,776 --> 00:00:11,577 NARRATOR: As Apollo 11 embarked 2 00:00:11,579 --> 00:00:14,113 on mankind's bold adventure to land on the Moon... 3 00:00:17,351 --> 00:00:18,951 ...the world's hopes and dreams 4 00:00:18,953 --> 00:00:23,288 hung on the actions of its three-man crew, 5 00:00:23,290 --> 00:00:27,393 especially commander Neil Armstrong. 6 00:00:27,395 --> 00:00:29,361 With the skills that had made him 7 00:00:29,363 --> 00:00:32,364 one of America's finest aviators, 8 00:00:32,366 --> 00:00:36,035 Armstrong marked his place in history with these famous words. 9 00:00:36,037 --> 00:00:39,671 NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for Man, 10 00:00:39,673 --> 00:00:42,975 one giant leap for mankind. 11 00:00:42,977 --> 00:00:48,047 NARRATOR: But what was it that had brought him to this historic moment? 12 00:00:48,049 --> 00:00:51,850 Armstrong had climbed to the pinnacle of his profession... 13 00:00:54,588 --> 00:00:58,157 Tested in combat in the skies over Korea... 14 00:00:59,927 --> 00:01:01,894 Reaching to the limit of the atmosphere 15 00:01:01,896 --> 00:01:04,463 as an elite test pilot, 16 00:01:04,465 --> 00:01:10,502 and on into space, where his cool head saved lives. 17 00:01:12,406 --> 00:01:14,473 And finally, accepting a life-long mantle of fame 18 00:01:14,475 --> 00:01:18,444 that didn't always sit well with him. 19 00:01:18,446 --> 00:01:20,979 ANDREW CHAIKIN: We ask a lot of our heroes. 20 00:01:20,981 --> 00:01:22,314 We put a burden on them. 21 00:01:22,316 --> 00:01:26,452 We put a burden on Neil Armstrong that he didn't enjoy. 22 00:01:26,454 --> 00:01:30,022 NARRATOR: So who was Neil Armstrong? 23 00:01:30,024 --> 00:01:36,628 His story now told by those who lived, loved and worked 24 00:01:36,630 --> 00:01:39,665 with the "First Man on the Moon," 25 00:01:39,667 --> 00:01:40,866 up next on NOVA. 26 00:01:56,750 --> 00:02:00,185 Major funding for NOVA is provided by the following: 27 00:02:01,322 --> 00:02:04,623 It's one of the most amazing things we build, 28 00:02:04,692 --> 00:02:07,960 Supporting NOVA and promoting public understanding of science. 29 00:02:10,998 --> 00:02:13,699 And the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 30 00:02:13,767 --> 00:02:15,467 and by PBS viewers like you. 31 00:02:19,507 --> 00:02:22,908 to achieving the goal before this decade is out 32 00:02:22,910 --> 00:02:25,077 of landing a man on the Moon 33 00:02:25,079 --> 00:02:27,412 and returning him safely to the Earth. 34 00:02:27,414 --> 00:02:29,581 NARRATOR: When President John F. Kennedy 35 00:02:29,583 --> 00:02:35,020 articulated this bold vision in 1961, 36 00:02:35,022 --> 00:02:39,424 he pinned American technological supremacy and national pride 37 00:02:39,426 --> 00:02:43,195 on winning a race to the Moon. 38 00:02:43,197 --> 00:02:44,997 The stakes were huge. 39 00:02:51,038 --> 00:02:54,273 ANDREW CHAIKIN: It staggers the imagination, frankly, 40 00:02:54,275 --> 00:02:56,808 and there were plenty of people even within NASA 41 00:02:56,810 --> 00:02:59,311 who thought that Kennedy had lost his sanity. 42 00:03:02,449 --> 00:03:05,350 NARRATOR: Incredibly, just eight years later, 43 00:03:05,352 --> 00:03:09,721 three men were poised to achieve the President's goal. 44 00:03:09,723 --> 00:03:13,559 In command was Neil Armstrong. 45 00:03:13,561 --> 00:03:15,727 ARMSTRONG: We the crew of Apollo 11 46 00:03:15,729 --> 00:03:20,666 are privileged to represent the United States 47 00:03:20,668 --> 00:03:28,040 in our first attempt to take man to another heavenly body. 48 00:03:30,911 --> 00:03:33,445 NARRATOR: At 38 years old, 49 00:03:33,447 --> 00:03:39,251 Armstrong was at the pinnacle of an impressive flying career. 50 00:03:39,253 --> 00:03:44,323 An innate steadiness along with exceptional aviation skills 51 00:03:44,325 --> 00:03:46,725 had seen him through the Korean War, 52 00:03:46,727 --> 00:03:50,028 allowed him to master the most unforgiving aircraft 53 00:03:50,030 --> 00:03:53,565 as a test pilot, 54 00:03:53,567 --> 00:03:56,068 and brought a crippled spacecraft safely back to Earth. 55 00:03:57,938 --> 00:04:03,375 Now his ability as a pilot would be put to the ultimate test: 56 00:04:03,377 --> 00:04:06,011 attempting a landing on the Moon. 57 00:04:08,015 --> 00:04:11,016 NARRATOR: As the world held its breath, 58 00:04:11,018 --> 00:04:13,785 and with only seconds of fuel remaining, 59 00:04:13,787 --> 00:04:16,421 Neil Armstrong guided his fragile craft 60 00:04:16,423 --> 00:04:19,391 towards the surface of an alien world. 61 00:04:21,895 --> 00:04:23,862 He was about to complete a journey 62 00:04:23,864 --> 00:04:27,766 that for him had begun more than 30 years before, 63 00:04:27,768 --> 00:04:31,169 when he had first taken flight as a young boy. 64 00:04:38,012 --> 00:04:42,214 Born here in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930, 65 00:04:42,216 --> 00:04:45,651 Neil Armstrong's love affair with flying began early, 66 00:04:45,653 --> 00:04:49,121 as his childhood friend recalls. 67 00:04:49,123 --> 00:04:52,291 KOTCHO SOLACOFF: When he was like five years old, 68 00:04:52,293 --> 00:04:55,961 his father took him on an airplane ride, 69 00:04:55,963 --> 00:04:57,329 on a Trimotor. 70 00:04:59,133 --> 00:05:01,867 Dad got sick, but Neil just absolutely loved it. 71 00:05:03,971 --> 00:05:10,809 NARRATOR: The mid-1930s was a golden age of flight in America, 72 00:05:10,811 --> 00:05:13,345 and like many other young children, 73 00:05:13,347 --> 00:05:15,647 Neil's first taste of being airborne 74 00:05:15,649 --> 00:05:17,849 left a lasting impression. 75 00:05:20,220 --> 00:05:21,687 DEAN ARMSTRONG: This was the start, 76 00:05:21,689 --> 00:05:25,791 and the feeling of being airborne, 77 00:05:25,793 --> 00:05:29,661 and actually flying like a bird. 78 00:05:33,033 --> 00:05:36,068 It kindled his inspiration to fly. 79 00:05:39,173 --> 00:05:44,643 He absolutely loved everything about flight. 80 00:05:44,645 --> 00:05:49,047 He would have three or four model airplane projects 81 00:05:49,049 --> 00:05:53,118 going on all the time: mostly gliders, 82 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,021 then he got into the rubber band type, 83 00:05:56,023 --> 00:06:00,292 and he just kept building bigger and bigger ones 84 00:06:00,294 --> 00:06:03,428 and better ones. 85 00:06:05,699 --> 00:06:07,432 We both made models early, 86 00:06:07,434 --> 00:06:12,537 and of course our desire then, as it was later in our careers, 87 00:06:12,539 --> 00:06:16,942 was to make these things go higher and faster. 88 00:06:16,944 --> 00:06:20,445 And my solution to higher and faster was 89 00:06:20,447 --> 00:06:24,249 you took a couple of extra turns on the rubber band. 90 00:06:24,251 --> 00:06:26,418 Neil's solution: 91 00:06:26,420 --> 00:06:28,687 he built a wind tunnel! 92 00:06:31,592 --> 00:06:35,026 DEAN ARMSTRONG: When we were ready for the test, he said, "Go get Mom." 93 00:06:35,028 --> 00:06:37,796 I said, "Neil wants you to see something," 94 00:06:37,798 --> 00:06:40,432 and he turned it on. 95 00:06:40,434 --> 00:06:42,901 And all of a sudden the house shook, 96 00:06:42,903 --> 00:06:45,270 and I mean the house really shook. 97 00:06:45,272 --> 00:06:48,907 (fan blowing loudly) 98 00:06:48,909 --> 00:06:52,611 COLLINS: How many kids could build a wind tunnel in their basement? 99 00:06:52,613 --> 00:06:56,081 Not any that I know, except Neil. 100 00:06:58,385 --> 00:07:01,787 (bombs exploding) 101 00:07:01,789 --> 00:07:06,124 NARRATOR: Neil's infatuation with flying was fueled 102 00:07:06,126 --> 00:07:10,462 as America entered the Second World War in December 1941. 103 00:07:13,767 --> 00:07:17,135 He devoured the daring exploits of Allied pilots 104 00:07:17,137 --> 00:07:20,906 portrayed in popular wartime magazines. 105 00:07:20,908 --> 00:07:23,208 ey inspired him, 106 00:07:23,210 --> 00:07:26,912 and at just 15 years old, he learned to fly. 107 00:07:26,914 --> 00:07:29,448 DEAN ARMSTRONG: He had his pilot's license 108 00:07:29,450 --> 00:07:32,651 before he had his driver's license. 109 00:07:34,121 --> 00:07:35,387 NARRATOR: During the war, 110 00:07:35,389 --> 00:07:38,790 developments in aviation were moving fast. 111 00:07:41,061 --> 00:07:44,463 After 1945, propeller planes were starting to be replaced 112 00:07:44,465 --> 00:07:48,633 by aircraft powered by jet and rocket engines. 113 00:07:53,140 --> 00:07:57,008 Then came an event that shook the aviation world. 114 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,248 Chuck Yeager breaking the speed of sound 115 00:08:03,250 --> 00:08:06,785 in his Bell X-1 Rocket plane in 1947 116 00:08:06,787 --> 00:08:11,122 coincided with an ominous turn in East-West relations. 117 00:08:11,124 --> 00:08:16,628 And the implications for Armstrong would prove profound. 118 00:08:16,630 --> 00:08:19,931 Eager to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering, 119 00:08:19,933 --> 00:08:24,336 Armstrong won a Navy scholarship to study the subject 120 00:08:24,338 --> 00:08:27,372 and enrolled at Purdue University. 121 00:08:27,374 --> 00:08:30,008 But his studies were soon interrupted 122 00:08:30,010 --> 00:08:33,111 as the Cold War began to heat up. 123 00:08:33,113 --> 00:08:35,614 SOLACOFF: At the end of his second year, 124 00:08:35,616 --> 00:08:38,583 which would have been 1950, the Korean War started. 125 00:08:41,722 --> 00:08:45,724 NARRATOR: Backed by Communist China, North Korea invaded South Korea. 126 00:08:47,361 --> 00:08:50,128 When America responded by scrambling its armed forces, 127 00:08:50,130 --> 00:08:53,164 Armstrong found himself at war. 128 00:08:53,166 --> 00:08:55,200 He was 20 years old. 129 00:08:58,305 --> 00:09:02,140 He joined Naval Fighter Squadron VF-51 130 00:09:02,142 --> 00:09:03,942 on the aircraft carrier USS Essex. 131 00:09:07,314 --> 00:09:09,581 There was a lot to learn, and fast, 132 00:09:09,583 --> 00:09:12,551 as he recalls in this audio interview. 133 00:09:12,553 --> 00:09:17,622 ARMSTRONG: We had to come carrier-qualified in the jet aircraft. 134 00:09:17,624 --> 00:09:21,626 Doing a lot of practice with weapons delivery, 135 00:09:21,628 --> 00:09:25,530 instrument flying and so on. 136 00:09:25,532 --> 00:09:28,366 I was very young, very green. 137 00:09:28,368 --> 00:09:31,670 NARRATOR: But Armstrong quickly mastered carrier flying, 138 00:09:31,672 --> 00:09:33,672 one of aviation's most challenging jobs, 139 00:09:33,674 --> 00:09:39,177 and was soon showing his skill in combat. 140 00:09:39,179 --> 00:09:42,047 SOLACOFF: One of his jobs was to dive-bomb 141 00:09:42,049 --> 00:09:44,816 and blow up bridges and railroads. 142 00:09:49,623 --> 00:09:54,025 And he said that the North Koreans strung up wires. 143 00:09:54,027 --> 00:09:56,294 NARRATOR: For low-flying pilots, 144 00:09:56,296 --> 00:09:58,997 anti-aircraft cables we an ever-present danger. 145 00:09:58,999 --> 00:10:01,366 They were hard to spot, 146 00:10:01,368 --> 00:10:03,368 even for the sharp-eyed Armstrong. 147 00:10:03,370 --> 00:10:05,704 (explosions) 148 00:10:05,706 --> 00:10:08,907 ARMSTRONG: I actually ran through a cable, an anti-aircraft cable, 149 00:10:08,909 --> 00:10:14,379 and knocked off about six or eight feet of my right wing. 150 00:10:14,381 --> 00:10:16,481 NARRATOR: Battling to keep control, 151 00:10:16,483 --> 00:10:20,285 Armstrong needed to think fast and react quickly. 152 00:10:20,287 --> 00:10:22,887 SOLACOFF: As long as he could keep a certain speed, 153 00:10:22,889 --> 00:10:25,490 he could stay up, 154 00:10:25,492 --> 00:10:27,492 but as soon as he slowed down, the plane would drop, 155 00:10:27,494 --> 00:10:29,694 so he knew that he could not land on the aircraft carrier. 156 00:10:29,696 --> 00:10:31,429 He'd have to bail out. 157 00:10:31,431 --> 00:10:35,600 NARRATOR: This close shave revealed Armstrong's uncanny ability 158 00:10:35,602 --> 00:10:40,105 to always remain calm under pressure. 159 00:10:40,107 --> 00:10:44,409 DEAN ARMSTRONG: He never showed any fear or anything 160 00:10:44,411 --> 00:10:47,979 involving his close calls. 161 00:10:47,981 --> 00:10:51,383 He really loved what he was doing. 162 00:10:51,385 --> 00:10:56,121 It was a very meaningful time for him. 163 00:10:58,558 --> 00:11:00,792 NARRATOR: The Korean War sharpened the skills 164 00:11:00,794 --> 00:11:04,663 of many young pilots, including Armstrong. 165 00:11:04,665 --> 00:11:09,467 He'd flown 78 missions by the age of 22. 166 00:11:09,469 --> 00:11:14,272 He returned to Purdue in 1952, 167 00:11:14,274 --> 00:11:19,344 where he received his degree and found a wife. 168 00:11:19,346 --> 00:11:22,514 JANET ARMSTRONG: Oh, I met him at Purdue. 169 00:11:22,516 --> 00:11:26,985 He told someone that I was the one he was going to marry, 170 00:11:26,987 --> 00:11:32,157 but he never asked me out until he had graduated. 171 00:11:32,159 --> 00:11:36,294 We were married in January 1956. 172 00:11:36,296 --> 00:11:40,532 And after that, in May, we went up to the desert. 173 00:11:42,769 --> 00:11:46,371 NARRATOR: Here at Edwards Air Force Base in California, 174 00:11:46,373 --> 00:11:49,240 Armstrong would become a test pilot. 175 00:11:51,144 --> 00:11:55,580 Edwards was the mecca for America's elite aviators. 176 00:11:58,685 --> 00:12:01,986 But the work wasn't for the faint-hearted. 177 00:12:06,026 --> 00:12:09,194 It required a cool head, quick thinking 178 00:12:09,196 --> 00:12:13,231 and the ability to understand how an untested machine 179 00:12:13,233 --> 00:12:17,435 would react in an untried environment. 180 00:12:17,437 --> 00:12:20,438 Honing these skills would make test pilots 181 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,641 top contenders for future space missions, 182 00:12:23,643 --> 00:12:27,045 and Armstrong was no exception. 183 00:12:27,047 --> 00:12:29,614 ARMSTRONG: We were out at the edges of the flight envelope 184 00:12:29,616 --> 00:12:31,783 all the time, testing limits. 185 00:12:33,487 --> 00:12:35,453 If memory serves, 186 00:12:35,455 --> 00:12:38,456 there were 17 aircraft, pretty much all different. 187 00:12:38,458 --> 00:12:42,393 A lot of X airplanes and fighters, 188 00:12:42,395 --> 00:12:49,033 a B-47, a couple of B-29s, all kinds of exotic aircraft. 189 00:12:49,035 --> 00:12:54,706 Then as they became more confident in my abilities, 190 00:12:54,708 --> 00:12:56,474 they gave me more and more jobs, 191 00:12:56,476 --> 00:13:01,679 and I did a lot of different test programs in those days. 192 00:13:03,550 --> 00:13:06,518 CHAIKIN: The kinds of flying that he did at Edwards 193 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:10,054 really put him in the elite top of the test-flying fraternity. 194 00:13:11,992 --> 00:13:14,259 NARRATOR: But one machine at Edwards 195 00:13:14,261 --> 00:13:17,262 pushed Armstrong higher and faster than any other... 196 00:13:19,533 --> 00:13:21,332 the X-15. 197 00:13:22,435 --> 00:13:25,236 ARMSTRONG: Heading uphill at 33,000 feet... 198 00:13:25,238 --> 00:13:27,438 The X-15 was literally crossing the boundary 199 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,040 from aviation into space flight, 200 00:13:29,042 --> 00:13:34,145 and it was an incredibly demanding vehicle to fly. 201 00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:38,283 NARRATOR: Half-plane, half-spacecraft, the rocket-powered X-15 202 00:13:38,285 --> 00:13:42,353 was the cutting edge of aviation technology. 203 00:13:42,355 --> 00:13:44,823 It flew at hypersonic speeds, 204 00:13:44,825 --> 00:13:47,492 more than six times faster than sound, 205 00:13:47,494 --> 00:13:51,296 soaring over 50 miles in altitude. 206 00:13:51,298 --> 00:13:55,867 It still holds the record of the fastest plane ever flown. 207 00:13:55,869 --> 00:13:59,637 COLLINS: The X-15 was absolutely the top of the line. 208 00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:04,275 It was a whole supersonic zone above the rest of us, 209 00:14:04,277 --> 00:14:07,278 and therefore, all the people who flew the X-15 210 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:11,850 were held in the highest regard by the rest of us peasants. 211 00:14:11,852 --> 00:14:14,886 Neil of course was one of that group. 212 00:14:14,888 --> 00:14:18,423 ARMSTRONG: That was a very exciting program. 213 00:14:18,425 --> 00:14:20,725 Challenging goals. 214 00:14:20,727 --> 00:14:22,360 I think it was certainly 215 00:14:22,362 --> 00:14:26,097 one of the memorable parts of my life. 216 00:14:26,099 --> 00:14:28,433 NARRATOR: One flight almost got the better of him. 217 00:14:35,041 --> 00:14:39,277 ARMSTRONG: I got the nose up above the horizon, 218 00:14:39,279 --> 00:14:44,249 and I found I was actually, you know, 219 00:14:44,251 --> 00:14:46,251 skipping outside the atmosphere. 220 00:14:46,253 --> 00:14:49,354 I had no aerodynamic controls. 221 00:14:49,356 --> 00:14:53,825 NARRATOR: Soaring out of the atmosphere at almost a mile a second, 222 00:14:53,827 --> 00:14:57,228 Armstrong was unable to keep control. 223 00:14:57,230 --> 00:15:02,600 ARMSTRONG: What I couldn't do is get back down in the atmosphere. 224 00:15:02,602 --> 00:15:05,737 I pulled over and pulled down, but it wasn't going down 225 00:15:05,739 --> 00:15:07,839 because there was no air to bite into. 226 00:15:07,841 --> 00:15:10,909 So I just had to wait 227 00:15:10,911 --> 00:15:14,379 until I got back in with enough air 228 00:15:14,381 --> 00:15:19,817 to have aerodynamic control and some lift on the wings 229 00:15:19,819 --> 00:15:23,121 and immediately started making a turn back. 230 00:15:23,123 --> 00:15:27,258 CHAIKIN: He's the essence of the engineering test pilot, 231 00:15:27,260 --> 00:15:29,494 and what that carries with it 232 00:15:29,496 --> 00:15:33,564 is an intensity, a focus like you can't imagine. 233 00:15:39,906 --> 00:15:43,841 NARRATOR: The X-15 further challenged and sharpened 234 00:15:43,843 --> 00:15:45,576 Armstrong's flying ability. 235 00:15:45,578 --> 00:15:51,015 But his young family also faced challenges at Edwards. 236 00:15:53,453 --> 00:15:54,752 It was totally different, 237 00:15:54,754 --> 00:15:56,654 foreign to anything I'd ever known in my life. 238 00:15:59,392 --> 00:16:01,859 That's where we lived when Rick was born, 239 00:16:01,861 --> 00:16:06,931 and then shortly thereafter, Karen. 240 00:16:06,933 --> 00:16:13,304 NARRATOR: In 1961, aged two, Karen fell seriously ill. 241 00:16:13,306 --> 00:16:15,073 Karen was a precious thing, 242 00:16:15,075 --> 00:16:18,476 and she developed a tumor in her brain. 243 00:16:18,478 --> 00:16:22,113 And, um... 244 00:16:22,115 --> 00:16:24,615 We could not save her. 245 00:16:24,617 --> 00:16:29,253 DEAN ARMSTRONG: The death of Karen really hurt him. 246 00:16:29,255 --> 00:16:33,091 It was the only time that I'd ever seen him 247 00:16:33,093 --> 00:16:35,026 really, really hurt. 248 00:16:35,028 --> 00:16:37,128 Couldn't talk about it. 249 00:16:37,130 --> 00:16:41,933 NARRATOR: Despite his loss, to all outward appearances, 250 00:16:41,935 --> 00:16:46,904 Armstrong remained focused on his duties as a test pilot. 251 00:16:46,906 --> 00:16:50,308 But beyond the skies at Edwards, the Space Race was on... 252 00:16:58,685 --> 00:17:01,686 Opening up an entirely new set of opportunities. 253 00:17:03,223 --> 00:17:06,057 Liftoff, and the clock has started! 254 00:17:06,059 --> 00:17:08,292 NARRATOR: America's manned space program 255 00:17:08,294 --> 00:17:11,362 began with Project Mercury in 1961: 256 00:17:11,364 --> 00:17:17,402 six short flights, each carrying a single astronaut. 257 00:17:21,207 --> 00:17:24,409 But to meet President Kennedy's challenge 258 00:17:24,411 --> 00:17:27,879 of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade, 259 00:17:27,881 --> 00:17:30,915 NASA would require more astronauts. 260 00:17:32,752 --> 00:17:34,819 CHAIKIN: When NASA was looking, 261 00:17:34,821 --> 00:17:38,189 you know, Neil Armstrong was at the top of their list 262 00:17:38,191 --> 00:17:39,424 because he'd had 263 00:17:39,426 --> 00:17:41,592 all of that flight test experience at Edwards, 264 00:17:41,594 --> 00:17:43,561 and that just made him incredibly attractive 265 00:17:43,563 --> 00:17:48,166 to the Astronaut Selection Group. 266 00:17:48,168 --> 00:17:52,270 Curiously, the Milwaukee Journal gave me a call. 267 00:17:52,272 --> 00:17:55,239 And they said, 268 00:17:55,241 --> 00:18:01,012 "I understand your brother is one of the newest astronauts." 269 00:18:01,014 --> 00:18:02,213 I was... 270 00:18:02,215 --> 00:18:04,415 I think I was speechless. 271 00:18:08,922 --> 00:18:13,591 NARRATOR: Along with Janet, Rick and a new son, Mark, 272 00:18:13,593 --> 00:18:15,793 Neil began a new life in Houston, 273 00:18:15,795 --> 00:18:19,931 the home of America's manned space program. 274 00:18:19,933 --> 00:18:21,499 It was a nice house. 275 00:18:21,501 --> 00:18:22,867 You know, we had a pool. 276 00:18:22,869 --> 00:18:25,870 Because it was Houston, because it was often very hot, 277 00:18:25,872 --> 00:18:27,939 there was a lot of swimming. 278 00:18:31,411 --> 00:18:35,279 NARRATOR: The neighborhood was buzzing with trainee astronauts. 279 00:18:35,281 --> 00:18:37,281 BUZZ ALDRIN: There was this guy 280 00:18:37,283 --> 00:18:38,883 in the backyard, 281 00:18:38,885 --> 00:18:42,453 in front of the garage where there's a lot of cement, 282 00:18:42,455 --> 00:18:46,424 and here's this guy roller skating. 283 00:18:46,426 --> 00:18:49,260 I said, "Who's that?" 284 00:18:49,262 --> 00:18:51,863 They said, "Oh, that's Neil Armstrong." 285 00:18:58,838 --> 00:19:03,274 NARRATOR: By 1964, NASA's blueprint to reach the Moon 286 00:19:03,276 --> 00:19:04,909 was taking shape, 287 00:19:04,911 --> 00:19:07,912 as this animated film of the time shows. 288 00:19:07,914 --> 00:19:12,016 It was called Project Apollo. 289 00:19:12,018 --> 00:19:16,687 The plan went like this: 290 00:19:16,689 --> 00:19:20,024 guzzling 15 tons of fuel a second at launch, 291 00:19:20,026 --> 00:19:22,627 the giant Saturn V rocket would send the Apollo spacecraft, 292 00:19:22,629 --> 00:19:27,798 both the Command and Lunar Module, into space. 293 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,200 After about 69 hours, 294 00:19:29,202 --> 00:19:31,669 they go into orbit around the Moon. 295 00:19:31,671 --> 00:19:35,139 NARRATOR: Once there, the spacecraft undock. 296 00:19:35,141 --> 00:19:37,008 The command module remains in orbit 297 00:19:37,010 --> 00:19:40,344 while the lunar module attempts the landing. 298 00:19:42,015 --> 00:19:44,215 After exploring the surface, 299 00:19:44,217 --> 00:19:49,187 the two astronauts rejoin their companion in lunar orbit. 300 00:19:49,189 --> 00:19:53,391 Finally, they leave lunar orbit and make the trip back to Earth. 301 00:19:53,393 --> 00:19:55,526 And the mission ends with the Command Module 302 00:19:55,528 --> 00:19:57,562 re-entering the Earth's atmosphere 303 00:19:57,564 --> 00:19:59,664 and splashing down in the Pacific. 304 00:19:59,666 --> 00:20:04,135 NARRATOR: It looked great on paper, but could it work? 305 00:20:04,137 --> 00:20:09,407 Finding out was the task of Project Gemini. 306 00:20:12,111 --> 00:20:14,845 CHAIKIN: The demands of a lunar mission were so great. 307 00:20:14,847 --> 00:20:17,982 You had to learn how to rendezvous in space, 308 00:20:17,984 --> 00:20:20,251 you had to keep people happy and healthy 309 00:20:20,253 --> 00:20:22,820 for up to two weeks in space, 310 00:20:22,822 --> 00:20:26,090 they had to be able to work in the vacuum of space 311 00:20:26,092 --> 00:20:29,160 in a spacesuit, a pressurized suit. 312 00:20:33,366 --> 00:20:36,867 CHAIKIN: So Gemini was really the way that NASA could learn 313 00:20:36,869 --> 00:20:39,270 to master these complexies 314 00:20:39,272 --> 00:20:41,372 in the relative safety of low-Earth orbit. 315 00:20:41,374 --> 00:20:47,578 NARRATOR: Armstrong's first space flight was Gemini 8 in 1966, 316 00:20:47,580 --> 00:20:50,615 a daring mission to attempt the first docking in space 317 00:20:50,617 --> 00:20:55,553 with an unmanned spacecraft called Agena. 318 00:20:55,555 --> 00:20:58,956 His co-pilot was Dave Scott. 319 00:20:58,958 --> 00:21:01,525 DAVE SCOTT: Well, yes, I mean, the whole program depended on docking. 320 00:21:01,527 --> 00:21:04,795 Docking had to be proven or we couldn't go to the Moon. 321 00:21:04,797 --> 00:21:08,332 So it was a criticalission, yes. 322 00:21:08,334 --> 00:21:12,203 NARRATOR: Squeezed into their tight-fitting Gemini capsule, 323 00:21:12,205 --> 00:21:14,572 the pair prepared for launch. 324 00:21:14,574 --> 00:21:19,210 Neither of them knew what lay in store. 325 00:21:19,212 --> 00:21:21,746 MISSION CONTROL: Three, two, one, zero. 326 00:21:21,748 --> 00:21:25,549 We have ignition. 327 00:21:25,551 --> 00:21:27,652 And we have a lift-off at three seconds. 328 00:21:27,654 --> 00:21:30,454 Three seconds. 329 00:21:30,456 --> 00:21:32,456 Neil Armstrong reports the clock has started. 330 00:21:35,228 --> 00:21:39,297 Roll program is in, Armstrong says. 331 00:21:39,299 --> 00:21:41,999 JANET ARMSTRONG: Well, in our homes during the flight, 332 00:21:42,001 --> 00:21:43,501 we had air-to-ground communications. 333 00:21:43,503 --> 00:21:44,869 We called them the squawk box 334 00:21:44,871 --> 00:21:46,270 because it squawked all the time. 335 00:21:46,272 --> 00:21:49,073 MISSION CONTROL: Roger, we have staging. 336 00:21:49,075 --> 00:21:54,779 JANET ARMSTRONG: When they talked air-to-ground, you could update yourself. 337 00:21:54,781 --> 00:21:56,747 They started out just great. 338 00:21:56,749 --> 00:22:02,820 ARMSTRONG: Okay, we've got a visual on the Agena at 76 miles. 339 00:22:02,822 --> 00:22:05,156 MISSION CONTROL: Roger, understand, visual on the Agena at 76 miles. 340 00:22:05,158 --> 00:22:09,393 NARRATOR: Their docking target, the Agena rocket, 341 00:22:09,395 --> 00:22:12,129 had been launched earlier that day. 342 00:22:18,104 --> 00:22:20,938 NARRATOR: As Armstrong and Scott 343 00:22:20,940 --> 00:22:23,307 passed into the night side of the Earth, 344 00:22:23,309 --> 00:22:24,608 they prepared for docking. 345 00:22:24,610 --> 00:22:27,111 MISSION CONTROL: Okay, Gemini 8, 346 00:22:27,113 --> 00:22:29,013 you're looking good on the ground. 347 00:22:29,015 --> 00:22:30,681 Go ahead and dock. 348 00:22:30,683 --> 00:22:32,350 SCOTT: Neil eased it forward, 349 00:22:32,352 --> 00:22:33,884 and we moved right in. 350 00:22:40,860 --> 00:22:42,927 NARRATOR: But within half an hour, 351 00:22:42,929 --> 00:22:45,463 Scott realized there was something wrong. 352 00:22:45,465 --> 00:22:47,732 You're supposed to fly straight and level like an airplane, 353 00:22:47,734 --> 00:22:51,602 but all of a sudden, I noticed that we were tilted. 354 00:22:51,604 --> 00:22:53,504 NARRATOR: They didn't know it, 355 00:22:53,506 --> 00:22:56,774 but a small maneuvering thruster on their Gemini spacecraft 356 00:22:56,776 --> 00:23:00,378 had become stuck and was firing. 357 00:23:00,380 --> 00:23:03,748 ARMSTRONG: We first suspected that the Agena was the culprit. 358 00:23:03,750 --> 00:23:06,150 We were on the dark side of the Earth, 359 00:23:06,152 --> 00:23:09,620 so we really didn't have any outside reference. 360 00:23:09,622 --> 00:23:11,722 NARRATOR: Out of contact with the ground, 361 00:23:11,724 --> 00:23:14,892 the astronauts struggled to regain control. 362 00:23:14,894 --> 00:23:17,561 SCOTT: So I said, "Neil, we'd better get off." 363 00:23:17,563 --> 00:23:20,231 He said, "Yeah, we'd better get off, let's prepare to undock." 364 00:23:22,568 --> 00:23:24,168 And he says, "Ready?" 365 00:23:24,170 --> 00:23:26,337 And I put my hand on the switch. 366 00:23:26,339 --> 00:23:27,738 Neil says, "Undock." 367 00:23:30,176 --> 00:23:32,843 And then things start really moving. 368 00:23:41,821 --> 00:23:44,789 SCOTT: Then we go into a very rapid roll 369 00:23:44,791 --> 00:23:46,557 which was almost a tumble, 370 00:23:46,559 --> 00:23:49,794 and at that point we realized that it wasn't the Agena, 371 00:23:49,796 --> 00:23:51,529 it must be the Gemini. 372 00:23:51,531 --> 00:23:56,400 JANET ARMSTRONG: They were spinning at maybe a revolution per second. 373 00:23:56,402 --> 00:24:01,305 NARRATOR: At home, a photographer from Life magazine captured Janet 374 00:24:01,307 --> 00:24:04,508 as she listened to the unfolding drama. 375 00:24:04,510 --> 00:24:07,211 JANET ARMSTRONG: And there was 376 00:24:07,213 --> 00:24:09,780 a very strong concern that they would black out. 377 00:24:09,782 --> 00:24:11,482 And that would be it. 378 00:24:11,484 --> 00:24:12,850 It woulde over. 379 00:24:16,155 --> 00:24:20,491 And then NASA cut the squawk box. 380 00:24:20,493 --> 00:24:22,593 I didn't like that. 381 00:24:22,595 --> 00:24:26,363 So I went over to NASA, 382 00:24:26,365 --> 00:24:30,000 and I was refused entry. 383 00:24:34,607 --> 00:24:38,275 NARRATOR: Back in orbit, Armstrong kept his cool, 384 00:24:38,277 --> 00:24:40,978 figuring out his only remaining option: 385 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:42,980 disengage all the maneuvering thrusters 386 00:24:42,982 --> 00:24:45,483 including the one that was stuck 387 00:24:45,485 --> 00:24:49,119 and use the re-entry thrusters to counteract the tumbling 388 00:24:49,121 --> 00:24:53,190 and regain control of the spacecraft. 389 00:24:53,192 --> 00:24:55,392 He had to reach up above his head 390 00:24:55,394 --> 00:24:58,529 and throw switches under this high-speed roll. 391 00:24:58,531 --> 00:25:00,431 That's amazing that he was able to do that 392 00:25:00,433 --> 00:25:03,200 and he knew exactly where the switches were, 393 00:25:03,202 --> 00:25:04,768 exactly which ones to throw. 394 00:25:10,910 --> 00:25:12,510 SCOTT: I mean, the guy was brilliant. 395 00:25:12,512 --> 00:25:17,615 He knew the system so well that he found the solution, 396 00:25:17,617 --> 00:25:21,118 he activated the solution under extreme circumstances, 397 00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:24,121 and I got to say it was my lucky day 398 00:25:24,123 --> 00:25:27,725 to be flying with Mr. Neil Armstrong. 399 00:25:33,032 --> 00:25:35,099 NARRATOR: Activating the re-entry thrusters 400 00:25:35,101 --> 00:25:38,369 meant aborting the mission, 401 00:25:38,371 --> 00:25:42,940 and a couple of hours later, the crew splashed down 402 00:25:42,942 --> 00:25:44,375 in the South China Sea. 403 00:25:47,613 --> 00:25:49,847 Armstrong had cut short the flight, 404 00:25:49,849 --> 00:25:53,083 but he'd saved their lives. 405 00:25:53,085 --> 00:25:55,319 JANET ARMSTRONG: He landed and came home. 406 00:25:55,321 --> 00:25:58,088 You know, he's telling me about the flight. 407 00:25:58,090 --> 00:26:00,658 We knew that they could have lost their life, 408 00:26:00,660 --> 00:26:03,227 and you knew that anyway, 409 00:26:03,229 --> 00:26:05,896 so there's no point in talking about it. 410 00:26:05,898 --> 00:26:07,965 You either do or you don't. 411 00:26:10,870 --> 00:26:14,538 That's the way it is, you know? 412 00:26:14,540 --> 00:26:19,677 CHAIKIN: That was sort of NASA's baptism of fire, 413 00:26:19,679 --> 00:26:22,246 because it was the first time that astronauts 414 00:26:22,248 --> 00:26:26,917 had really come close to losing their lives on a space flight. 415 00:26:26,919 --> 00:26:29,687 I don't think there's any doubt 416 00:26:29,689 --> 00:26:31,922 that the people who were running the show in Houston 417 00:26:31,924 --> 00:26:34,925 saw Neil's performance on Gemini 8 418 00:26:34,927 --> 00:26:37,928 as a real demonstration 419 00:26:37,930 --> 00:26:43,434 of what he was capable of under pressure, in a crisis. 420 00:26:50,042 --> 00:26:53,210 NARRATOR: The full risks of the space program hit home 421 00:26:53,212 --> 00:26:55,946 less than a year later in January 1967, 422 00:26:55,948 --> 00:26:59,316 when the Apollo 1 spacecraft caught fire on the pad, 423 00:26:59,318 --> 00:27:02,152 killing its three-man crew: 424 00:27:02,154 --> 00:27:05,189 Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. 425 00:27:05,191 --> 00:27:08,292 Armstrong found himself burying his friends. 426 00:27:10,663 --> 00:27:12,596 SCOTT: Everybody's attitude that I knew was, 427 00:27:12,598 --> 00:27:16,000 "This is a real disaster, but we go on 428 00:27:16,002 --> 00:27:18,102 "because we know Gus and Ed and Roger 429 00:27:18,104 --> 00:27:21,171 would want us to go on, wouldn't want us to stop." 430 00:27:33,519 --> 00:27:38,389 NARRATOR: Overhauling Apollo took almost two years. 431 00:27:38,391 --> 00:27:41,291 Eager to make up for lost time, 432 00:27:41,293 --> 00:27:44,495 NASA launched Apollos 7, 8, 9 and 10 433 00:27:44,497 --> 00:27:46,163 in quick succession. 434 00:27:50,269 --> 00:27:55,139 They were designed to rigorously test every aspect of Apollo 435 00:27:55,141 --> 00:27:57,241 in Earth and lunar orbit. 436 00:28:02,114 --> 00:28:04,615 Armstrong's next trip into space 437 00:28:04,617 --> 00:28:07,451 hinged on the success of these missions. 438 00:28:10,022 --> 00:28:11,689 NASA's flight roster called for him 439 00:28:11,691 --> 00:28:14,158 to be back-up commander of Apollo 8 in December 1968, 440 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:19,029 and it placed him in line to command Apollo 11. 441 00:28:19,031 --> 00:28:22,499 As it turned out, this would be the first mission 442 00:28:22,501 --> 00:28:25,335 to attempt a landing on the Moon. 443 00:28:25,337 --> 00:28:28,305 CHAIKIN: Nobody thought that all those preliminary flights 444 00:28:28,307 --> 00:28:30,374 would go as perfectly as they did. 445 00:28:30,376 --> 00:28:32,409 And nobody would have predicted 446 00:28:32,411 --> 00:28:35,279 that you would arrive at July 1969 447 00:28:35,281 --> 00:28:37,281 and Apollo 11 would actually be 448 00:28:37,283 --> 00:28:39,416 the first attempt to land on the Moon. 449 00:28:42,254 --> 00:28:44,588 NARRATOR: Joining Armstrong was Command Module pilot Mike Collins. 450 00:28:44,590 --> 00:28:46,924 Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin 451 00:28:46,926 --> 00:28:51,028 would attempt the landing with Neil. 452 00:28:51,030 --> 00:28:53,030 If all went well, 453 00:28:53,032 --> 00:28:56,633 Commander Armstrong would be first out on the Moon. 454 00:28:56,635 --> 00:29:00,270 But in characteristic fashion, he played it down. 455 00:29:02,908 --> 00:29:04,708 CHARLIE DUKE: Neil's attitude is, 456 00:29:04,710 --> 00:29:06,877 "I'm not going to be number one on the Moon." 457 00:29:06,879 --> 00:29:10,047 What I saw in his attitude was, 458 00:29:10,049 --> 00:29:11,949 "I'm training to be the first one 459 00:29:11,951 --> 00:29:14,685 to attempt the landing on the Moon." 460 00:29:14,687 --> 00:29:18,088 NARRATOR: Landing on the Moon 461 00:29:18,090 --> 00:29:22,126 would be unlike anything anyone had experienced. 462 00:29:22,128 --> 00:29:24,228 To get a feel of flying in lunar gravity, 463 00:29:24,230 --> 00:29:27,231 Armstrong practiced in this-- 464 00:29:27,233 --> 00:29:29,833 the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle-- 465 00:29:29,835 --> 00:29:34,772 affectionately called the Flying Bedstead. 466 00:29:34,774 --> 00:29:37,341 CHAIKIN: It was not the most stable flying machine 467 00:29:37,343 --> 00:29:39,376 that you could ever step into. 468 00:29:39,378 --> 00:29:41,411 If you tilted too far over 469 00:29:41,413 --> 00:29:43,547 or if something happened to the rocket engines, 470 00:29:43,549 --> 00:29:45,582 you'd fall out of the sky and you'd be dead. 471 00:29:48,854 --> 00:29:51,155 SCOTT: It was difficult to fly. 472 00:29:51,157 --> 00:29:52,856 But on the other hand, 473 00:29:52,858 --> 00:29:57,494 I think we all felt that absolutely mandatory to be able 474 00:29:57,496 --> 00:30:00,230 to fly that type vehicle before you go to the Moon. 475 00:30:00,232 --> 00:30:03,033 NARRATOR: On one of Armstrong's flights, 476 00:30:03,035 --> 00:30:06,837 a failure of the fuel system meant he lost control. 477 00:30:06,839 --> 00:30:10,874 He was lucky to escape with his life. 478 00:30:16,582 --> 00:30:20,017 But he brushed it off as if nothing had happened. 479 00:30:20,019 --> 00:30:23,453 CHAIKIN: And that was so classic Neil Armstrong, 480 00:30:23,455 --> 00:30:24,988 that he wasn't gonna let that 481 00:30:24,990 --> 00:30:26,657 get in the way of the rest of his day. 482 00:30:26,659 --> 00:30:28,292 He said there was work to do, and he did it. 483 00:30:31,197 --> 00:30:34,565 NARRATOR: Cape Kennedy, Florida. 484 00:30:34,567 --> 00:30:36,300 Over a million people came 485 00:30:36,302 --> 00:30:42,172 to watch Apollo 11 leave for the Moon on July 16, 1969. 486 00:30:42,174 --> 00:30:47,578 Among them was Armstrong's childhood friend. 487 00:30:47,580 --> 00:30:49,680 SOLACOFF: The day before the launch, 488 00:30:49,682 --> 00:30:54,151 we had a tour of the facilities there at Cape Kennedy, 489 00:30:54,153 --> 00:30:56,053 and we stood in front of the rocket 490 00:30:56,055 --> 00:30:58,121 while my wife took our picture, 491 00:30:58,123 --> 00:31:01,358 and we shook our hands and we said congratulations 492 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,795 that we finally got Neil on a good job at last, 493 00:31:04,797 --> 00:31:07,764 and then we gave him a salute. 494 00:31:09,869 --> 00:31:11,368 We didn't say goode. 495 00:31:11,370 --> 00:31:13,470 It was more like good luck. 496 00:31:13,472 --> 00:31:18,008 And he leaned over and gave me a little peck on the cheek, 497 00:31:18,010 --> 00:31:20,477 just a little bitty kiss. 498 00:31:20,479 --> 00:31:22,880 And then he turned around and was gone. 499 00:31:22,882 --> 00:31:26,383 MISSION CONTROL: Launch Operations Manager Paul Donnelly 500 00:31:26,385 --> 00:31:28,652 wishes the crew on the launch teams we have 501 00:31:28,654 --> 00:31:31,154 good luck and godspeed. 502 00:31:31,156 --> 00:31:32,356 Neil Armstrong reported back 503 00:31:32,358 --> 00:31:34,091 when he received the good wishes, 504 00:31:34,093 --> 00:31:35,392 "Thank you very much. 505 00:31:35,394 --> 00:31:36,860 We know it will be a good flight." 506 00:31:36,862 --> 00:31:40,898 SOLACOFF: Actually, my wife took the movies. 507 00:31:40,900 --> 00:31:42,900 I was taking 35mm shots. 508 00:31:42,902 --> 00:31:46,203 MISSION CONTROL: Lift off, we have a lift-off, 509 00:31:46,205 --> 00:31:50,140 32 minutes past the hour, lift-off on Apollo 11. 510 00:31:50,142 --> 00:31:52,743 RICK ARMSTRONG: You feel it. 511 00:31:52,745 --> 00:31:54,444 Your body feels it inside. 512 00:31:54,446 --> 00:31:57,915 It shakes in a way that nothing else does. 513 00:32:00,686 --> 00:32:02,286 SOLACOFF: I kept saying, "Go Neil, 514 00:32:02,288 --> 00:32:05,155 go Neil, go Neil, go Neil!" 515 00:32:10,429 --> 00:32:12,529 NARRATOR: Four days later, 516 00:32:12,531 --> 00:32:16,700 Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin would arrive at the Moon. 517 00:32:16,702 --> 00:32:19,536 Then they'd attempt one of the most daring exploits 518 00:32:19,538 --> 00:32:21,004 in human history. 519 00:32:23,108 --> 00:32:27,577 ARMSTRONG: We were certainly aware that the nation's hopes 520 00:32:27,579 --> 00:32:31,815 largely rested on us doing the very best job we could. 521 00:32:39,858 --> 00:32:42,059 MISSION CONTROL: And Armstrong and Aldrin within the LM. 522 00:32:42,061 --> 00:32:45,529 That will be their home for the next 30 hours or so. 523 00:32:45,531 --> 00:32:47,731 NARRATOR: As they descended towards the surface 524 00:32:47,733 --> 00:32:49,967 in the Lunar Module-- the Eagle-- 525 00:32:49,969 --> 00:32:53,570 the world held its breath, as did Mike Collins 526 00:32:53,572 --> 00:32:56,807 orbiting above in Columbia, the Command Module. 527 00:32:56,809 --> 00:33:00,811 COLLINS: I figured that our chances of 100% success 528 00:33:00,813 --> 00:33:02,679 were about 50/50. 529 00:33:02,681 --> 00:33:06,516 There were just so many things that could go wrong. 530 00:33:06,518 --> 00:33:10,287 NARRATOR: Collins was soon proved right. 531 00:33:14,326 --> 00:33:16,660 DUKE: As they went around the Moon, the bottom fell out. 532 00:33:19,531 --> 00:33:22,699 We started having communication problems and data dropout. 533 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:33,510 NARRATOR: Then Eagle's computer began to raise a series of alarms. 534 00:33:36,081 --> 00:33:38,248 NARRATOR: With so many computations to make, 535 00:33:38,250 --> 00:33:40,684 it had become overloaded. 536 00:33:40,686 --> 00:33:43,420 CHAIKIN: The danger wasn't the big worry, really. 537 00:33:43,422 --> 00:33:45,455 It was the complexity. 538 00:33:45,457 --> 00:33:50,027 I mean, nobody had ever tried a manned rocket landing before. 539 00:33:53,465 --> 00:33:57,067 BUZZ ALDRIN: Neither of us knew what "1202" meant. 540 00:33:57,069 --> 00:33:59,302 We knew where we could find the answer, 541 00:33:59,304 --> 00:34:02,139 but it was in a document about that thick, 542 00:34:02,141 --> 00:34:04,207 and you'd have to leaf through it, 543 00:34:04,209 --> 00:34:06,109 and here we are halfway down 544 00:34:06,111 --> 00:34:08,011 landing on the Moon. 545 00:34:08,013 --> 00:34:11,248 But there's a bunch of guys back on Earth. 546 00:34:11,250 --> 00:34:12,749 They can look it up. 547 00:34:15,454 --> 00:34:17,187 NARRATOR: In Mission Control, 548 00:34:17,189 --> 00:34:19,723 the team found an answer in 23 seconds. 549 00:34:19,725 --> 00:34:21,758 "Ignore the alarm. 550 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,328 It's a computer glitch caused by overloading." 551 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:39,910 NARRATOR: Now, just 3,000 feet above the surface, 552 00:34:39,912 --> 00:34:43,613 everything hinged on the skill of one man. 553 00:34:43,615 --> 00:34:45,682 Oh, I was in my bedroom. 554 00:34:45,684 --> 00:34:48,718 We were tracking it on a map 555 00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:52,956 as they pointed out verbally where they were. 556 00:34:52,958 --> 00:34:58,795 NARRATOR: Low on fuel, Armstrong still needed a safe place to land. 557 00:34:58,797 --> 00:35:00,997 ARMSTRONG: It was a fairly steep slope 558 00:35:00,999 --> 00:35:02,432 and it was covered with very big rocks, 559 00:35:02,434 --> 00:35:04,334 and it just wasn't a good place to land. 560 00:35:06,705 --> 00:35:08,371 The old Neil took over, 561 00:35:08,373 --> 00:35:11,408 and he was focused on doing a landing. 562 00:35:11,410 --> 00:35:14,044 That was his one opportunity in a lifetime 563 00:35:14,046 --> 00:35:15,645 to make a landing on the Moon. 564 00:35:17,850 --> 00:35:20,984 ARMSTRONG: I wanted to make it as easy for myself as I could. 565 00:35:22,955 --> 00:35:24,621 There was a lot of concern 566 00:35:24,623 --> 00:35:27,457 about coming close to running out of fuel. 567 00:35:30,629 --> 00:35:33,163 NARRATOR: Only 30 seconds of fuel remained. 568 00:35:33,165 --> 00:35:35,332 Everything depended on Armstrong. 569 00:35:46,345 --> 00:35:48,378 I just jumped up and down 570 00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:51,848 and screamed and cried and yelled and everything. 571 00:35:55,454 --> 00:35:57,754 COLLINS: I was in orbit of course when they landed, 572 00:35:57,756 --> 00:36:00,457 and I gave a little sigh of relief. 573 00:36:02,861 --> 00:36:06,329 NARRATOR: For Armstrong, this was the culmination of a career 574 00:36:06,331 --> 00:36:10,100 that had constantly pushed his flying skills and his nerve 575 00:36:10,102 --> 00:36:12,002 to the limit. 576 00:36:14,439 --> 00:36:16,339 CHAIKIN: It's almost as if you... 577 00:36:16,341 --> 00:36:19,042 if you were going to design the career of somebody 578 00:36:19,044 --> 00:36:21,211 who was going to do the first landing on the Moon, 579 00:36:21,213 --> 00:36:24,281 I can't imagine how you would put together 580 00:36:24,283 --> 00:36:28,952 a better mix of experiences than the ones Neil Armstrong had. 581 00:36:28,954 --> 00:36:31,788 NARRATOR: With the astronauts safely down, 582 00:36:31,790 --> 00:36:35,559 press attention turned to their wives. 583 00:36:35,561 --> 00:36:37,994 From Janet, everyone wanted to know 584 00:36:37,996 --> 00:36:40,530 what Neil would say when he first stepped outside. 585 00:36:40,532 --> 00:36:43,266 REPORTER: Do you have any inkling what he's going to say? 586 00:36:43,268 --> 00:36:44,267 He wouldn't tell us. 587 00:36:44,269 --> 00:36:45,735 When he steps out on the Moon. 588 00:36:45,737 --> 00:36:48,271 No, I have no idea what he's going to say, 589 00:36:48,273 --> 00:36:50,540 but whatever he says, I'm sure it will be worthwhile. 590 00:36:50,542 --> 00:36:52,442 ARMSTRONG: You need more slack, Buzz? 591 00:36:52,444 --> 00:36:54,044 ALDRIN: No-- hold it just a minute. 592 00:36:54,046 --> 00:36:57,147 NARRATOR: But Armstrong had given it some thought before, 593 00:36:57,149 --> 00:37:00,917 as his brother Dean remembers. 594 00:37:00,919 --> 00:37:02,986 DEAN ARMSTRONG: Before he went to the Cape, 595 00:37:02,988 --> 00:37:06,156 he invited me down to be with him 596 00:37:06,158 --> 00:37:07,991 and spend a little time with him. 597 00:37:07,993 --> 00:37:11,995 He said, "Why don't you and I, when the boys go to bed, 598 00:37:11,997 --> 00:37:14,064 why don't we play a game of Risk?" 599 00:37:14,066 --> 00:37:17,701 And I said, "Well, I'd enjoy that." 600 00:37:17,703 --> 00:37:21,738 We started playing Risk, 601 00:37:21,740 --> 00:37:24,908 and then he slipped me a piece of paper 602 00:37:24,910 --> 00:37:27,811 and said, "Read that." 603 00:37:27,813 --> 00:37:30,046 And I did. 604 00:37:30,048 --> 00:37:32,716 And on that piece of paper, there was, 605 00:37:32,718 --> 00:37:38,455 "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." 606 00:37:40,759 --> 00:37:43,593 He says, "What do you think about that?" 607 00:37:43,595 --> 00:37:46,196 I said, "Fabulous." 608 00:37:46,198 --> 00:37:48,665 People have had so many different versions 609 00:37:48,667 --> 00:37:52,235 of when and how Neil thought up those words. 610 00:37:52,237 --> 00:37:57,641 It was, "That's one small step for a man." 611 00:37:57,643 --> 00:38:00,644 What he said when he came back from the flight was 612 00:38:00,646 --> 00:38:04,781 that he had given some thought to it before the mission, 613 00:38:04,783 --> 00:38:08,218 but he didn't decide what to say 614 00:38:08,220 --> 00:38:11,154 until he and Buzz were on the surface of the Moon 615 00:38:11,156 --> 00:38:12,555 in the Lunar Module 616 00:38:12,557 --> 00:38:14,858 before they got suited up to go outside. 617 00:38:14,860 --> 00:38:16,426 ARMSTRONG: I'm going to pull it now. 618 00:38:21,566 --> 00:38:23,967 MISSION CONTROL: And we're getting a picture on the TV. 619 00:38:23,969 --> 00:38:27,304 It was somewhat difficult to see. 620 00:38:27,306 --> 00:38:31,941 I mean, we were watching our sets like this 621 00:38:31,943 --> 00:38:37,113 because we weren't quite sure if he was coming down the step. 622 00:38:40,018 --> 00:38:42,719 ARMSTRONG: Okay, I'm going to step off the LM now. 623 00:38:47,693 --> 00:38:52,529 That's one small step for a man... 624 00:38:52,531 --> 00:38:56,032 one giant leap for mankind. 625 00:38:56,034 --> 00:38:57,834 DUKE: Perfect! 626 00:39:00,305 --> 00:39:02,772 It was pure Neil. 627 00:39:02,774 --> 00:39:06,076 I was pretty close to him when he said that. 628 00:39:08,013 --> 00:39:09,145 There you go. 629 00:39:11,350 --> 00:39:15,885 He was really surprising in how he would say 630 00:39:15,887 --> 00:39:18,555 just the right thing at the right time. 631 00:39:21,159 --> 00:39:23,259 Oh, I... 632 00:39:23,261 --> 00:39:24,961 It's overjoy, you know? 633 00:39:24,963 --> 00:39:26,363 Unbelievable. 634 00:39:26,365 --> 00:39:31,868 I've never had such great feelings in my life. 635 00:39:31,870 --> 00:39:34,104 ARMSTRONG: Ain't that something! 636 00:39:34,106 --> 00:39:37,707 Magnificent sight out here. 637 00:39:37,709 --> 00:39:40,377 ALDRIN: Magnificent desolation. 638 00:39:40,379 --> 00:39:43,246 PAT COLLINS: Finally, it began to sink in with me. 639 00:39:43,248 --> 00:39:48,418 That really is another planet. 640 00:39:48,420 --> 00:39:51,755 MISSION CONTROL: The EVA is progressing beautifully. 641 00:39:51,757 --> 00:39:54,591 I believe they are setting up the flag now. 642 00:39:54,593 --> 00:39:58,261 NARRATOR: After years of preparation, 643 00:39:58,263 --> 00:40:00,730 the first two human beings on the Moon 644 00:40:00,732 --> 00:40:03,967 simply marveled at what they were seeing. 645 00:40:17,315 --> 00:40:19,916 NARRATOR: Two and a half hours later, 646 00:40:19,918 --> 00:40:23,086 the pair had climbed back inside the Eagle. 647 00:40:23,088 --> 00:40:25,588 MISSION CONTROL: We'd like to say, from all of us 648 00:40:25,590 --> 00:40:28,391 and all the countries in the entire world, 649 00:40:28,393 --> 00:40:31,694 we think that you've done a magnificent job up there today. 650 00:40:36,902 --> 00:40:38,802 BUZZ ALDRIN: He got me there. 651 00:40:38,804 --> 00:40:41,671 He got me back safe. 652 00:40:41,673 --> 00:40:46,042 And I made a couple of mistakes. 653 00:40:46,044 --> 00:40:51,147 Fortunately, they... they were not that crucial, 654 00:40:51,149 --> 00:40:53,683 and I'm not going to tell you about them. 655 00:40:53,685 --> 00:40:55,251 (chuckling) 656 00:40:55,253 --> 00:40:59,456 (cheering) 657 00:40:59,458 --> 00:41:02,659 NARRATOR: A brief period in quarantine 658 00:41:02,661 --> 00:41:07,163 would be the crew's only respite before madness erupted. 659 00:41:07,165 --> 00:41:10,066 Armstrong, an aeronautical engineer and test pilot 660 00:41:10,068 --> 00:41:14,370 from small-town America, was suddenly a celebrity. 661 00:41:17,142 --> 00:41:20,810 We did New York, Chicago and L.A. all in one day. 662 00:41:20,812 --> 00:41:22,846 There was thousands and thousands of people, 663 00:41:22,848 --> 00:41:28,918 and people from windows above and apartments and so on. 664 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:30,253 It was fabulous. 665 00:41:30,255 --> 00:41:33,189 It was like nothing I'd ever seen before in my life 666 00:41:33,191 --> 00:41:35,925 or ever had done before in my life. 667 00:41:35,927 --> 00:41:39,295 NARRATOR: The schedule was punishing, with the astronauts placed 668 00:41:39,297 --> 00:41:42,632 in the role of international ambassadors. 669 00:41:46,037 --> 00:41:51,774 With their wives, they visited 23 countries in just 45 days. 670 00:41:51,776 --> 00:41:54,444 Their mission now was to shake hands with the world, 671 00:41:54,446 --> 00:41:59,682 and everyone was eager to meet the first man on the Moon. 672 00:41:59,684 --> 00:42:03,820 PAT COLLINS: We went to each country, 673 00:42:03,822 --> 00:42:07,790 and it would be of course a huge welcome at the airport, 674 00:42:07,792 --> 00:42:10,894 which called for a speech, 675 00:42:10,896 --> 00:42:13,630 a huge luncheon or something, which called for a speech, 676 00:42:13,632 --> 00:42:18,034 and then there would be the major state dinner, 677 00:42:18,036 --> 00:42:19,736 which called for a speech! 678 00:42:19,738 --> 00:42:25,742 And I always felt that Neil had the responsibility-- 679 00:42:25,744 --> 00:42:27,710 the burden, if you will-- 680 00:42:27,712 --> 00:42:31,347 of always saying the perfect thing. 681 00:42:31,349 --> 00:42:34,517 He was the star, but I have to say 682 00:42:34,519 --> 00:42:39,088 he had a pretty darn good supporting cast. 683 00:42:39,090 --> 00:42:42,425 JANET ARMSTRONG: This was the beginning. 684 00:42:42,427 --> 00:42:44,294 This was the beginning of it all. 685 00:42:44,296 --> 00:42:46,129 But there was nothing you could do. 686 00:42:46,131 --> 00:42:47,697 I mean, these people were just happy to see you! 687 00:42:50,602 --> 00:42:53,169 One of the other Apollo astronauts told me 688 00:42:53,171 --> 00:42:55,605 that when it comes to fame, 689 00:42:55,607 --> 00:42:57,941 it's like they're all a college football team 690 00:42:57,943 --> 00:43:00,209 and Neil is the only guy in the NFL. 691 00:43:00,211 --> 00:43:02,545 I mean, he was on another plane. 692 00:43:06,885 --> 00:43:09,819 HOFFMAN: People wanted a piece of him. 693 00:43:09,821 --> 00:43:11,955 "I either want your autograph 694 00:43:11,957 --> 00:43:15,191 or I want my picture taken with you." 695 00:43:15,193 --> 00:43:20,163 And I think that it wasn't just anyone; 696 00:43:20,165 --> 00:43:22,398 it was everyone. 697 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:28,137 NARRATOR: The intense level of intrusion into Armstrong's life 698 00:43:28,139 --> 00:43:32,208 would eventually take its toll on him and his family. 699 00:43:32,210 --> 00:43:36,045 RICK ARMSTRONG: To be out to dinner and sort of minding your own business 700 00:43:36,047 --> 00:43:37,780 and to have people, you know, looking at you and going, 701 00:43:37,782 --> 00:43:39,782 "Oh, do you know who that is?" 702 00:43:39,784 --> 00:43:41,985 and coming over and, "May I have your autograph please?" 703 00:43:41,987 --> 00:43:43,319 After a while, 704 00:43:43,321 --> 00:43:46,155 even if they do it in the nicest possible way, 705 00:43:46,157 --> 00:43:47,657 which many of them did, 706 00:43:47,659 --> 00:43:50,727 still, it just wears you out after a while. 707 00:43:50,729 --> 00:43:56,332 And he really didn't know what he wanted to do, also. 708 00:43:56,334 --> 00:43:57,934 That was a problem. 709 00:43:57,936 --> 00:44:02,005 "What am I going to do now?" 710 00:44:02,007 --> 00:44:06,042 NARRATOR: In 1971, Armstrong resigned from NASA. 711 00:44:15,186 --> 00:44:19,122 He chose instead to pursue his first love, aircraft design, 712 00:44:19,124 --> 00:44:23,292 and accepted a professorship at the University of Cincinnati, 713 00:44:23,294 --> 00:44:25,728 back in his home state. 714 00:44:25,730 --> 00:44:28,097 JANET ARMSTRONG: Well, we were looking for a place to live, 715 00:44:28,099 --> 00:44:30,733 and he wanted to live out in the country. 716 00:44:30,735 --> 00:44:33,503 I guess he wanted to escape people. 717 00:44:33,505 --> 00:44:35,171 He wanted privacy. 718 00:44:35,173 --> 00:44:40,643 NARRATOR: The Armstrongs bought this secluded farm in Ohio. 719 00:44:40,645 --> 00:44:42,545 It was a radical change of lifestyle, 720 00:44:42,547 --> 00:44:44,647 and not just for Neil. 721 00:44:44,649 --> 00:44:47,483 MARK ARMSTRONG: I'm not sure that Mom 722 00:44:47,485 --> 00:44:52,021 really wanted the farm life, but she did very well, 723 00:44:52,023 --> 00:44:54,757 and she was a trooper. 724 00:44:54,759 --> 00:44:57,794 NARRATOR: Janet found herself managing the farm 725 00:44:57,796 --> 00:45:00,563 as Neil concentrated oneaching. 726 00:45:00,565 --> 00:45:03,766 But escaping his fame was never going to be easy. 727 00:45:03,768 --> 00:45:05,868 RON HUSTON: Whenever Neil Armstrong came onto the campus, 728 00:45:05,870 --> 00:45:11,040 there was a number of rather interesting reactions. 729 00:45:11,042 --> 00:45:14,844 Well, the first day was rather chaotic. 730 00:45:14,846 --> 00:45:17,313 As class was letting out, 731 00:45:17,315 --> 00:45:20,783 the media was massed outside the classroom, 732 00:45:20,785 --> 00:45:23,586 and he did in fact push the students out of the classroom 733 00:45:23,588 --> 00:45:25,588 and then quickly closed the door 734 00:45:25,590 --> 00:45:27,857 with himself inside the classroom. 735 00:45:27,859 --> 00:45:31,627 NARRATOR: Eventually, behind the closed doors of academia, 736 00:45:31,629 --> 00:45:35,865 Armstrong found refuge from the constant public spotlight. 737 00:45:35,867 --> 00:45:39,035 HUSTON: I began to think of him as simply "Neil," 738 00:45:39,037 --> 00:45:42,672 not as "Neil Armstrong, first man on the Moon." 739 00:45:42,674 --> 00:45:44,407 I just thought of him as Neil. 740 00:45:44,409 --> 00:45:47,176 NARRATOR: But outside the university, 741 00:45:47,178 --> 00:45:51,247 the burden of celebrity still sat uncomfortably with him. 742 00:45:51,249 --> 00:45:53,950 JANET ARMSTRONG: He was given the credit 743 00:45:53,952 --> 00:45:56,185 and he didn't think he deserved it all. 744 00:45:56,187 --> 00:46:00,723 NARRATOR: Armstrong eventually opted to ration interview requests, 745 00:46:00,725 --> 00:46:04,460 creating the mistaken impression that he was a recluse. 746 00:46:07,265 --> 00:46:09,332 He just didn't feel the need to notify the media 747 00:46:09,334 --> 00:46:11,033 about what he was doing, you know? 748 00:46:11,035 --> 00:46:13,202 So a media recluse maybe, 749 00:46:13,204 --> 00:46:14,804 but that's a completely different thing. 750 00:46:18,610 --> 00:46:22,311 NARRATOR: In 1979, Armstrong left the university, 751 00:46:22,313 --> 00:46:25,081 becoming involved as a business spokesman 752 00:46:25,083 --> 00:46:29,118 and serving on many corporate and philanthropic boards. 753 00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:31,754 He was doing so many different things with his time, 754 00:46:31,756 --> 00:46:33,523 but they were the things that he chose to do, 755 00:46:33,525 --> 00:46:35,625 and that didn't include living out his life 756 00:46:35,627 --> 00:46:37,226 in front of a television camera. 757 00:46:37,228 --> 00:46:39,395 Challenger, go at throttle up. 758 00:46:39,397 --> 00:46:40,596 ASTRONAUT: Roger, go at throttle up. 759 00:46:46,304 --> 00:46:48,237 NARRATOR: And in 1986, he was appointed vice chair 760 00:46:48,239 --> 00:46:49,739 of the Rogers Commission, 761 00:46:49,741 --> 00:46:53,142 the committee that investigated the tragic events 762 00:46:53,144 --> 00:46:58,848 that led to the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger. 763 00:46:58,850 --> 00:47:01,117 His calendar was double-parked all the time. 764 00:47:01,119 --> 00:47:07,356 He was a workaholic, and that was just in his DNA. 765 00:47:07,358 --> 00:47:12,895 So it was, I think, Dad's strong work ethic 766 00:47:12,897 --> 00:47:17,867 and Mom's isolation on the farm 767 00:47:17,869 --> 00:47:21,571 that eventually came between them. 768 00:47:33,384 --> 00:47:36,652 NARRATOR: Janet and Neil separated in 1990, 769 00:47:36,654 --> 00:47:39,755 divorcing four years later. 770 00:47:39,757 --> 00:47:43,192 MARK ARMSTRONG: I just think it sort of opened his eyes a little bit 771 00:47:43,194 --> 00:47:45,862 and made him aware that... 772 00:47:45,864 --> 00:47:49,432 that he didn't have to work all the time. 773 00:47:49,434 --> 00:47:52,168 And that was very good for him. 774 00:47:52,170 --> 00:47:55,705 It put him in a great position to meet other people. 775 00:47:59,010 --> 00:48:03,179 PAT COLLINS: All the men have certainly, as we say quietly, mellowed 776 00:48:03,181 --> 00:48:09,218 so that they are more relaxed, they are more ready 777 00:48:09,220 --> 00:48:17,660 to just spend time doing something just for fun. 778 00:48:17,662 --> 00:48:22,031 Dr. Neil Armstrong, ladies and gentlemen. 779 00:48:22,033 --> 00:48:25,401 (applause) 780 00:48:25,403 --> 00:48:28,204 ARMSTRONG: Thank you so much! 781 00:48:28,206 --> 00:48:31,641 The method we used to descend from orbit 782 00:48:31,643 --> 00:48:33,910 to the surface of an alien world, 783 00:48:33,912 --> 00:48:35,711 uh... 784 00:48:35,713 --> 00:48:37,647 "worked." 785 00:48:37,649 --> 00:48:40,683 (crowd laughs) 786 00:48:40,685 --> 00:48:44,820 But it would have been far more efficient 787 00:48:44,822 --> 00:48:47,390 and far less traumatic 788 00:48:47,392 --> 00:48:49,959 if we could just be beamed down. 789 00:48:49,961 --> 00:48:53,329 (applause) 790 00:48:55,733 --> 00:48:58,367 NARRATOR: But Armstrong was far less sanguine 791 00:48:58,369 --> 00:49:01,537 about the direction the real space program was taking, 792 00:49:01,539 --> 00:49:05,074 and testified before Congress in 2010. 793 00:49:05,076 --> 00:49:09,345 If the leadership we have acquired through our investment 794 00:49:09,347 --> 00:49:13,149 is simply allowed to fade away, 795 00:49:13,151 --> 00:49:17,219 other nations will surely step in where we have faltered. 796 00:49:17,221 --> 00:49:19,455 CHAIKIN: I saw in him 797 00:49:19,457 --> 00:49:23,492 and in the other Apollo astronauts a frustration 798 00:49:23,494 --> 00:49:26,095 that here we are in the second decade of the 21st century, 799 00:49:26,097 --> 00:49:28,030 and we're still confined 800 00:49:28,032 --> 00:49:29,966 to those first couple of hundred miles above the Earth, 801 00:49:29,968 --> 00:49:35,471 and I think it was a source of frustration to him. 802 00:49:37,976 --> 00:49:42,878 NARRATOR: Armstrong turned 80 in 2010, and to mark the occasion, 803 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:45,948 his second wife, Carol Knight, planned a celebration. 804 00:49:45,950 --> 00:49:48,184 CAROL ARMSTRONG: I thought we could have a surprise party 805 00:49:48,186 --> 00:49:50,186 and it would be a lot of fun. 806 00:49:50,188 --> 00:49:53,556 And I had about 250 people on the list. 807 00:49:56,928 --> 00:49:59,695 I think he was surprised. 808 00:49:59,697 --> 00:50:02,965 He put on a good act if he wasn't. 809 00:50:04,869 --> 00:50:06,802 SOLACOFF: After almost everybody had left, 810 00:50:06,804 --> 00:50:10,072 you know, I went up to him and congratulated him 811 00:50:10,074 --> 00:50:12,174 on his birthday and everything, 812 00:50:12,176 --> 00:50:18,014 and he hugged me and he says, "You know I love you," 813 00:50:18,016 --> 00:50:21,217 and I said, "I do too, Neil. 814 00:50:21,219 --> 00:50:22,651 We go back a long ways." 815 00:50:22,653 --> 00:50:24,620 He said, "Yeah, we do." 816 00:50:24,622 --> 00:50:27,256 And that was the last time. 817 00:50:31,696 --> 00:50:34,563 NARRATOR: On the 7th of August, 2012, 818 00:50:34,565 --> 00:50:36,866 Neil Armstrong was admitted to the hospital 819 00:50:36,868 --> 00:50:39,001 for heart surgery. 820 00:50:39,003 --> 00:50:43,973 He remained there until his death on August 25. 821 00:50:43,975 --> 00:50:48,210 MARK ARMSTRONG: If there's a legacy, I think he may have left it already. 822 00:50:48,212 --> 00:50:54,683 He very much wanted the exploration of space 823 00:50:54,685 --> 00:50:58,921 to be an accomplishment that was important 824 00:50:58,923 --> 00:51:01,090 for this planet and everyone on it. 825 00:51:01,092 --> 00:51:05,594 His inspiration 826 00:51:05,596 --> 00:51:10,900 to the generations that will follow 827 00:51:10,902 --> 00:51:16,272 is incalculable, I believe. 828 00:51:16,274 --> 00:51:19,508 RICK ARMSTRONG: It's overwhelming to think about how much has come 829 00:51:19,510 --> 00:51:21,410 from that inspiration. 830 00:51:23,347 --> 00:51:26,115 If there was something that he could pass along 831 00:51:26,117 --> 00:51:30,052 to, you know, future generations, 832 00:51:30,054 --> 00:51:31,787 I think it would be 833 00:51:31,789 --> 00:51:36,425 the conviction to do the right thing. 834 00:51:36,427 --> 00:51:39,195 CHAIKIN: I mean, he went to the Moon. 835 00:51:39,197 --> 00:51:42,264 He risked his life for the nation, 836 00:51:42,266 --> 00:51:45,634 and that would be reason enough to call Neil Armstrong a hero, 837 00:51:45,636 --> 00:51:49,638 but for me, the thing that really stands out 838 00:51:49,640 --> 00:51:53,209 is how he handled this role that fate gave him 839 00:51:53,211 --> 00:51:55,911 of being a world icon. 840 00:51:58,549 --> 00:52:02,318 One thing, he was true to himself. 841 00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:07,857 He was the man that you saw. 842 00:52:07,859 --> 00:52:10,926 That was him. 843 00:52:25,710 --> 00:52:30,880 The exploration continues online, 844 00:52:42,860 --> 00:52:46,462 This NOVA program is available on DVD. 845 00:52:46,464 --> 00:52:51,300 To order, visit shopPBS.org or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 846 00:52:51,302 --> 00:52:53,903 NOVA is also available for download on iTunes. 847 00:53:06,083 --> 00:52:53,903 Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org