Hanger-7 interview: Neil Armstrong
Photo: Red Bulletin
Now 80 years old, the first man to walk on the moon rarely gives interviews, but he entered The Red Bulletin’s orbit to talk about in-flight nerves (none) and out-of-this-world experiences (many).
RED BULLETIN: What was going through your mind on that July day in 1969 when you landed on the moon?
NEIL ARMSTRONG: “Well, the first thing I was surprised at was the fact that we had landed. And it was a feeling of great satisfaction, because about 400,000 people had worked for a decade to put us in this spot we were in, and I felt a great sense of appreciation for all those people who had made it possible for me to be there.”
So you weren’t worried at all?
“I think what occurred to me more than anything else was that this would be a very poor time to make a mistake. We knew that going into space was going to be accompanied by some risks, and we accepted that – that was part of the price of progress. And so, I think we were not afraid of the risk we were taking, rather we were afraid of failure. We were afraid of making mistakes, but there was nobody who was concerned about the risks in my recollection. We concentrated on trying to do the perfect job. The question was, is the possible increase in human knowledge worth the investment that includes a certain amount of risk and I thought, ‘Yeah, this could lead to real increases in knowledge and benefit all humanity.’ It was worth the investment of all our effort, perhaps our lives.”
How special do you feel, having done what you’ve done?
“It was nice to have the accolades of the public. First it was in the news, then it was in the science departments of the schools, and now it’s in the history department. It’s nice to be able to look back and see all that’s been accomplished in the years since we were flying.”
For the full interview see the new edition of the Red Bulletin.
