Apollo 11 - 1969

edgey2001 · Post by **edgey2001** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 10:10 am

Not really a Secret Leeds topic but what with the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, I just thought I would ask if anyone has any recollections of watching the launch, landing at the time. Maybe viewing the news coverage through a TV Shop window somewhere. Also, if anyone has any interest in this, check out Google Moon, they have added panoramic views of all the Apollo sights including photos and videos. Impressive stuff.

simonm · Post by **simonm** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 10:25 am

I was only a nipper and I remember my dad waking me up to see the 1st ever landings. We had an old black n white set and I remember being only very young being unimpressed but I'm glad he got me to see it live.

simong · Post by **simong** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 10:28 am

I was nearly three, and my Mum woke me up at 3am to see the landing. I can remember watching the fuzzy pictures and knowing that it was important but not a lot else. I can remember coverage of the later missions a bit better.

Richard A Thackeray · Tue 21 Jul, 2009 10:30 am

July 1969 was also the year a sporting legend really began to make his biggest wavesEddy Merckx won his first Tour de France, taking the Yellow Jersey in Paris. He also won the competitions for the 'PolkaDot' (King Of The Mountains) & 'Green' (Points) jerseys too that year!Co-incidentally, the Tour finished on July 20th that year........ the same day as the Moon landing

Si · Post by Si » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 10:35 am

I remember watching the moon landing live. I was ten. It's amazing to think we heard the "One small step" speech for the first time. PS Whatever happened to space pundit James Burke?

Patexpat · Post by **Patexpat** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 2:38 pm

I was 12 .... and remember watching teh whole thing live on my brother's and sister-in-law B&W TV in Kirkstall ... I was a bit of a science/space freak at the time and remember it even to this day - we were even allowed to be late to school the next day! Doesn't seem like 40 years ago tho!! Very scary ...

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 2:58 pm

I was 11 and we were on holiday in Cornwall, Newquay, at a place called Fistral Court on Pentire Avenue. My dad woke me up too, knackered most of the next day. It's one of those 'you know where you were when... ' moments.

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 4:18 pm

I was working at the YEP in Albion Street/Commercial Street the night of the moon landing. We watched it on a TV in the newsroom 'til about 4.30 in the morning and then again on the TV at home. I took some pictures from the TV which came out surprisingly well, I still have them somwhere. Exciting as it was, it didn't compare to the drama surrounding Apollo 13, two or three years later, which suffered an explosion and had to go all the way to the Moon, orbit it and then get back to Earth safely. It was amazing to me how quickly the Moon landings became of little interest to the world's public.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Tue 21 Jul, 2009 10:07 pm

We'd been married less than a year and didn't have a TV - by choice. It was the Apollo landing that persuaded us to get one!

Loiner in Cyprus · Post by **Loiner in Cyprus** » Wed 22 Jul, 2009 4:33 pm

I was on honeymoon in Bridlington having got married on the 19th. Watched the landing on the TV at the B&B.