1 00:00:02,280 --> 00:00:07,275 IAN HOLM: the dream of flight is one of mankind's most enduring. 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,270 Two days stand out above all others in the history of aviation: 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:14,876 the first powered flight by the wright brothers, 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,676 and the journey that took man to the surface of the moon. 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,759 Extraordinary moments separated by Just 66 years. 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,231 This is a dramatisation of events, as they happened, 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:33,955 on two days that shook the world. 8 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,959 It is December 17th, 1903, 9 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,598 Henry Ford has launched his motorcar company. 10 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,234 Marie Curie has just received the Nobel Prize for her work into radiation. 11 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,958 Emmeline Pankhurst is campaigning for women to have the vote. 12 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,752 And in Kitty Hawk, North America, 13 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:03,074 two brothers are about to put four years of work to the ultimate test 14 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,634 Dawn. The Outer Banks. 15 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:23,272 One hundred and thirty miles of saltwater marsh and desolate sand dune, 16 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:30,074 home for the last three months for two brothers from Dayton, Ohio. 17 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:42,554 Impatient to get on with the day, 18 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,712 Orville Wright is already up and out on the dunes. 19 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,673 Before he and his brother can test their new machine, 20 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,839 Orville has to make one vital check. 21 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,990 ORVILLE: We certainly shouldn't complain of the place. 22 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:29,910 We came down here for wind and sand and we have got them. 23 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:51,159 HOLM: Orville's older brother, Wilbur, is making breakfast 24 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,198 in the wooden shed they've called home for the last few months. 25 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,600 It's the same breakfast he's made every morning: 26 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,911 Eggs, dried ham and hard biscuit. 27 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:03,919 And he sincerely hopes 28 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,560 that this is one of the last times he'll have to endure it 29 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:12,357 Both bachelors, Orville and Wilbur run a successful bicycle business back home. 30 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,198 Now they have finally completed work on a revolutionary new flying machine. 31 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,879 Today, they plan to put it to the test 32 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:29,951 One mile away, the local lifeboat men have also got their eye on the weather. 33 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,676 Nicknamed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic”, 34 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:41,357 the banks are notoriously treacherous and winter is the worst time of year. 35 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:45,389 Over the last few months, 36 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,313 the Wright Brothers have regularly called on the locals for help. 37 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,314 Last night, Wilbur warned them to be ready to help again today. 38 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:11,909 Orville is worried. 39 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,316 The wind is 27 miles an hour. 40 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,673 The last thing he and Wilbur want today is a gale. 41 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,277 Will their machine work in such weather? 42 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,114 And will whoever tests it survive? 43 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:27,233 Time is running out 44 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:41,319 The brothers are frustrated. 45 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,749 Having spent the last four years working on the problem of flight, 46 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,315 they're desperate to see if their new machine works. 47 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,472 But they also made a solemn promise to their father, Milton, 48 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,200 a bishop in the Church of United Brethren of Christ, 49 00:04:58,280 --> 00:04:59,759 before coming out here. 50 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,039 They said they would be home in time for Christmas. 51 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,311 The journey from Kitty Hawk to Dayton, Ohio 52 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,437 takes three days, at the best of times. 53 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,120 Today's already the 17th of December. 54 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,037 All they can do is wait 55 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,800 and pray that the wind dies down. 56 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,836 Impatient with the enforced delay, 57 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,719 Wilbur decides to take a look at conditions himself. 58 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,757 WILBUR: For some years, 1 have been afflicted by the belief 59 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:50,832 that flight is possible for man. 60 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,675 My disease has increased in severity, 61 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,750 and I fear that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money, 62 00:05:58,200 --> 00:05:59,918 if not my life. 63 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,118 HOLM: Wilbur's fear, this morning, is all too real 64 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:10,718 He has only to remember the fate of the man 65 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,360 who inspired his obsession in the first place, 66 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,916 Otto Lilienthal, the birdman of Europe, 67 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:24,198 a German civil engineer who had covered distances of up to 800 feet 68 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,637 in elegant gliders made of willow and waxed cotton. 69 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:33,311 Lilienthal believed man would have to master control of a flying machine, 70 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,789 if he was to successfully conquer the skies. 71 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,158 Alas, Lilienthal's own mastery fell short of the mark. 72 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:52,640 In 1896, he plunged headfirst into the ground and broke his neck. 73 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,474 Still, even in death, 74 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,837 Lilienthal had been a source of inspiration to the Wright Brothers. 75 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,634 Building a flying machine was the easy part. 76 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,673 It was learning how to fly it that killed most early aviators. 77 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,600 Outer Banks lifeboat man John T. Daniels is on patrol 78 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,557 There are some on the Outer Banks who hold 79 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,632 that if the Lord had meant man to fly, he'd have grown him wings. 80 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:44,994 But not Daniels. 81 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:48,789 He's watched the wright brothers with fascination 82 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,713 and was expecting to help them with their new machine today. 83 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,149 So far, there's no sign of activity from the brothers' camp. 84 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,396 9:15. Still there's no respite. 85 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,590 Of course, when Wilbur first came to Kitty Hawk, 86 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:13,432 it was the wind he was interested in. 87 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,111 WILBUR: I chose Kitty Hawk because there are neither hills nor trees, 88 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:20,431 so that it is safe for practice 89 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,469 and the wind is stronger than any place near home. 90 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,672 HOLM: Kitty Hawk provided the brothers with a secret testing ground 91 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:36,558 for their own theories of flight. 92 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,594 The Outer Banks also gave Wilbur the opportunity 93 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:43,115 to study the natural masters of the art. 94 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:54,640 WILBUR: We could not understand 95 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,111 that there was anything about a bird that would enable it to fly 96 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,830 that could not be built on a larger scale and used by man. 97 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,597 HOLM: Wilbur saw that the secret of control lay in the way 98 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:13,151 birds made minute adjustments to the shape of their wings, while in flight. 99 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:17,798 WILBUR: If a bird's wings could sustain it in the air 100 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,110 without the use of any muscular effort, 101 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:24,598 we did not see why man could not be sustained by the same means. 102 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:27,956 HOLM: Rather than making a large pair of wings 103 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,156 and leaping off the nearest cliff, 104 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,991 the brothers started with their feet on the ground, with a kite. 105 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:52,359 By twisting the angle of the wings of their kite, 106 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:55,479 they were soon able to control its movement in the air. 107 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:14,992 Wing warping. as they called it 108 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,471 would be succeeded by flaps in rigid-winged aircraft 109 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,679 But it was this breakthrough that laid the foundation 110 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:23,512 for the Wrights' next step. 111 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:30,191 After testing their wing warping theory on kites, they moved on to gliders. 112 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:42,278 Throughout the autumn of 1902, they were a regular sight at Kitty Hawk, 113 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:46,514 the wind providing the power for their willow and waxed-cotton machines. 114 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,873 ORVILLE: In two days, we made over 250 glides. 115 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,399 We have gained considerable proficiency in the handling of the machine, 116 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:07,430 so that we are able to take it out in any kind of weather. 117 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,312 HOLM: while the sand forgave the occasional error. 118 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:30,639 Today is the result of three years building gliders, 119 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,991 thousands of hours flying above the sand at Kitty Hawk. 120 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:40,116 But their new machine has one major difference: It has an engine. 121 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,953 Other attempts at powered flight had used brute force, 122 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,953 which meant the machines were simply too heavy to fly. 123 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,154 Calculating that they needed just eight horsepower to fly their machine, 124 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,797 the Wrights have designed and built their own lightweight engine. 125 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,480 They hope that the wings and their own propeller design will do the rest. 126 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,358 At Just after 10:00, Wilbur and Orville decide to go outside 127 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,870 to check over their machine. 128 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:56,480 They've made every single bit of it 129 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,236 Their two propellers are linked by bicycle drive chains 130 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,710 to their lightweight petrol engine. 131 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:11,479 The cotton and willow wings, which warp, 132 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,917 and a rudder at the rear, control the machine in the air. 133 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,190 The hand-operated rudder at the front is designed to control ascent and descent. 134 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:26,194 ORVILLE: Isn't it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved 135 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:30,513 for so many years, Just so that we could discover them? 136 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,319 HOLM: while Orville's confidence in their genius is impressive, 137 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,911 the brothers are only too aware that their machine is utterly untried. 138 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:42,630 Testing any machine is risky. 139 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:47,753 In a 27-mile-an-hour wind, the brothers are risking their lives. 140 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:58,436 The wind is still too strong. 141 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:01,710 The frustration is becoming unbearable. 142 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,279 They tried to fly three days ago, but Wilbur, unfamiliar with the controls, 143 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:09,550 succeeded only in smashing the front rudder. 144 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:14,237 Repairs took two days, 145 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,438 with no work on the Sabbath, out of respect for their father. 146 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,399 Now they are ready to try again, but cannot afford any more accidents. 147 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,191 Time is running out 148 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:39,637 WILBUR: The conditions were very unfavourable, 149 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,917 as we had a cold north wind blowing, almost a gale. 150 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:47,359 Nevertheless, as we had set our minds on being home by Christmas, 151 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,557 we determined to go ahead. 152 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,670 HOLM: Orville reluctantly raises the flag to summon the lifeboat men. 153 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:24,557 The men set off from the lifeboat station, 154 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,838 along with a boy, Johnny Moore, from the nearby resort of Nags Head. 155 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,757 The new machine is their largest yet. 156 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,910 With a span of over 40 feet, 157 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,277 the upper and lower wings are over six feet apart. 158 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,157 They called it The Flyer. 159 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,149 Now, they want it to live up to the promise of its name. 160 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:04,596 Since their very first experiments in flight, 161 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,798 the brothers have used photography to document their exploits. 162 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:14,399 Today is no exception. 163 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,353 Orville sets the camera and calls Daniels over. 164 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,439 Daniels has never taken a photograph before in his life, 165 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,154 but Orville lines up the shot and tells the fisherman 166 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,278 to operate the shutter when their machine is in front of the camera. 167 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:49,875 Orville takes up position on the machine. 168 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,197 Behind him, Wilbur is ready to crank the propeller 169 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,159 and start up the engine. 170 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,878 ORVILLE: I found the control of the front rudder quite difficult 171 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:44,873 on account of it being balanced too near the centre. 172 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:49,554 As a result, the machine would rise suddenly to about 10 feet, 173 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:53,276 and then, on turning the rudder, dart for the ground. 174 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:00,790 HOLM: Orville Wright's first flight. 175 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,638 It lasts just 12 seconds. 176 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,032 Wilbur is so amazed that he forgets to stop the watch. 177 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:17,912 Orville is so surprised that he forgets 178 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,310 to throw the engine switch to stop the propellers. 179 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:27,758 But Daniels keeps his head. 180 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:35,469 The first photograph he's ever taken. 181 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,270 It will become one of the most famous in the history of aviation. 182 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,274 The Wright brothers' machine has flown, 183 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,080 but only for 12 seconds. 184 00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:59,515 Despite the excitement of what they've witnessed, 185 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,913 the December wind has got the better of everyone. 186 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:07,634 The brothers make coffee for the lifeboat men. 187 00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:17,749 But Wilbur is impatient to press on. 188 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:27,555 Their machine flew, but its brief flight covered a meagre 120 feet. 189 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,397 Wilbur is far from satisfied. 190 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,753 So, it's into the cold for another attempt 191 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,678 It's Wilbur's furn. He makes the second flight of the day. 192 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,791 ORVILLE: The distance covered, about 175 feet. 193 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,070 HOLM: Orville makes the third test flight 194 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:21,395 Time: 15 seconds. Distance: Just over 200 feet 195 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,632 Each attempt pushes their machine a little further. 196 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,676 At Just after midday, Wilbur is ready to make the fourth 197 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:38,509 and, what will be, his last flight in the machine. 198 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,275 By the time he has gone over 300 feel, 199 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:48,909 he is starting to fly in a fairly straight line. 200 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,956 But suddenly, he loses control 201 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,636 The machine pitches forward and crashes into the sand. 202 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:13,077 The front rudder is smashed to pieces, The Flyer ls damaged beyond repair, 203 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,358 but Wilbur is unharmed. 204 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,518 The brothers are delighted. 205 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,631 Traveling a distance of 852 feet in 59 seconds, 206 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:31,472 Orville and Wilbur Wright have made the world's first powered flight. 207 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,993 And the only witnesses to this momentous event 208 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:40,953 are four lifeboat men and a little boy. 209 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,038 1:00, the brothers take lunch. 210 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,550 Eggs, ham and biscuit, again. 211 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,996 They are eager to tell their father that they will be home for Christmas 212 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,790 and they want to let the world know of their triumph. 213 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,354 Ninety six miles away, in Norfolk, Virginia, 214 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:26,555 H.P. Moore is at work in the circulation department of The Virginian-Pilot. 215 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,038 He's desperate to break into reporting, 216 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,596 but has never been able to persuade his editor he has what it takes. 217 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,438 This afternoon, one of the biggest stories of the century 218 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:38,513 is about to land in his lap. 219 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,474 The brothers set off to the Kitty Hawk weather bureau 220 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,551 to send a telegram to their father. 221 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:55,077 ORVILLE: Success! Four flights, Thursday morning, all against 21-mile wind. 222 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,991 Started from level with engine power alone. 223 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:04,914 Average speed through air, 31 miles. Longest, 59 seconds. 224 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:10,158 Inform press. Home Christmas. Orville. 225 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:15,315 HOLM: The telegram operator in Norfolk asks if he can pass the news on 226 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,994 to his friend, who works on the local paper. 227 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,479 The Wright brothers say, "Absolutely not." 228 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:23,757 They want the news of their amazing flight 229 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:25,877 to come from their hometown, Dayton. 230 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,280 But the telegram operator ignores them. 231 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,239 (PHONE RINGS) 232 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,960 MOORE: H.P. Uh-huh. 233 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,032 When he gets the call from his friend at the telegram office, 234 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,589 HP. Moore cannot believe his luck. 235 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:57,800 What? 236 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:02,190 This is the story that will make his career. 237 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:03,469 MOORE: Give it to me. 238 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:07,076 But he needs more facts from the eyewitness. 239 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:08,240 MOORE: A big thanks. 240 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,554 He wants to get a quote from the Mr wright, mentioned by his friend. 241 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:17,513 But the line to Kitty Hawk is dead. 242 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,837 The ambitious hack goes ahead anyway and writes up the story 243 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,753 based on what his friend, the operator, has Just told him, 244 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,676 with a few embellishments of his own. 245 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,116 MOORE: The machine flew above the sea for three miles 246 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:40,511 and gracefully descended to the Earth. 247 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:45,557 It had one six-blade propeller beneath it to elevate I, 248 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,078 and another propeller at the rear to shove it forward. 249 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:53,197 HOLM: Moore concludes by writing 250 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:56,511 that when Wilbur and Orville celebrated their success, 251 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,150 they ran around... MOORE: shouting, "Eureka!" 252 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:03,918 HOLM: His story is 99% inaccurate. 253 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:17,873 Kitty Hawk. Wilbur and Orville are 254 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,713 preparing for the three-day Journey home. 255 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:28,878 They can only imagine how the world is reacting to the news of their triumph. 256 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,391 Seven hundred and twenty miles away, 257 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,236 and Orville's telegram reaches his father in Dayton, Ohio. 258 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,590 MILTON: “Success/ Four flights, Thursday morning 259 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:54,155 "all against 21-mile wind. Started from level, with engine power alone. 260 00:26:54,800 --> 00:27:01,399 "Average speed through air, 31 miles. Longest, 59 seconds. 261 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:03,714 "Inform press." 262 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,869 HOLM: The telegram has spelt his son's name wrong, 263 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:09,997 but Bishop Wright is overjoyed. 264 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:12,079 Acting on instruction, 265 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,869 he immediately sends his son's telegram to the office of the local newspaper. 266 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:23,878 Frank Tunison is on duty in the newsroom of the Dayton Journal 267 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,879 As a journalist he prides himself on his exacting professionalism. 268 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,630 Bishop wright's boys may well have made a flying machine, 269 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:44,432 but a 57-second flight is not news for Tunison. 270 00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:47,360 (GUFFAWS) 271 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:50,950 If they'd flown 57 minutes, 272 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,957 then it might have made it into the Dayton Journal 273 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:06,713 But the Wright brothers' first flight 274 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:09,599 makes the front page of The Virginian-Pilot. 275 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:28,718 The next morning, H.P. Moore's story is splashed over all five columns. 276 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:34,154 Last night, he'd offered it to other newspapers, but none ran it, 277 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,073 except for his own. 278 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,550 The role of the four lifeboat men, 279 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,878 who made the events on that cold, winter day in Kitty Hawk possible, 280 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:53,078 was never mentioned. 281 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,830 But the Wright brothers' reputation as the fathers of modern aviation 282 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:04,830 was sealed today, on December 17th, 1903. 283 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,476 Only 66 years later, 284 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:13,031 a piece of their historic plane will make the ultimate flight 285 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:17,119 and accompany three astronauts on a journey to the moon. 286 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,156 It is the 20th of July, 1965. 287 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,313 Yasser Arafat is the newly-elected leader of the PLO. 288 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:36,080 James Earl Ray has Just been jailed for the murder of Martin Luther King. 289 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,430 In war-torn Biafra, 4 million people are facing starvation. 290 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,750 And floating a quarter of a million miles away in space, 291 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,070 three astronauts are about to make 292 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,312 the greatest technological endeavor of all time. 293 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:56,233 Houston, Texas. 294 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:06,674 NASA flight director Eugene F. Kranz is awake early. 295 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:21,873 A Korean War air force veteran, he is a patriot and a devout Catholic. 296 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,715 Last night, he attended mass at his church, 297 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:31,751 the Shrine of the True Gross. 298 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:39,113 But beyond his religious faith, is Kranz's belief in the space programme. 299 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,755 Not just a part of his life, it is his life. 300 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,075 When he is at work in Mission Control, he always wears a waistcoat 301 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:51,157 made for him by his wife, Marta. 302 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:53,754 Today is no exception. 303 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,755 But this waistcoat will be worn for 304 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,434 what will be the most exceptional shift of his career. 305 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,517 Two hundred and thirty nine thousand miles above Houston, 306 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,394 the three astronauts of the eleventh Apollo mission 307 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,438 are still asleep in the Command Module Columbia. 308 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:29,389 For the last 17 hours, they've been in orbit around the moon. 309 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,789 Thirty-eight-year-old Neil Armstrong from Ohio is in charge of the mission. 310 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:39,759 With him are astronauts Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins. 311 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:43,955 Last night, Collins volunteered to keep watch 312 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,032 while the other two astronauts got some rest. 313 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:49,754 He's to stay in orbit in the Command Module 314 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:52,514 while Armstrong and Aldrin attempt to land on the moon 315 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:54,074 in the Lunar Module Eagle. 316 00:31:55,280 --> 00:32:01,037 In 23 minutes' time, they will wake to begin their journey into the unknown. 317 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,269 Steve Bales spent the night in the Mission Control bunkhouse. 318 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,315 Never particularly good at waking up in the morning, 319 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,918 this is one day on which he couldn't afford to oversleep. 320 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,070 It is his first fob since leaving college, 321 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,191 but, at just 26 years old, 322 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,193 he is already a Space Centre veteran of five years. 323 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,071 He doesn't know it, but later today, 324 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,755 the whole of the Apollo mission will rest on his shoulders. 325 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:03,789 As flight director, Kranz has overall responsibility for the lunar landing. 326 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,552 Around the world, millions of people will be watching live 327 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:11,235 as America attempts to do something that has never been done before. 328 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:16,518 For Kranz, and the 400,000 people who have worked on the Apollo programme, 329 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:18,439 the stakes are high. 330 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:23,154 The potential for failure is infinite, but if they succeed, 331 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:28,436 it will be a dramatic climax to a race that began eight years earlier. 332 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:33,513 On May 25th, 1961, at the height of the Cold War, 333 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:35,837 John F. Kennedy made what would be 334 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,912 one of the most important speeches of his brief presidency. 335 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:42,074 KENNEDY: I believe that this nation should commit itself 336 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:46,195 to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, 337 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:50,314 of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. 338 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:55,952 We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things 339 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:59,511 not because they are easy, but because they are hard. 340 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,238 HOLM: Kennedy took the Cold War into space. 341 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:08,550 The mission, to put a man on the moon before the Russians, 342 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:11,598 was the most costly project ever undertaken. 343 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,751 Kranz had been there since the beginning. 344 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:17,510 Joining NASA in 1966, 345 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:21,150 he'd flight-controlled on both the Mercury and Gemini projects. 346 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:23,592 But Apollo was different 347 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,794 its mighty Saturn V rocket engine had finally given man the power 348 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:31,150 to break free of the Earth's gravity. 349 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,915 Kranz flight-directed missions 5, 8 and 9. 350 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,398 He'd been there through each success and every setback, 351 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:43,951 including the launch-pad fire that killed an entire crew. 352 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:48,356 Apollo 11 had successfully taken off four days ago. 353 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:53,836 It was 2,974 days after John F. Kennedy's speech, 354 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,478 almost six years after his assassination. 355 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:01,679 MAN ON PA: Ten, nine, ignition sequence start. 356 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,954 HOLM: After orbiting the Earth one-and-a-half times, 357 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:01,831 the third-stage engine boosted Apollo 11 out of Earth's orbit 358 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:04,316 and on to a lunar trajectory. 359 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:30,119 Traveling at an initial speed of 24,200 miles an hour, 360 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,519 the three-day journey to the moon was relatively quiet. 361 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,676 ASTRONAUT: The zero g's very comfortable, but after a while... 362 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:43,036 HOLM: It had been accomplished twice before. 363 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,518 The sight of men in space was no longer startling. 364 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,629 ASTRONAUT: You tend to find a little corner somewhere and put your knees up, 365 00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:52,757 or something like that, to wedge yourself in. 366 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,798 HOLM: But Apollo 11 had one major difference. 367 00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,712 Apollo 11 was going to land on the moon. 368 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:09,030 8:00, Kranz arrives at Mission Control 369 00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:11,356 and takes over the Flight Director's chair. 370 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:13,313 MAN ON PA: Apollo 11, Houston. 371 00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:18,029 Now he's coming in. Can't quite make out who that is. 372 00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:21,353 That's big Mike Collins there. 373 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,040 COLLINS: Buzz, you got a little bit of... 374 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,350 Yeah, hello there, sports fans. 375 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:27,736 You got a little bit of me, plus Neil is in the centre couch, 376 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:29,456 and Buzz is doing the camera work this time. 377 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:32,791 HOLM: They are about to embark on the most risky phase of the mission. 378 00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:36,154 The descent to the surface of the moon. 379 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:39,278 In orbit above the moon, 380 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:42,751 Buzz Aldrin crawls through the hatch into the Lunar Module. 381 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:47,514 He starts checking the systems in preparation for the powered descent 382 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,279 Kranz makes his first entry in the Flight Log. 383 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,231 KRANZ: 95 hours and 41 minutes mission elapsed time. 384 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:57,317 White team descent 385 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,354 Crew in Lunar Module pressurizing preps. 386 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,199 All looks good. 387 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:04,875 HOLM: He looks over the first row of flight controllers 388 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:06,917 in a place they call the "Trench". 389 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:11,240 The controllers have a nickname for Kranz, "General Savage". 390 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:14,190 There is the Communications Officer. 391 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:19,312 His fob is to ensure Eagle maintains a strong radio signal with Houston 392 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:23,473 so the controllers have good data and can communicate with the spacecraft 393 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:26,919 The flight surgeon will be monitoring the health of the astronauts 394 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:29,794 through individual electrocardiogram read-outs. 395 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:32,910 There is Guidance Officer Steve Bales. 396 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:36,716 His job is to oversee the computerized flight control system 397 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:38,837 that will take Eagle down to the moon. 398 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:44,755 And directly in front of Kranz is astronaut Charlie Duke, Cap Comm, 399 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,911 the Capsule Communicator. 400 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:51,029 He's the point of contact between Kranz's team and the Apollo mission. 401 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,953 DUKE: So, Apollo 11, Houston, did you copy? Over. 402 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:57,954 HOLM: It's his voice that the astronauts and the world will hear. 403 00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:14,037 Orbiting the dark side of the moon, 404 00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:17,556 Eagle and Columbia are out of radio contact with Houston. 405 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,190 With Armstrong and Aldrin in the Lunar Module, 406 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,238 Collins is ready to separate Columbia from Eagle. 407 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:35,950 Collins releases the spring-loaded bolts of the docking mechanism, 408 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:38,435 and Eagle drifts gently away. 409 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,990 Armstrong fires small bursts of Eagle's thruster rocket, 410 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:48,793 turning the Lunar Module on its head, 411 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,474 in preparation for the descent to the moon's surface. 412 00:39:57,840 --> 00:40:01,071 Nicknamed the "Flying Bedstead™ by astronauts in training, 413 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:04,517 Eagle's balance is maintained by its on board computer. 414 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:11,838 The peak of 1969 technology, Hts 74-kilobyte memory 415 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:14,549 is less than a modern mobile phone. 416 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:21,109 Collins starts his vigil orbiting the moon in Columbia. 417 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,156 Privately, he has given some thought 418 00:40:24,240 --> 00:40:26,914 to the odds of them safely accomplishing this mission. 419 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,674 He estimates a 50/50 chance of success. 420 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:33,751 If things go according to plan, 421 00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:37,435 he won't see Armstrong and Aldrin for at least 22 hours. 422 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:42,599 If something goes wrong down there, it's unlikely he will ever see them again. 423 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,029 Mission Control still has a half-hour wait 424 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:56,873 before the spacecraft come back into radio contact. 425 00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:01,274 Kranz tells his flight controllers to be back at their posts in 15 minutes. 426 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:12,936 KRANZ ON PA: Procedures from flight, 427 00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:15,040 will you make sure the doors get secured now, please. 428 00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:18,630 HOLM: Kranz orders security to lock the doors to Mission Control 429 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,310 and switches to a private communication mode. 430 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:23,640 KRANZ: Will you secure the doors? MAN: Pleasure. 431 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,599 HOLM: Then, after reviewing operational procedures, 432 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:28,991 he gives the pep talk of his life. 433 00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:32,436 KRANZ: This is the best team I've ever worked with. 434 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:34,910 I have ultimate confidence in you people. 435 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:39,356 What we're about to do now, it’s Just like we do it in training. 436 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:44,315 And after we finish the son-of-a-gun, we're gonna go out and have a beer 437 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:47,717 and say, "Damn lit, we really did something.” 438 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:53,992 HOLM: Collins clears the moon two minutes before Eagle, 439 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:56,356 and establishes contact with Houston. 440 00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:59,360 COLLINS: Columbia, Houston. We're standing by. Over. 441 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:02,936 COLLINS: Houston, Columbia. Reading you loud and clear. How me? 442 00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:05,600 DUKE: Roger. Fine, Mike. How did it go? Over. 443 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:09,080 COLLINS: Listen, everything's going Just swimmingly. Beautiful 444 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:11,511 DUKE: Great. We're standing by for Eagle. 445 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:13,632 HOLM: Eagle then clears the moon, 446 00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,394 but Mission Control has a problem receiving their signal 447 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,514 Communications from the spacecraft have been cutting out 448 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:21,398 and then returning for brief moments. 449 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:26,154 DUKE: Apollo 11, this is Houston, how do you read? Over. 450 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:29,673 (RADIO STATIC) 451 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:36,194 DUKE: Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Houston, do you read? Over. 452 00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:40,835 HOLM: Kranz ls nervous. 453 00:42:41,760 --> 00:42:43,034 In only a few minutes, 454 00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:46,238 he will have to give Armstrong and Aldrin the go-ahead for the mission, 455 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:48,556 and his controllers need good data. 456 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:53,319 Charlie Duke suggests that Eagle pitch 10 degrees to improve signal strength. 457 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,552 DUKE: Eagle, Houston, we recommend you yaw 10 right. 458 00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,280 It will help us on the high gain signal strength. Over. 459 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:05,470 Eagle, Houston, we have you now, do you read? Over. 460 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:08,390 ASTRONAUT: Loud and clear. 461 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:11,917 KRANZ: Okay, we're off to a good start Play it cool 462 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:14,992 HOLM: With an improved signal, Kranz asks his flight controllers 463 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,117 for a go or a no-go for the descent 464 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:19,794 KRANZ. Okay, all flight controllers, I'm going around the horn. 465 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:23,954 Make your go/no-gos based on the data you had per an iOS. See we got it back. 466 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:25,176 Give you another few seconds. 467 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:26,270 We're yelling fine. 468 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:27,509 -Okay, Retro. 469 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:28,600 - FIDO? - Go. 470 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:29,954 - Guide? Control? - Go.? 471 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:31,115 -Cap Comm? 472 00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:32,315 - GNC? - Go. 473 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:33,435 - D-Com? Surgeon? - Go. 474 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,035 - Go. - Cap Comm, we're go to continue PDI 475 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:40,440 DUKE: Roger, you're a go. You're a go to continue powered descent. 476 00:43:40,520 --> 00:43:42,120 You're a go to continue powered descent. 477 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,510 HOLM: With the Eagle in position, they are about to start 478 00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:47,558 the part of the mission that has never been attempted before, 479 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,958 the manned descent to the surface of the moon. 480 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:58,555 Only 50,000 feet above the moon, 481 00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:01,718 Armstrong and Aldrin are strapped to the floor of the Lunar Module. 482 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:05,518 Their mouths are dry from the pure oxygen in the capsule. 483 00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:09,358 The computer will take Eagle down to 500 feet, 484 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:12,273 then Armstrong will take over control for the landing. 485 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:14,234 The descent engine fires, 486 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:17,716 and the Lunar Module vibrates with a high-frequency hum. 487 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:22,394 Eagle ls face-down, traveling towards the moon at a mile a second. 488 00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:25,838 Armstrong looks out the window to check for landmarks, 489 00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:29,072 but each checkpoint is appearing two seconds ahead of schedule. 490 00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:31,478 At their current rate of descent, 491 00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:35,349 they're likely to overshoot the planned landing site by two miles. 492 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:37,056 ASTRONAUT: Okay, so we're gonna make it... 493 00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:38,150 DUKE: Roger. 494 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:44,837 DUKE: He thinks you're a little bit long downrange. 495 00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:46,416 ARMSTRONG. That's right, and I think we confirm that. 496 00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:47,640 ALDRIN: We confirm that Roger. 497 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,394 HOLM: Guidance Officer Steve Bales is worried. 498 00:44:51,720 --> 00:44:56,396 Eagle ls descending too fast 20 miles an hour faster than planned. 499 00:44:57,040 --> 00:45:00,635 If the descent rate increases, Eagle ls Likely to crash-land. 500 00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:03,599 But the speed is constant 501 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:06,871 They can overshoot the planned landing zone, 502 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:10,555 and Armstrong should be able to find a new, suitable site. 503 00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:14,310 Eagle furns over onto its back 504 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:16,960 so that its landing radar can lock onto the moon. 505 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:22,840 The radar comes to life, 506 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:26,959 firing information on speed and altitude into Eagle's guidance system. 507 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:30,635 MAN: Okay, we got data back. 508 00:45:30,720 --> 00:45:32,199 COLLINS: Radar flight looks good. 509 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:33,679 MAN: Rog. COLLINS: 2,000 feet. 510 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:35,114 MAN: Rog, 2,000-foot down... 511 00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:37,271 HOLM: Aldrin checks the computer's calculations 512 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:39,476 against the distance measured by the radar. 513 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:44,278 Because of the fast descent rate, the two are out by several thousand feet 514 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,478 He tries to input the new data from the radar into the computer. 515 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:56,040 ALDRIN: A programme alarm. 516 00:45:56,520 --> 00:45:58,318 HOLM: An alarm goes off on the computer. 517 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:00,073 ALDRIN: 7202. DUKE: 7202. 518 00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:01,195 ALDRIN: 7202. 519 00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:06,316 HOLM: Aldrin has never seen this before. 520 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:13,712 He has no idea what a 1202 alarm means, or how serious it might be. 521 00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:19,153 Mission Control and Kranz is under pressure. 522 00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:24,189 With an alarm active, the Lunar Module's computer is liable to crash. 523 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:27,875 Kranz has to decide whether to abort the descent 524 00:46:28,080 --> 00:46:30,913 or override the alarm and hope for the best 525 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:36,193 Suddenly, the most important man in the room is Steve Bales. 526 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:43,520 Whether the entire mission is go or no-go 527 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:46,838 is now down to the 26-year-old Guidance Officer. 528 00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:50,957 But Bales isn't sure what the 1202 alarm is either. 529 00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:56,999 During simulated landings, three seconds was considered a long time. 530 00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:03,759 It takes 15 for Mission Control to give Neil Armstrong an answer. 531 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:07,594 The entire mission hangs on Bales' call 532 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:11,231 The astronauts need an answer. 533 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:15,073 ARMSTRONG. Give us a reading on the 1202 programme alarm. 534 00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:19,639 BALES: Were... We're go on that flight 535 00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:21,920 KRANZ: We're go on that alarm? 536 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:24,517 DUKE: Roger, we got you. We're go on that alarm. 537 00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:28,196 HOLM: Bales thinks the alarm is the result of a computer overload, 538 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:30,551 so it keeps resetting itself 539 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:32,360 ALDRIN: 7201. 540 00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:35,273 HOLM: Another alarm, this time a 1201. 541 00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:37,040 DUKE: Roger, 1201 alarm. 542 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:39,269 We're go on that flight 543 00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:41,271 - 1201 alarm. - Same type. We're go, flight 544 00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:42,515 Okay, we're go. 545 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:45,713 HOLM: Then another 1202 alarm. 546 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:47,274 DUKE: Roger, 1202, we copy. 547 00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:48,856 - HOLM: With the alarms now coming... - ALDRIN: Copy. 548 00:47:48,880 --> 00:47:50,256 - Go. - HOLM: on top of each other, 549 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:52,510 Bales overrides each one. 550 00:47:53,600 --> 00:47:55,671 Go. Go. Go. 551 00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:00,791 DUKE: We're go. Same type. We're go. 552 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:06,475 HOLM: Bales' decision allows the Lunar Module to continue its descent 553 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:10,519 inside Eagle, Aldrin updates the computer with the new data. 554 00:48:10,600 --> 00:48:11,976 DUKE: Eagle, looking great, you're go. 555 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:15,994 HOLM: But the mission is about to enter its most risky phase. 556 00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:26,936 KRANZ. Okay, all flight controllers, gonna go for landing. Retro? 557 00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:27,960 - Go. Go. - Line up? 558 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:29,075 - Guidance? Control? - Go. 559 00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:30,195 -Telcom? 560 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:31,429 - G and C? D-Com? - Go. 561 00:48:31,520 --> 00:48:32,555 -Surgeon? 562 00:48:32,640 --> 00:48:34,160 KRANZ: Gap Comm, we're go for landing. 563 00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:36,480 DUKE: Houston. You're go for landing. Over. 564 00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:41,109 ASTRONAUT: Roger, understand, go for landing, 3,000 feet. 565 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:43,476 KRANZ. Okay, all flight controllers, hang tight 566 00:48:43,560 --> 00:48:45,160 Should be throttling down pretty shortly. 567 00:48:45,720 --> 00:48:49,634 HOLM: Half-way through the powered descent, Eagle's engine throttles down. 568 00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:54,479 Still under computer control, it pitches over into its landing position. 569 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:58,036 Armstrong checks the altitude and speed. 570 00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:02,598 5,000 feet up, 100 feet per second, Just as expected. 571 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:05,079 DUKE: Flight plan looking real good. 572 00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:08,915 MAN ON PA: Velocity down now to 1,200 feet per second. 573 00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:10,680 DUKE: You're looking great to us, Eagle. 574 00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:15,519 MAN ON PA: Control, we look good here, fine. How about you, Telcom? 575 00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:16,600 - Go. - Guidance, you happy? 576 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:17,750 - Go. - FIDO? 577 00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:18,840 Go. 578 00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:21,309 HOLM: Now, with the moon only 1,000 feet away, 579 00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:23,671 Armstrong looks out at the window. 580 00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:27,237 He does not like what he sees. 581 00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:31,477 In Mission Control, the flight surgeon sees Armstrong's heart rate 582 00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:34,552 rise from 77 to 156. 583 00:49:35,480 --> 00:49:38,552 Eagle ls headed straight for a crater Uttered with boulders. 584 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:41,116 It's far from ideal as a landing site. 585 00:49:45,480 --> 00:49:48,040 Armstrong initiates altitude hold. 586 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:51,398 Eagle lurches forward and is rocked by violent shudders, 587 00:49:51,480 --> 00:49:53,517 as he fires the pitch control rockets. 588 00:49:53,840 --> 00:49:58,437 Just 350 feet above the moon, Eagle clears the boulder field, 589 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:01,638 and Armstrong flies on in search of safer ground. 590 00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:08,314 In Houston, the incoming data tells them 591 00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:11,279 that Armstrong has taken control of the Lunar Module. 592 00:50:11,440 --> 00:50:13,158 MAN: Low level MAN 2: Low level 593 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:14,315 MAN 3: Low level 594 00:50:14,920 --> 00:50:17,912 HOLM: They can also see that his use of the thruster 595 00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:20,719 has left Eagle dangerously low on fuel 596 00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:27,395 For the first time today, Kranz and the controllers are powerless. 597 00:50:28,840 --> 00:50:31,639 The whole mission is now down to just two men. 598 00:50:32,440 --> 00:50:34,158 All they can do ls listen 599 00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:37,517 to Armstrong and Aldrin counting down the distance to the moon 600 00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:40,520 and hope that the fuel doesn't run out. 601 00:50:48,240 --> 00:50:50,709 ALDRIN: Okay, 75 feet There's looking good. 602 00:50:50,800 --> 00:50:52,393 - Down to 60. - DUKE: Rog. 603 00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:55,080 60 seconds. 604 00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,511 HOLM: Eagle has only 60 seconds of fuel remaining. 605 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:05,950 But Armstrong has found a landing site. 606 00:51:07,360 --> 00:51:10,352 Only 100 feet separate Eagle from the moon. 607 00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:15,831 They have seconds of fuel left 608 00:51:16,200 --> 00:51:17,920 ALDRIN: Two-and-a-half down, two-and-a-half. 609 00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:21,758 Thirty feet, two-and-a-half down. 610 00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:22,960 Faint shadow. 611 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:26,800 Four forward. 612 00:51:26,920 --> 00:51:30,197 HOLM: 20 feet to go. Armstrong wrestles with the controls. 613 00:51:30,480 --> 00:51:31,959 He has to bring it down level, 614 00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:34,680 otherwise touchdown could shatter Eagle's lags. 615 00:51:35,720 --> 00:51:37,950 DUKE: Thirty seconds. ALDRIN: Thirty, thirty seconds. 616 00:51:48,480 --> 00:51:51,711 HOLM: Upon landing, Armstrong is supposed to shut down the engine, 617 00:51:52,440 --> 00:51:55,558 but he's so absorbed in flying, he momentarily forgets. 618 00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:58,080 ARMSTRONG: Okay, engine stop. 619 00:51:58,360 --> 00:52:00,112 ACA out of detent. 620 00:52:00,720 --> 00:52:03,633 Auto mode control both auto, descent engine command override, off. 621 00:52:04,480 --> 00:52:05,480 Engine arm, off. 622 00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:07,470 413 is in. 623 00:52:11,080 --> 00:52:12,718 DUKE: We copy you down, Eagle. 624 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:14,600 ARMSTRONG: Houston, uh... 625 00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:20,198 Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed. 626 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:23,591 DUKE: Roger, Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. 627 00:52:23,840 --> 00:52:25,592 You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. 628 00:52:25,680 --> 00:52:27,318 We're breathing again. Thanks a lot 629 00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:30,040 ALDRIN: Okay, we're gonna be busy for a minute. 630 00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:33,158 The whole scene for us, too, looks beautiful 631 00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:36,551 KRANZ: Okay, keep the chatter down in this room. 632 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:38,671 HOLM: Kranz quietens his controllers. 633 00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:42,358 The flight plan calls for a possible emergency lift-off. 634 00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:46,311 Kranz asks the controllers if it is stay or no-stay. 635 00:52:46,920 --> 00:52:49,196 KRANZ: Okay, T1, stay/no-stay. Retro? 636 00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:50,915 - Stay. - FIDO? 637 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:52,000 - Stay. - Guidance? Control? 638 00:52:52,440 --> 00:52:53,919 -Telcom? 639 00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:55,000 -D-Com? 640 00:52:55,080 --> 00:52:56,115 -Surgeon? 641 00:52:56,200 --> 00:52:57,838 KRANZ: Gap Comm, we're stay for T1. 642 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:01,237 DUKE: Roger, Eagle, You are stay for T1. Over. 643 00:53:01,360 --> 00:53:03,317 Eagle, you are a stay for T1. 644 00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:05,159 HOLM: With a unanimous, "Stay,” 645 00:53:05,320 --> 00:53:08,438 Armstrong and Aldrin power down most of Eagle's systems. 646 00:53:09,720 --> 00:53:12,599 The flight plan has a four-hour rest period scheduled, 647 00:53:12,920 --> 00:53:14,399 but there is no reason to wait 648 00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,674 Armstrong suggests that the most dramatic part of the mission 649 00:53:17,760 --> 00:53:19,478 starts ahead of schedule. 650 00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:22,511 With Eagle safely on the moon, 651 00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:25,752 Gene Kranz and his white team hand over to a new shift 652 00:53:26,120 --> 00:53:27,872 They attend a short press conference 653 00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:32,069 but are keen to get back to witness the high point of the mission. 654 00:53:41,280 --> 00:53:44,910 Armstrong opens the hatch, moves through the opening 655 00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:46,793 and out onto the ladder. 656 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:52,118 He pulls a D-ring on Eagle's side, and an equipment stowage tray lowers. 657 00:53:52,200 --> 00:53:53,520 MAN: Got a picture on the TV. 658 00:53:53,600 --> 00:53:55,671 MAN 2: photography on the sequence camera. 659 00:53:57,040 --> 00:53:59,031 HOLM: On the big screen in Mission Control, 660 00:53:59,160 --> 00:54:02,278 an alien, black-and-white image flickers into life. 661 00:54:03,560 --> 00:54:06,120 Armstrong reaches the bottom rung of the ladder. 662 00:54:06,840 --> 00:54:07,840 He pauses. 663 00:54:09,240 --> 00:54:12,551 Then he launches himself into a slow-motion fall, 664 00:54:12,960 --> 00:54:15,236 landing on the foll-covered footpad. 665 00:54:16,080 --> 00:54:19,311 ARMSTRONG. Very, very fine-grained, as you get close to it, 666 00:54:19,560 --> 00:54:20,600 It's almost like a powder. 667 00:54:20,840 --> 00:54:25,391 HOLM: Carefully, he raises his left foot and lowers it onto the dust. 668 00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:30,513 ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, 669 00:54:32,440 --> 00:54:35,432 one giant leap for mankind. 670 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:49,191 HOLM: With no wind on the lunar surface, Armstrong's footprint 671 00:54:49,440 --> 00:54:52,353 will remain undisturbed for millions of years. 672 00:54:52,640 --> 00:54:53,736 DUKE: Columbia, say that again. Over. 673 00:54:53,760 --> 00:54:56,320 COLLINS: Roger, the EVA is progressing beautifully. 674 00:54:56,720 --> 00:54:58,279 They're setting up the flag now. 675 00:54:59,080 --> 00:55:02,550 HOLM: Later, Armstrong and Aldrin will unfurl an American flag, 676 00:55:02,880 --> 00:55:04,518 stiffened with wire 677 00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:08,355 so that it will give the impression of flying in this airless world. 678 00:55:09,040 --> 00:55:11,111 Posing for Armstrong's camera, 679 00:55:11,200 --> 00:55:15,034 Aldrin reads the plague that will remain on the lunar surface. 680 00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:19,159 ALDRIN: Neil is now unveiling the plague that is... It says: 681 00:55:19,720 --> 00:55:23,793 "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon 682 00:55:24,120 --> 00:55:28,079 “July 1968, AD. 683 00:55:28,760 --> 00:55:31,400 "We came in peace for all mankind.” 684 00:55:42,840 --> 00:55:45,798 HOLM: Around the world, 600 million people, 685 00:55:45,880 --> 00:55:49,874 one fifth of the world's population, are watching live on television. 686 00:55:50,960 --> 00:55:53,839 It is the largest audience for any event in history. 687 00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:58,838 NEWS ANCHOR: "One small step for man..." 688 00:55:58,920 --> 00:56:00,096 (NEWS ANCHOR 2 SPEAKING IN SPANISH) 689 00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:02,555 NEWS ANCHOR 3: - ..one giant leap for mankind." 690 00:56:04,200 --> 00:56:06,840 HOLM: After 2 hours and 31 minutes on the moon, 691 00:56:07,440 --> 00:56:10,239 the two astronauts climb back inside the Eagle. 692 00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:15,672 When they take off their helmets, they smell a pungent odour. 693 00:56:15,760 --> 00:56:18,878 It reminds Armstrong of wet ashes in the fireplace. 694 00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:22,072 It is the smell of moon dust 695 00:56:25,280 --> 00:56:27,874 At last, they prepare for a rest. 696 00:56:28,040 --> 00:56:30,793 They have been up since 5:30, Houston time. 697 00:56:38,720 --> 00:56:42,873 In a few hours from now, the two astronauts will blast off from the moon 698 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:46,392 and rendezvous with Michael Collins in the Command Module. 699 00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:55,439 A final burn of their rocket 700 00:56:55,520 --> 00:56:57,875 will set the astronauts on a journey back to Earth 701 00:56:58,200 --> 00:56:59,952 and a hero's welcome. 702 00:57:29,360 --> 00:57:33,149 Neil Armstrong will enter the history books as the first man on the moon, 703 00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:35,590 Buzz Aldrin as the second 704 00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:39,157 and Mike Collins as the astronaut who went with them. 705 00:57:40,080 --> 00:57:44,438 Gene Kranz will go on to flight direct four further Apollo missions. 706 00:57:45,920 --> 00:57:49,197 Steve Bales will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Honour 707 00:57:49,400 --> 00:57:51,198 for his part in the lunar landing. 708 00:57:51,640 --> 00:57:52,640 Go. 709 00:57:52,720 --> 00:57:55,519 A total of 12 men will ultimately walk on the moon, 710 00:57:55,880 --> 00:57:59,111 the last on December the 11th, 1972. 711 00:57:59,440 --> 00:58:04,389 The first, today, on July 20, 1969, 712 00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:09,159 66 years after the wright brothers' first fight.