Growing up in the 1960's, like everyone else my age, I was a complete space nut! I had maps, with cut-outs of the rockets that I had clipped from various magazines on it just like the real one at NASA, so I could keep track of the current mission as it traveled around the world, and probably 10 or so rocket models hanging from my ceiling! Back then, you could even write to NASA and get all kinds of neat stuff just by asking. I had patches, pictures, data sheets, and other various publicity handouts NASA would issue plastered all over my walls!
During most of that time, my father, a Naval aviator, was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida and Key West, Florida, so when he wasn't deployed, we would go up (or down, depending on where we lived at the time), to Cape Kennedy to watch the current NASA mission lift off. In that time, I personally saw 3 Mercury missions (Mercury MA-6 on February 20th, 1962 with John Glenn, Mercury MA-7 on May 24th, 1962 with Scott Carpenter and Mercury MA-9 on May 15th, 1963 with Gordon Cooper), 4 Gemini missions (Gemini III on March 23rd, 1965 with Gus Grissom & John Young, Gemini IV on June 3rd, 1965 with Jim McDivitt & Ed White, Gemini VII on December 4th, 1965 with Frank Borman & Jim Lovell and Gemini X on July 18th, 1966 with John Young & Mike Collins) and 2 Apollo missions (Apollo 7 on October 11th, 1968 with Wally Schirra, Walt Cunningham & Donn Eiseleand and Apollo 8 on December 21st, 1968 with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell & Bill Anders) lift off from the Cape. Unfortunately, Apollo 11 wasn't one of them, but on that day, like most of the world, I was glued to the TV watching the entire lift off narrated by Walter Cronkite. Yes, the other two networks also carried the missions, but Walter was the best, hands down.
A few days later, huddled in front of our black and white TV at home, we saw Neil land the lunar module on Tranquility Base, and then a few hours later, step off the ladder. At that exact point, I knew mankind would never be the same again.
To the almost 500 thousand people that worked on these projects, I congratulate you all for a VERY WELL DONE!
And to the families of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, your sacrifices helped make this all possible. They will always be remembered with the highest regard.
Ed
