Forty Years Ago Today VI-We have a liftoff

I remember watching the video below when it really happened, though it was on just a black and white TV. I was in my pj's that morning as an eight year old boy. In fact, exactly an eight year old boy, as that day was my birthday. It was the mission to have a man walk on the moon, a real "man on the moon." The thought blew my little boy mind.

It was no sure thing, and so the suspense. The following video starts at just under the six minute mark before launch. I remember that at some point after after the launch and before the first stage separated, I stood up and pumped a fist and said GO! That launch was one of the most profound and gutsiest things I have ever witnessed to this day.

Godspeed.

Haha-One of my sisters tracked this pic down and gave it to me last night:

Dude...what's up with your hair? I asked my dad about that and he looked again, shrugged, and said "you were eight." Yep, can't argue with that. And if you couldn't tell for sure...yes, that's a rocket on the top of the cake.

Comments

[Rob]

Happy Birthday, Dave.

I remember all of those launches being in the early morning, usually right before we left for the school bus stop. Yeah, I remember school bus stops, too. :) I watched all of the Apollo and some of the Gemini missions. I have no recollection of any of the Mercury missions, though. Do you remember how big a deal it was that a civilian, Neil Armstrong, was going to be the first man to step foot on the moon? There was a lot of talk about that at the time. Most of my friends and I thought it should have been an active military man. After all, they had paved the way. At 12 years old, symbolism wasn't my strong suit. We were wrong. Choosing a civilian was appropriate. NASA made the perfect choice in Armstrong and did so without benefit of 40 years of 20-20 hindsight.

[Dave E.]

Thanks, Rob. I don't remember watching too many launches live, but I remember watching this one. And I do remember some of that military/civilian talk, but my dad was USAF Reserve at the time and he said it was no big deal. So it was no big deal to me.

[Kate P]

Happy Birthday!!! Any many more!!!

I think this launch and the whole space program really affected history and culture for the U.S. All that futuristic stuff that cartoon animators and comic book storywriters guessed at was actually happening, and being surpassed.

[Dave E.]

Thank you, Kate. I think I had given up my Major Matt Mason
doll...er, action figure, at that point, but you're right. It seemed that all of the sci-fi stuff was coming to life before my eyes.

[Rob]

Priceless. The pic, the hair, the rocket, everything about it. My, ahem, younger sister, Katie, was born on August 11, 1961.

[Dave E.]

Of course, if the 8-year-old me could see me now, he'd probably ask the same question. :)

[Rob]

8-year-old me would snicker behind my back ... and probably hope to die before he got that old. :)

[Mr. Bingley]

Happy Birthday! What an awesome picture :)

[Dave E.]

Thanks, Mr. B.

[Kate P]

Major Matt Mason action figure, with "Moon Suit"--hahahaha.

That picture is too cute--and too fabulous that your sister found it! Please tell me you ate all those crunchy sugar letters on the side of the cake (never seen them on the side of the cake before, BTW).

[Dave E.]

Kate-I'm sure I got my fair share of those sugar letters, being the birthday boy and all, but I'm also sure my four sibs(at the time) all got one too. Mom was always good that way. That's the only cake I remember with the "Happy Birthday" on the side. I think those pink and red objects were rocket toys too, and so between the rockets and the candles I think mom, and probably grandma, just did an ad lib. Worked for me. It was an angel food cake by the way, one of the few cakes I still like to eat these days.