Remembering the day Americans blasted off to the moon

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- It was 55 years ago when the world held it’s breath as three men sat atop a massive rocket to embark on a mission to achieve one of the greatest milestones in human history: landing on the moon.

I was at the Kennedy Space Center when Apollo 11 began its remarkable journey.

As Jack in mission control counted down the final seconds to liftoff, it was the dawning of a new day as the Saturn V rocket erupted like inverted volcanoes and slowly lifted off the launch pad into the cloudless blue Florida sky.

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were on their way to the moon. A chill of excitement consumed my body in the 90 degree heat as I felt the ground rumble beneath my feet. I couldn't contain the enthusiasm of the moment and I found myself joining the crowd as I roared into my microphone, "go baby go."

5,000 guests witnessed the historic moment, including aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, Vice President Spiro Agnew, and former president Lyndon Johnson. I was among 3,500 journalists from 56 nations recording the moment set in motion years earlier by President John F. Kennedy who declared, “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”

On July 20th 1969, Kennedy’s dream was realized as Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface. It was a moment in time forever frozen as a timeless moment for the 600 million people around the world who watched the grainy footage of Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind. His words are forever emblazoned in history, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The project cost $25 billion and some 400,000 people worked on it. The moon landing and five subsequent ones were pivotal moments in human history. And pivotal moments as well for those caught up with the thrill of Americans landing on the moon.

Long Islander Mike Massimino remembers the impact that moment had on him. He told PIX11 News, “I was in the first grade and I wanted to grow up and be like Neil Armstrong.”

It took a few years but he did. He became a NASA astronaut who flew two space shuttle missions and performed four space walks. He says we’re still reaping the dividends of those pioneering days in space. “You can say we have almost everything as a result of the space program. Computers, miniaturization, technology, and communications. There are a lot of spinoffs from that.”

For many of us, that Apollo launch and moon landing are a part of our distant memory. The current Apollo exhibit at the Intrepid Museum is an opportunity for the generations not born 55 years ago to share that moment history. More than five decades later the united states is now preparing for return visits to the moon and beyond. There is a goal to visit mars within the next ten years. There’s no limit to future exploration.