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Armstrong Flubbed Moon Line, Made It Stellar

Astro put tiny poetic spin on script

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 4, 2009 2:15 AM CDT

(Newser) – Stressed out Neil Armstrong flubbed his line as he became the first human to step on the moon—and turned it into out-of-this-world poetry, reports the BBC. The astronaut was supposed to say: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," as he walked onto the moon in 1969. But he dropped the "a" in the pre-scripted phrase penned by NASA.

Armstrong always insisted he had used the "a," but that it was lost somewhere between his soft Ohio accent and transmission. But a new linguistic analysis has determined that he put his own stellar spin on the phrase that rocked the world. "For me that phrase is of great significance," said one of the linguists. "Those words sum up much of the optimism of the later part of the 20th century."

Giant leap for mankind.
Giant leap for mankind.   (AP Photo/European Space Agency)
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin plant the US. flag on the lunar surface in 1969.
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin plant the US. flag on the lunar surface in 1969.   (AP Photo/NASA, File)
Former astronaut Neil Armstrong waves to the crowd after speaking at the dedication ceremony of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., in 2007.
Former astronaut Neil Armstrong waves to the crowd after speaking at the dedication ceremony of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., in 2007.   (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
psycada
Jun 4, 2009 12:45 PM CDT
O-Rly? Just a few years ago, the BBC ran a story claiming to have proven just the opposite. It's amazing how many times we see history presented one way only to have been disproved with technology. This is why we continue to question what we are told and continue to research things to find ultimate truth. As newer and better technology comes about, better and clearer analysis can be made of the facts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ame...
Forderon
Jun 4, 2009 7:49 AM CDT
Now that I think about it, the phrase as it was said doesn't even make sense. It's a small step for man(kind) and a giant leap for man(kind) at the same time?? How does that make sense and how did it come to be so poetic? The intended phrase by NASA actually makes sense.
lonewolf17
Jun 4, 2009 7:31 AM CDT
One of the great moments in human civilization...What I would do to trade places with that man at that moment.

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