Neil Armstrong did too say "a"

[donsu]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/01/AR2006100100811.html


Analysis Adds 'A' to First Words on Moon

-snip-

An Australian computer programmer says he found the missing "a" from Armstrong's famous first words from the moon in 1969, when the world heard the phrase, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

-snip-

Some historians and critics have dogged Armstrong for not saying the more dramatic and grammatically correct, "One small step for a man . . . " in the version he transmitted to NASA's Mission Control. Without the missing "a," Armstrong essentially said, "One small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind."

The famous astronaut has maintained he intended to say it properly and believes he did. Thanks to some high-tech sound-editing software, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford might have proved Armstrong right.

-snip-

"I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it, and I find the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement. "I also find his conclusion persuasive. 'Persuasive' is the appropriate word."
------------------------------

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Why is this important?

I saw this story the other day and I just don't get it. It seems like a rather petty thing to be spending any time worrying about.

[hlthe2b]

2. That's been my thought all along...

He got the point across, for heavens sakes.... Apparently, it has long been a "bone of contention" for some.

I guess some people really don't have enough to do (and warped priorities, imo).

[Jack from Charlotte]

5. Without the "a" if first words don't make sense.

It's that simple. And if he didn't say the "a" then he screwed the pooch.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I also understand their argument about grammar

and I disagree.

What he said is grammatically correct.

[av8rdave]

45. Actually, that "a" is important

His point, I believe, was to show how something as seemingly insignificant as one man's step (vs. all of "man") represented something so great for all of mankind.

The sentence truly does have a different meaning when you throw that simple word in there.

[Caoimhe]

3. People are wistful for the good old days

when they were proud of their nation and it's accomplishments...

[mrcheerful]

4. Hello, it's important because yet once again the pukes

have shown that they are no moral party when one of theirs gets caught doing what they claim only democratic people do.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Is Armstrong a repuke?

[mrcheerful]

10. Yes he is a puke congress critter, retired if I remember right.

[DavidDvorkin]

11. No, he was never in Congress

I checked on Wikipedia, and it says this about Armstrong:

The first man to walk on the Moon was also approached by political parties from both ends of the spectrum. He has turned down all these offers (unlike former astronauts and senators John Glenn and Harrison Schmitt). Personally, he identifies most with Jeffersonian republicanism, being for states' rights and against the United States acting as the world's policeman.

[mrcheerful]

27. Sorry, was a bit confused on who did what for which party. I have to admit

I didn't pay much attention to astronuts to begin with, I always thought the money could have been spent on america.
I also seem to get Armstrong mixed up with Glenn, I think its the first thing, first man on the moon vs first man in space, Blame that on my school, they refused to mention the cosmunut that beat america to space.

[Beelzebud]

13. Get your facts straight....

[Crabby Appleton]

14. You remember incorrectly about congress -never ran for office

He was a Univ of Cincinnati professor of aerospace engineering for several years, then served on the boards of several corporations and was chairman of the board of EDO corporation, a defense contractor.

[Drifter]

15. Not Entirely true ...

From Wikipedia

The first man to walk on the Moon was also approached by political parties from both ends of the spectrum. He has turned down all these offers (unlike former astronauts and senators John Glenn and Harrison Schmitt). Personally, he identifies most with Jeffersonian republicanism, being for states' rights and against the United States acting as the world's policeman


Not saying he wasn't a Republican

Cheers
Drifter

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. Are you thinking of John Glenn?

[sarge43]

28. Glenn is a Democrat FWIW n/t

[nini]

18. how do morality and grammar go hand in hand?

???????????????

[Brotherjohn]

9. Well, I see your point. On the other hand, this IS perhaps one of the...

... most historic quotes in human history, and one of the most historic moments in the entire history of the human race.

It seems worth at least a little trouble to get it right, and not have it go down for all eternity with an asterisk by it. This is, after all, a quote that children will be reading in history books hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years from now (or maybe downloading into brain matrix compartment A12698-Z)... that is, if we're still here.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. It's not incorrect

[Oeditpus Rex]

30. If it's not what he said

it's incorrect.

I'd hate to have been misquoted for 37 years, especially in one of the most frequently quoted lines of all time.

[greyl]

16. It's one of the most famous quotes of all time!

The first words spoken by a human walking on our moon, hello.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. Well Hello, what is wrong with it?

Teacher here. What he said is not grammatically incorrect. This is a ridiculous non-story.

[greyl]

32. It doesn't make sense.

There's no rhetorical difference between man and mankind.

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. Oh it makes perfect sense and it is silly to

criticize it.

[greyl]

39. There is no rhetorical difference between man and mankind,

therefore it doesn't make sense. I'm not criticizing what Armstrong said.

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. OK gotcha

[Taverner]

29. I know - I'd be a bit shaken up if I were about to be the first human

To step foot on another planet.

If it were me it would sound more like "Abba dababba habba ubba wot"

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Well, I was seventeen years old and watched it on TV

And I don't remember the "a".

I knew he should have put it in, but then again, I knew what he meant.

ON EDIT

The reason it didn't bother me that much is that Armstrong is one of few men in history who, for a fleeting moment, represented not just himself or even his nation, but the entire human race.

[Up2Late]

12. It makes sense, but who cares what grammar sticklers everywhere...

...think anyway? Sounds like a slippery slope, giving the History Revisionists a foothold.

It makes since because, if he was using a VOX device, something that automatically keys the mic when it hears noise, the A could have keyed the mic, but would probably have been cut out in doing so.

[nini]

17. WHO GIVES A SHIT?!?!?!

This has got to be the stupiest crap I've ever seen. All this hoopla over whether or not a historical statement was not perfectly correct??

I can't even come close to wrapping my brain around why this has even come up AT ALL - not to mention people arguing about.

To make it worse I actully spent the time to post about it!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :banghead:

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Thank you

I agree completely.

Now can we get back to talking about republican pedophiles? THAT is important. :)

[idgiehkt]

19. this reminds me of that stupid Reagan speech

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall."

It's just verbal wanking. Who gives a shit.

[kay1864]

20. IIRC, Armstrong has also said

that he *intended* to say "one small step for a man", but that he bungled it a bit in the excitement of the moment.

This was the same Discovery Channel special that revealed (to me, at least) that Buzz Aldrin had to start the ascent engine with a plastic Bic pen, since he had accidentally broken the switch turning around in the tight confines of the lunar module. Otherwise they would have been stranded on the moon.

And he still has that pen.

[Up2Late]

21. Here's a link to the NASA transcript and recordings, it might just be...

...that he said, "...one small step fur-a man..." Sounds like he might have run the to words together.

<http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.step.html>

[greyl]

33. Right, he didn't enunciate perfectly, but he did say "a"

Check out the thread in the Science forum:
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x24049#24056

I posted two sound files which make the "a" more clear.

[khashka]

22. I don't buy it

Armstrong blew his lines (which were scripted). Then again he had one of the biggest audiences ever and had just done something that many people thought impossible. He was doing something no one had ever done, seeing things no one else had ever seen... I think we can excuse him for not being letter perfect.

Everyone wants to argue about the words... but the important thing is what he did.


Khash.

[Aristus]

31. When you say "scripted", do you mean you think NASA wrote some

copy for him, or that you think he came up with the quote in advance? According to "A Man On The Moon" by Andrew Chaikin, Armstrong was asked to come up with something appropriate for the occasion but didn't settle on "one small step..." until just after touchdown on the moon.

The quote wasn't "scripted" in the literal sense any more than the Iwo Jima flag-raising was staged. Some things in life arise spontaneously. And that's okay.

[khashka]

35. Scripted....

Either someone wrote it for him in advance or he thought long and hard about what to say beforehand. I don't think it was "staged" but I don't think it was spontaneous either. Still they were some of the most inspiring words of the last century - and the fact he messed them up is even better. I have it on tape and it's awe inspiring mostly because you can hear how awestruck he is.

I'm not dissing Armstrong, he's a hero of mine.


Khash.

[Aristus]

36. Yeah, don't dis Neil. He's the Man.

I believe Neil on this one. I don't think NASA wrote something for him, and I don't believe he would have spoken it if they did. The man was a college-educated aeronautical engineer, a well-read man, and a reclusive, contemplative, philosophical person. A man thoroughly capable of coming up with an inspiring quote on his own.

Any NASA-written speech would have been long, windy and boring; full of references to America, Mom, apple pie and the flag. Neil kept it simple, soaring, and universal.

[khashka]

43. You're right

Neil is a very admirable man.

He did make it universal. He had the chance to claim glory for himself. He didn't, the glory belonged to all of us. His moment of glory belonged to the entire human race.


I still think the true hero was Collins. No ticker tape parade for him. If it was an incredible success no one would know his name, if it was disaster he'd survive and wish for the rest of his life that he hadn't. That's true bravery.


Khash.

[idgiehkt]

34. I think so too.

And what kind of shut-down freak would someone have to be to think that something as amazing (if it really happened) as landing on the moon would need a script to go along with it. That's so stupid. It's the same reason there's muzak in elevators and commentators in figure skating. What is up with them, whoever 'they' are, not wanting us ever to have a moment of silence to think for ourselves, observe something happening and form our own fucking opinions...how stale would your mind have to be...Madison Avenue on the moon, lol.

[RedCloud]

38. If he says for a man...

then he is referring to himself and has selfishly exploited the moonwalk.

What other things could he have said?

"This is a small man on the moon telling you there is no war, no hatred, no hunger, no sexism, no racism here on the moon, and best of all, no tricky Dick!"

[greyl]

40. Bullshit.

Are you serious?

Of course he was referring to himself. He was saying it was a small step for him, but a giant leap for mankind.

[Duer 157099]

41. I can't believe that nobody has posted the most important aspect

He not only had the largest human audience, he also was surrounded by alien craft when he descended those steps!

You don't think that would rattle you?

[Dukkha]

44. i guess grammar nazis aren't just for Internet forums

Doesn't change anything about the event.

besides the blame really goes to the cue card guy on the sound stage where the moon landing was filmed
:sarcasm:

[Fox Mulder]

46. So he really did say that on the soundstage in New Mexico.