Space & Astronomy

One small step for man, or for 'a' man ?

By T.K. Randall
August 28, 2012 ·  16 comments

Image Credit: NASA "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." It's one of the most recognizable phrases in history, Neil Armstrong uttered these famous words as he stepped on to the lunar surface as the first human ever to walk on another world. But has history got it right ? After returning to the Earth, Armstrong pointed out that his actual words were "one small for a man", but that the "a" was too quiet to hear properly on the recording.

NASA has always supported Armstrong's position on the matter, claiming that there was indeed an additional "a" in the statement. In 2006 a computer analysis conducted by Peter Shann Ford also seemed to confirm that there was a missing word in there but that it was too quiet for a human to pick up. Smithsonian's space curator, Roger Launius, also reviewed this evidence and found the conclusions convincing.

"I thought about it after landing," Armstrong had said in 2011 interview. "It, you know, was a pretty simple statement, talking about stepping off something. Why, it wasn't a very complex thing. It was what it was."[!gad]"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." It's one of the most recognizable phrases in history, Neil Armstrong uttered these famous words as he stepped on to the lunar surface as the first human ever to walk on another world. But has history got it right ? After returning to the Earth, Armstrong pointed out that his actual words were "one small for a man", but that the "a" was too quiet to hear properly on the recording.

NASA has always supported Armstrong's position on the matter, claiming that there was indeed an additional "a" in the statement. In 2006 a computer analysis conducted by Peter Shann Ford also seemed to confirm that there was a missing word in there but that it was too quiet for a human to pick up. Smithsonian's space curator, Roger Launius, also reviewed this evidence and found the conclusions convincing.

"I thought about it after landing," Armstrong had said in 2011 interview. "It, you know, was a pretty simple statement, talking about stepping off something. Why, it wasn't a very complex thing. It was what it was."

Source: New Zealand Herald | Comments (16)

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