That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.

[Richard87]

"That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

"That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

That is a contradiction. Neil Armstrong meant to include the article "a", but he was probably so excited to be making the announcement that he left it out accidentally.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What is the point of this? What does this have to do with astronomy?

 

[gabrielh]

What is the point of this? What does this have to do with astronomy?

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[jtbell]

Neil Armstrong meant to include the article "a", but he was probably so excited to be making the announcement that he left it out accidentally.

Nah, it's probably because he's from Ohio. An Ohio accent is so flat and featureless that it's easy to lose a little word like an "a." Or even syllables of words. A friend of mine who lived in Columbus for a few years told me that the natives call it "Clumbus."

I grew up in Ohio (not in Clumbus, though), and when I left the state, everybody else sounded exotic.

 

[Pythagorean]

I thought I remembered something about an audio analysis revealing that he actually did say "a".

 

[Pythagorean]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4225856.html

 

[Evo]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4225856.html

Actually that's disputed. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/onesmall.asp

The quote was the result of suggestions sent into NASA and this quote was chosen from the entries. Odd that a quick google search is not pulling up the name of the guy that came up with the quote. Some of the entries were pretty bad.

 

[FredGarvin]

On the BBC show "Being Neil Armstrong" the writer interviewed one of Neil's best friends growing up. He said that they came up with that on the way to the moon and it was inspired by a poem or story that Neil knew. For the life of me I can not remember what it was. They did talk about it though.

 

[leroyjenkens]

If you listen to him say it, he says "man" directly after "for", leaving no room for an "a". There's not even the tiniest of pauses between the two words for a hidden "a" to fit. He definitely missed the "a".

 

[mgb_phys]

If you listen to him say it, he says "man" directly after "for", leaving no room for an "a".

Why didn't they use a second take ?

 

[Evo]

On the BBC show "Being Neil Armstrong" the writer interviewed one of Neil's best friends growing up. He said that they came up with that on the way to the moon and it was inspired by a poem or story that Neil knew. For the life of me I can not remember what it was. They did talk about it though.

I was 14 and lived near NASA in Clear Lake. It was on the local news that he had chosen the phrase from one that had been sent in. They also quoted some of the phrases that did not get considered. Hmmmm.

I remember thinking "how cool to have been the person to have your phrase chosen". Up until today, I thought it was common knowledge that Armstrong didn't come up with it. Wow. Could it be that the information was only on a local tv broadcast? Are there any interviews with him immediately after the moon landing where he states he made it up himself? I can only find where years later he took credit for it.

 

[edward]

I was 14 and lived near NASA in Clear Lake. It was on the local news that he had chosen the phrase from one that had been sent in. They also quoted some of the phrases that did not get considered. Hmmmm.

I remember thinking "how cool to have been the person to have your phrase chosen".

Alternative phrases might make an interesting thread.

 

[leroyjenkens]

I heard one that got rejected; "Ah crap, I stepped in alien poop".

 

[Pythagorean]

Actually that's disputed. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/onesmall.asp

The quote was the result of suggestions sent into NASA and this quote was chosen from the entries. Odd that a quick google search is not pulling up the name of the guy that came up with the quote. Some of the entries were pretty bad.

Good catch. I'd heard it on the radio one day a while ago.

 

[edward]

A British scientist named Gary Peach claims to have come up with the quote.

Mr Peach said: “I replied no technical problems, but I am concerned about the historic moment when the first man sets foot upon the Moon. In the excitement, knowing the Yanks as I do, it’ll probably be something like ‘Holy chicken s**t look at all that f***ing dust’.

‘Well what would you say?’” Mr Peach, who had been mulling it over for several days, replied: “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6722041.ece

 

[wildman]

Of course he meant "a man". Look he had just taken a hair raising decent that almost killed him and now he is stepping for the first time onto an alien world and you are judging him for leaving out an "a"? That is crazy. It was amazing that he would be able to talk at all.

 

[ideasrule]

I think the quote sounds better without the "a". Leaving it out gives the two phrases a very beautiful parallel structure:

one small step for man
one giant leap for mankind

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

That's one small step for a man or woman, one giant leap for personkind.

 

[Andre]

Or in European style

That's one small step for a human(m/f), one giant leap for personkind

 

[leroyjenkens]

I think the quote sounds better without the "a". Leaving it out gives the two phrases a very beautiful parallel structure:

one small step for man
one giant leap for mankind

That's the thing, everyone hears it and it sounds like a good quote. Problem is, they don't realize that it doesn't really make sense.

 

[mgb_phys]

It doesn't sound very Nasa though does it?

That's a singular primary down-scaled pedal locomotion event for a primary vehicle crew member (human) but a extreme size capabilitied dynamic locomotion event for a general population goup (human/Earthbound)

(only with some acronyms)

 

[Pattonias]

Why didn't they use a second take ?

I think because there would always be that conspiracy theorist who would assert that the words we heard were actually the second words said on the moon, thus proving that all the other facts he posted on his website were true.

That's one small step for a man or woman, one giant leap for personkind.

Somehow, I think that it would have been less meaningful if the grammar was perfect and the content was correct by current PC standards. Not to mention is was still the sixties.

 

[mgb_phys]

I think because there would always be that conspiracy theorist who would assert that the words we heard were actually the second words said on the moon,

The first words said on the moon were 'contact light' - always good for trivia competitions!

thus proving that all the other facts he posted on his website were true.

But if you listen to the tapes you can hear the words in the background - "CUT - ok, Neil we'll go again after lunch"

 

[Pattonias]

The first words said on the moon were 'contact light' - always good for trivia competitions!


But if you listen to the tapes you can hear the words in the background - "CUT - ok, Neil we'll go again after lunch"

LOL, ok so the Moon landing was faked. All this time I have been misled.

Sometimes I wish I believed in conspiracy theories just so I could be that much more entertained by this crazy world.

 

[Richard87]

I think the quote sounds better without the "a". Leaving it out gives the two phrases a very beautiful parallel structure:

one small step for man
one giant leap for mankind

Except that it is a contradiction without using the "a". "man" and "mankind" mean the same thing in the context they are used in.

 

[Sorry!]

You know I always thought that when someone said 'man' it implied individual persons from all humans. Like:

'if man realized his greatest potential' implies if all individual people realized their potential.

If you say something like 'if mankind realized its greatest potential' then it implies that if humans realize their greatest potential.

If I said 'if a man realizes his greatest potential' then it implies that a male human realizes his greatest potential.

Am I wrong though?

I guess what I'm saying I take from what he said on the moon has always been that for any given indivdual from the human population it would have been a small step, but for all of mankind it's a giant leap.

 

[jim777]

Not to be a spoilsport, but I believe the first words spoken on the moon were actually, "Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed". though, those may have only been the first words radioed back to Earth. The "That's one small step..." quote was over 6 1/2 hours later.

 

[Astronuc]

I would have said - "Woah"

 

[zoobyshoe]

A British scientist named Gary Peach claims to have come up with the quote.

Mr Peach said: “I replied no technical problems, but I am concerned about the historic moment when the first man sets foot upon the Moon. In the excitement, knowing the Yanks as I do, it’ll probably be something like ‘Holy chicken s**t look at all that f***ing dust’.

I hate it when people get too OCD about stuff. I wonder if Peach sat up nights meticulously refining his own last words.