From Three Quarks:
Here’s the speech Nixon had ready in case things didn’t go according to plan.
“Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
“These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding. They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
Some other fun Apollo 11 facts.
Buss Aldrin was the first person to urinate on the moon.
The only Apollo onboard computer had 4k of RAM.
The Eagle had no outside handle on its hatch. “You did leave leave the door open Buzz didn’t you?”, “umm…OH FUCK!”
Incidentally, if the Earth is suddenly totalled, the only four names of human beings that will survive that are on a plaque on the Apollo 11 lunar module landing stage at Tranquility Base. Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr and…Richard Nixon. The old bastard could still well have the last laugh.
The Founding Fathers of a new explodia Nabs?
Guess we’d better get some pyramids up there pronto, or it will all be terribly confusing.
I find it interesting that Nixon’s ‘Oops’ speech was phrased as if Armstrong & Aldrin were still alive, just unable to get back.