@ApolloPlus40 - No Place For False Modesty
In the cramped quarters of the Lunar Module, astronauts would not have much space to argue over who got out first. But that didn't stop journalists and Apollo fans from debating whether commander Neil Armstrong would pull rank on lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin or whether NASA would make the decision for the astronauts.
Apollo Spacecraft Program Office manager George M. Low wrote a rather vague letter in response to press inquiries on 27 June 1969:
"Some time during the middle of the night, I had a call from Associated Press informing me that they had a story that Neil Armstrong had pulled rank on Buzz Aldrin to be the first man on the surface of the moon. They wanted to know whether it was true and how the decision was reached concerning who would get out of the LM first.To the best of my recollection, I gave the following information:
a. There had been many informal plans developed during the past several years concerning the lunar timeline. These probably included all combinations of one man out versus two men out, who gets out first, etc.
b. There was only one approved plan and that was established 2 to 4 weeks prior to our public announcement of this planning. I believe that this was in April 1969.
c. The basic decision was made by my Configuration Control Board. It was based on a recommendation by the Flight Crew Operations Directorate. I am sure that Armstrong had made an input to this recommendation, but he, by no means, had the final say. The CCB decision was final."
Andrew Chaikin wrote in his book A Man on the Moon that the location of the hatch and the astronauts after they put on their bulky spacesuits might have factored in the decision to let Armstrong out first, though it is hard to imagine Armstrong giving up the chance to go first.
Comments
There is some history in here. When Apollo 7's Wally Schirra, Don Eisele and Walt Cunningham did an extraordinary job (while also managing to piss off about everyone in the program) NASA decided that Apollo 8 would be the first mission to the Moon, but Jim McDivitt's crew trained hard to perform a complete different task and Jim used the first ever right of refusal from Deke Slayton and turn the mission down. Thus the crews of Apollo 8 and 9 switched (with the exception of Mike Collins who needed a surgery to fix his spine). The original plan was to test the lunar module on Apollo 8 and to refine those tests on Apollo 9 thus opening a landing door for Apollo 10 (Tom Strafford and Eugene Cernan), had to be revised, and Apollo 10 became a full dress rehearsal for Apollo 11.
Neil Armstrong was bumped from the backup crew of Apollo 9 to backup for Apollo 8 (and with the crew rotation - backup crews turned into primary 3 flights later) these choices contributed to the circumstances that led Neil Armstrong to command Apollo 11.
Now, it is true that ever since it was decided that Apollo 11 was gonna be making the first moon landing, Buzz had pursued an effort to sneak his way into history which was met at every turn by angry stares and insults from other astronauts. One day he came flapping into Eugene Cernan's office (who shared it with Neil) armed with charts, graphs and statistics arguing that lunar pilot was the obvious choice for the first man to step down the ladder. It took some time until Neil finally ordered Buzz to stop making a fool of himself. Although NASA would never put single man's ambitions over the priorities of the mission (whether they were Neil's of Buzz's ambitions) it was always understood that Neil, as the mission commander, would be the first one to touch the Moon's surface. [From: The Last Man On The Moon by Eugene Cernan]
Posted by: scibuff | June 26, 2009 03:04 PM