Assembly Resolution No. 160
BY: M. of A. Dinowitz
COMMEMORATING the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo
11 Project, the spaceflight that landed the first
two people on the Moon on July 20, 1969
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commemorate
significant events which represent turning points in our unique history
and commend those outstanding organizations and individuals whose
lifelong dedication to space exploration, scientific discovery and
aeronautics research results in groundbreaking discoveries which improve
the lives of the citizens of New York State, as well as those of the
entire Nation; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Project, the
spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon on July 20,
1969; and
WHEREAS, On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1,
the first artificial satellite into space, triggering the Space Race;
President Dwight D. Eisenhower responded by creating the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and initiating Project
Mercury, which aimed to launch a man into Earth orbit; and
WHEREAS, However, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
became the first person in space, and the first to orbit the Earth; less
than a month later, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first
American in space, completing a 15-minute suborbital journey; and
WHEREAS, After these great feats, President John F. Kennedy
declared, "this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning
him safely to the Earth"; and
WHEREAS, After 10 Apollo missions, including Apollo 8 which was the
first to be tested in the lunar orbit, Apollo 11 was ready to land on
the moon; on the morning of July 16, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong,
Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins sat atop another Saturn V at Launch
Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center; the three-stage 363-foot rocket
used 7.5 million pounds of thrust to propel them into space and into
history; and
WHEREAS, At 9:32 a.m. EDT, the engines fired and Apollo 11 cleared
the tower; about 12 minutes later, the crew was in Earth orbit; after
one and a half orbits, Apollo 11 gets a "go" for what mission
controllers call "Translunar Injection," in other words, it's time to
head for the moon; and
WHEREAS, Three days later, the crew is in lunar orbit, and a day
after that, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin climbed into the lunar module
Eagle and began the descent, while Michael Collins orbited in the
command module Columbia; and
WHEREAS, When it came time to set Eagle down in the Sea of
Tranquility, Neil Armstrong improvised, manually piloting the ship past
an area littered with boulders; during the final seconds of descent, the
computer was sounding alarms; fortunately, the computer was just trying
to do too many things at once; and
WHEREAS, When the lunar module landed at 4:18 p.m. EDT, only 30
seconds of fuel remained; Neil Armstrong radioed, "Houston, Tranquility
Base here. The Eagle has landed"; Mission Control erupted in celebration
as the tension broke, and a controller told the crew "You got a bunch of
guys about to turn blue, we're breathing again."; and
WHEREAS, At 10:56 p.m. EDT, Neil Armstrong was ready to plant the
first human foot on another world; with an estimated 600 million people
watching on television, he climbed down the ladder and famously
proclaimed: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for
mankind."; and
WHEREAS, Buzz Aldrin joined him shortly, and offered a simple but
powerful description of the lunar surface: "magnificent desolation.";
the two men explored the surface for two and a half hours, collecting
samples and taking photographs; and
WHEREAS, The astronauts left behind an American flag, pictures of
human beings, recordings of a variety of languages, a patch honoring the
fallen Apollo 1 crew, and a plaque on one of Eagle's legs which read,
"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969
A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."; and
WHEREAS, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin blasted off and docked with
Michael Collins in Columbia; the crew splashed down off Hawaii on July
24, 1969; President John F. Kennedy's challenge was met, men from Earth
have walked on the moon and returned safely home; and
WHEREAS, The State of New York is proud to recognize this milestone
anniversary and has commemorated and contributed to this historic event
in many ways; on August 13, 1969, in celebration of the moon landing on
July 20, 1969, a tickertape parade was held in New York City for Buzz
Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins; at the time, many claimed
it was the largest ticker tape parade New York had ever seen; although
impossible to verify, it was said to have approximately 4 million people
in attendance; the astronauts were first handed the key to the city, and
then paraded up Broadway from Bowling Green Park to Herald Square; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, the new documentary "Apollo 11", which debuted
at Sundance, was partially produced at a shop in New York City; the post
production shop with which Miller works in New York, Final Frame, rigged
up custom hardware and software just for the Apollo 11 project in order
to scan the Todd-AO footage to digital; and the West Point Mint, located
in West Point, New York, will be producing the $5 coin commemorating the
moon landing; and
WHEREAS, In addition, the 115th Explorers Club Annual Dinner will be
held on Friday, March 15, 2019, in Time Square, New York City, in
celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, paying just tribute to
all living Apollo Moonwalkers, Astronauts, and Engineers; and
WHEREAS, The three-man crew traveled 240,000 miles from the Earth to
the moon in 76 hours using computers that had less processing power than
a cell phone; at the time, the Apollo Space Program cost $25.4 billion,
around $150 billion in today's money; and
WHEREAS, Organizations and individuals which have given so
selflessly of their skills and dedication in performing vital research
to bring us closer to better understanding and protecting our world and
universe, are worthy and due the highest commendation for their
contributions to all of humanity; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when events
of such historic significance are brought to our attention, they should
be recognized by all the citizens of this great Empire State; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Project, the
spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon on July 20,
1969.
