1969: News - Apollo 11 Landing: Precautions v Moon Bugs
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When the Apollo 11 astronauts return to Earth, they will enter quarantine for almost a month. Though most scientists believe there's little chance that 'space bugs' exist, every safeguard is being taken, just in case. Dr Perser Bell, the manager of the quarantine facility, explains to Reg Turnill how the astronauts will live during their time in isolation and describes some of the tests they'll undergo.
The oft-quoted speech made by Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the Moon's surface was long discussed. Though everyone at home heard him say a tautological "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", Armstrong himself always insisted that he actually said "one small step for a man", which is more grammatical.
In 2006, computer programmer Peter Shann Ford claimed to have isolated the speech and identified a trace of the word 'a' that had been obscured by transmission static. Armstrong issued a statement to the effect that he found Ford's analysis "persuasive". However, subsequent research supported the original interpretation - "one small step for man".
Originally broadcast 8 May 1969.