Armstrong's Lost "A" Found

They are some of the most famous words ever spoken, and until now, many thought they were wrong.

As Neil Armstrong stepped onto the Lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission, many people listening around the world heard him say, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." That phrase did not sound right to many people, and Armstrong, himself, claimed he had actually said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." While that would be a more appropriate statement, many people felt that in his excitement, he had either flubbed a line written by NASA or had miswritten the line, himself. For many years, Neil Armstrong has stuck to his story.

It now seems the critics may have been wrong. According to the Houston Chronicle, Peter Shann Ford, a Sydney, Australia-based computer programmer, used computer analysis to find the missing word. Last week, along with Auburn University historian James R. Hansen, Armstrong's authorized biographer, Ford presented the findings to Armstrong and others in a meeting at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Chronicle says, "According to Ford, Armstrong spoke, "One small step for a man ..." in a total of 35 milliseconds, 10 times too fast for the 'a' to be audible."

Now, if NASA could only find those missing Apollo tapes...

Image Credit: NASA

• Related Resources: Apollo 11
• Related Resources: Neil Armstrong Biography
• Pictures Gallery: Neil Armstrong Pictures gallery

See What's Happening
Today in the News

• The Hindu: Main camera on 'Hubble' telescope shuts down again
• Sci-Tech Today: NASA Chief Dismisses China Space Partnership
• Space.com: U.K.'s Starchaser Racing Virgin to Space

See What Happened
Today in History