[FPSPACE] Linguistic analysis: Armstrong on the moon

[Charles, John B. (JSC-SA211)]

JimO,

I too heard it, live, at age 15, and wrote down what I heard: "one small step for man, one (etc.)." It didn't make grammatical sense immediately, but the best explanation I have heard is that it was a typically clipped phrase from a native central Ohioan.

I wonder how did Walter Cronkite say it in his immediate reiteration of the historical statement?

Concur re: the small step not being the long fall from the ladder.

JBC

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From: fpspace-bounces at friends-partners.org <fpspace-bounces at friends-partners.org>
To: Kosmos327 at aol.com <Kosmos327 at aol.com>; fpspace at friends-partners.org <fpspace at friends-partners.org>
Sent: Mon Jun 08 06:28:25 2009
Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] Linguistic analysis: Armstrong on the moon


Sorry, I don't weigh highly some whiny Brit intellectual's conclusions.
Never have -- and I've heard lots from that cultural quarter.

I heard the comment live. My brain parsed the audio quality compared
to my experience listening to pilot air-to-ground conversations in USAF work.

When my future wife (with whom I'm soon to celebrate a 40th anniversary)
leaned over to me and asked, 'What did he say?', I repeated to her what
I had heard him say: "Tha'ts one small step for a man...."

Far more significant an error -- common around the world -- is the mistaken
belief that this was said as Neil jumped down off the ladder and down onto the
surface of the moon, rather than when he smoothly moved his left foot
off the footpad, where he stood, and pressed it in to the lunar soil.

Jim O

----- Original Message -----
From: Kosmos327 at aol.com<mailto:Kosmos327 at aol.com>
To: fpspace at friends-partners.org<mailto:fpspace at friends-partners.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] Linguistic analysis: Armstrong on the moon

I have to agree with this. And I find it peculiar that anyone would seriously suggest the phrase as actually spoken to be improper. It was definitely proper enough (and quite moving) at the time.

Regards,

David L. Rickman


In a message dated 6/7/2009 2:23:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jrespler at superlink.net<mailto:jrespler at superlink.net> writes:
He listened repeatedly till he convinced himself that he heard what he
wanted to hear.
It was quite clear that was actually said was
...step for man

No 'a'.


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