WEBVTT

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[dramatic music]

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- HEY, WELCOME
TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST,
TOM SHORTRIDGE.

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SO CAN YOU BELIEVE
IT'S REALLY BEEN 40 YEARS

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SINCE THE FIRST HUMAN
WALKED ON THE MOON?

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THAT'S RIGHT; JULY 20th,

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10:56 P.M.
EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, 1969,

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NEIL ARMSTRONG STEPPED OFF
THE LADDER OF THE LUNAR MODULE

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AND SAID THOSE FAMOUS WORDS...

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- THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP
FOR A MAN,

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ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

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- I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING:
THAT WAS 40 YEARS AGO.

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YOU PROBABLY
WEREN'T EVEN BORN YET.

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I WASN'T EVEN BORN YET.

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WE HAVEN'T KNOWN LIFE

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WHEN THERE WEREN'T PEOPLE
GOING INTO SPACE.

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I MEAN, THINK ABOUT IT.

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WE'VE ALWAYS HAD
CELL PHONES AROUND.

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WE'VE ALWAYS HAD DIGITAL MUSIC,
CDs, MP3 PLAYERS.

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WE'VE ALWAYS HAD
PERSONAL COMPUTERS.

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WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THE INTERNET,

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WHERE WE CAN GO LEARN EVERYTHING
ABOUT ANYTHING.

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AND YOU KNOW WHAT?

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I THINK THE MAJORITY OF US
TAKE IT FOR GRANTED.

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WE'VE GOT ALL THIS STUFF
RIGHT AT OUR FINGERTIPS,

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BUT WE NEVER REALLY THINK
ABOUT HOW IT ALL CAME TO BE,

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HOW MANY PEOPLE SPENT
HOW MANY HOURS THINKING IT UP,

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DESIGNING IT, BUILDING IT,
TESTING IT.

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SO LET'S NOT TAKE IT
FOR GRANTED ANYMORE.

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AND LET'S START
BY TALKING ABOUT APOLLO.

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IN 1961,
WHEN PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY

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ANNOUNCED HIS SUPPORT
OF THE APOLLO PROGRAM,

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ONLY ONE AMERICAN
HAD EVEN FLOWN IN SPACE,

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AND WE HADN'T EVEN SENT SOMEONE
INTO ORBIT YET.

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SO IMAGINE YOUR TEACHER JUST
ASSIGNED YOU A HUGE PROJECT,

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ONE THAT NO ONE'S
EVER DONE BEFORE.

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SO YOU CAN'T ASK SOMEONE
FOR HELP

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OR GO ON THE INTERNET
AND LOOK IT UP.

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YOU HAVE TO LEARN EVERYTHING
FROM SCRATCH,

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DO ALL THE RESEARCH YOURSELF.

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OH, AND YOUR DEADLINE'S
IN A COUPLE WEEKS.

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IMAGINE THE PRESSURE
ON YOU IN THAT SITUATION

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AND MULTIPLY IT
BY ABOUT A MILLION,

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AND YOU MIGHT BE COMING CLOSE
TO WHAT NASA FELT LIKE

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IN THE 1960s.

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APOLLO 11 WAS LAUNCHED
ON A SATURN V ROCKET

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FROM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
ON JULY 16, 1969.

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AND THERE WAS A HUGE CROWD
WATCHING THAT LAUNCH,

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BOTH FROM NEARBY LOCATIONS
AND LIVE ON TELEVISION.

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ONE REPORTER RECALLED
THAT HE WAS SO DRAWN

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TO THE FACES
OF THE PEOPLE WATCHING

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THAT HE HAD TO REMEMBER
TO TURN AROUND

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AND WATCH THE LAUNCH.

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ONE AND A HALF ORBITS
AROUND EARTH LATER,

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THE SPACECRAFT STARTED
TO INCREASE ITS ORBIT

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TO PUT IT ON A PATH
TO REACH THE MOON.

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THEN IT SEPARATED FROM THE LAST
REMAINING STAGE

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OF THE SATURN V ROCKET

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AND DOCKED
WITH THE LUNAR MODULE.

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ON JULY 19th,

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APOLLO 11 PASSED
BEHIND THE MOON

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AND FIRED ITS SERVICE PROPULSION
ENGINE TO ENTER LUNAR ORBIT.

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THEN, ON JULY 20th,
MICHAEL COLLINS,

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THE COMMAND MODULE PILOT,
STAYED BEHIND

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IN THE COMMAND MODULE
AS EDWIN "BUZZ" ALDRIN

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AND NEIL ARMSTRONG
GOT INTO THE LUNAR MODULE,

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NAMED EAGLE, DETACHED
FROM THE COMMAND MODULE,

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AND MADE THEIR DESCENT
TO THE SURFACE.

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AFTER LANDING ON THE SURFACE,

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AND FEELING VERY COMFORTABLE
IN THE LUNAR GRAVITY,

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THE EXCITED PAIR DECIDED

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TO GO AHEAD WITH
THE SURFACE WORK IMMEDIATELY.

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THEY ACTIVATED THE CAMERA

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IN THE MODULAR EQUIPMENT
STOWAGE ASSEMBLY

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AND BEGAN BROADCASTING VIDEO
BACK TO EARTH.

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AND THEN HISTORY WAS MADE,

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AS THE FIRST HUMANS
WALKED ON THE MOON.

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HOW BIG A DEAL
WAS THAT FIRST MOONWALK?

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WELL, LET'S PUT IT LIKE THIS.

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THE 2009 SUPER BOWL HAD
A TELEVISION VIEWING AUDIENCE

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OF ABOUT 100 MILLION PEOPLE.

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THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE, RIGHT?

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BUT GET THIS.

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IN 1969, THE GLOBAL POPULATION
WAS AROUND 3 1/2 BILLION PEOPLE,

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JUST ABOUT HALF OF THE GLOBAL
POPULATION TODAY.

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AND IT'S ESTIMATED THAT
ABOUT 20% OF THE WORLD

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WATCHED THE LIVE TRANSMISSION
OF THE FIRST MOON WALK.

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DO THE MATH, AND THAT'S ABOUT
700 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHING.

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HUGE.

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AND TO PUT THAT
INTO BETTER PERSPECTIVE,

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THAT'S 20 TIMES MORE VIEWERS

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THAN THE MOST-WATCHED EPISODES
OF "AMERICAN IDOL."

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SO WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET
THAT MANY PEOPLE INTERESTED

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IN ONE THING AGAIN?

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I'M HOPING
IT'LL BE NASA

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HEADING BACK TO THE MOON
OR ON TO MARS OR BEYOND.

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AND I KNOW YOU'RE THINKING,
"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

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WE'VE BEEN TO THE MOON BEFORE.
WHY GO BACK?"

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WELL, IN A RECENT SPEECH AT
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE,

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PRESIDENT OBAMA TALKED ABOUT
THE HISTORIC APOLLO MISSIONS.

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- THAT APOLLO PROGRAM
PRODUCED TECHNOLOGIES

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THAT HAVE IMPROVED
KIDNEY DIALYSIS

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AND WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS,

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SENSORS TO TEST
FOR HAZARDOUS GASSES,

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ENERGY-SAVING BUILDING
MATERIALS,

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FIRE-RESISTANT FABRICS USED
BY FIREFIGHTERS AND SOLDIERS.

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MORE BROADLY, THE ENORMOUS
INVESTMENT IN THAT ERA

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IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,

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IN EDUCATION
AND RESEARCH FUNDING

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PRODUCED A GREAT OUTPOURING
OF CURIOSITY AND CREATIVITY,

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THE BENEFITS OF WHICH
HAVE BEEN INCALCULABLE.

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- HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT
IT IS TIME TO RESTORE SCIENCE

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TO ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE.

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THERE'S A LOT MORE STUFF
TO LEARN,

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NOT JUST ABOUT THE MOON

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BUT ABOUT THE WORLD
WE LIVE IN AND ON

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AND THE UNIVERSE AROUND US.

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SO LET'S BE THE ONES TO STEP UP
TO THE CHALLENGE.

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LET'S MAKE OUR OWN HISTORY.

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WHO KNOWS?

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IN 40 YEARS, CROWDS OF PEOPLE
MAY BE LOOKING BACK ON NASA

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AND REMEMBERING SOMETHING
YOU'VE DONE.

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WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW.
THANKS FOR WATCHING.

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I'M TOM SHORTRIDGE,

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AND WE'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."