The scheduled time of the historic event was close to the time at which Indian newspapers print their morning editions. To help them plan their front page in advance the report was written and made available to them in advance.
T. V. Rajagopal, UNI's Deputy General Manager, was at the Press Room set up by the US authorities in Paris since the entire international media could not be accommodate at the Press Room at the Kennedy Space Center. Hence the Paris dateline.
Some newspapers changed the dateline to The Moon. One made it Sea of Tranquility.
Here are the opening lines of the report:
Man is on the Moon.
Reaching for the limitless expanse of space, Man today arrived on the Moon, Earth's closest neighbour and satellite, which has beckoned him nightly throughout the ages.
It was the most glorious moment yet in the saga of Man. He had broken out of the confines of the planet to which he had been bound since birth for his first look at the Universe from a celestial body.
It was yet another thrilling act in the cosmic drama which began a dozen years ago. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr, the newest heroes of the space age, had landed on the waterless Sea of Tranquility on the Moon's cratered surface ready to set foot on it -- and walk into the Hall of Fame.
For the two men, who went "in peace for all mankind", it was the fulfilment of a dream countless generations had dreamt, of a commitment President John F. Kennedy had made when he declared having a man on Moon this decade and bringing him back safely a national goal of the United States.
The climactic point of the seven-day voyage to the Moon and back came at 0144 IST today when Eagle, the fragile, spidery lunar module of Apollo 11 landed on the Moon with Armstrong and Aldrin on board. It was the first time a manned craft had made a landing outside Earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment