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Computer Analysis Sets NASA History Straight

Posted by kdawson on Sat Sep 30, 2006 07:02 PM
from the darn-it-i-said-it-right dept.
NASA Space Science
Ellis D. Tripp writes, "A computer analysis has upheld Neil Armstrong's version of the first words spoken on the lunar surface. The word 'a' was dropped due to a communications glitch, and Armstrong has been accused of flubbing his words since the historic 1969 landing. The corrected statement was 'That's one small step for *A* man, One giant leap for mankind.'"
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  • Good news (Score:5, Funny)

    by Linker3000 (626634) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:05PM (#16261921)
    Well, I am glad that's finally sorted - I've been losing sleep over the issue for years.

    • Greedo (Score:5, Funny)

      by SeaFox (739806) on Saturday September 30 2006, @08:10PM (#16262313)
      Well, I am glad that's finally sorted

      Yup, the Moon spoke first! No, wait...

      • Han (Score:5, Funny)

        by SeaFox (739806) on Saturday September 30 2006, @10:28PM (#16262939)
        No, wait...

        Armstrong desended the ladder and was about to step on the surface when it was Aldrin that spoke first...

        "Wait, Neil! That's no moon..."
        .
        .
        .
        .
        .
        .
        (I know it's not kosher to reply to yourself but I accidentally set this set up with the "No, wait...")

      • Re:Greedo (Score:4, Funny)

        by Linker3000 (626634) on Sunday October 01 2006, @09:52AM (#16265495)
        Allegedly, some grumpy old lunar citizen shouted 'get that damn contraption off my lawn!'

    • Re:Good news (Score:4, Insightful)

      by megaditto (982598) on Saturday September 30 2006, @11:46PM (#16263321)
      Now if only they could find the original Apollo mission tapes [slashdot.org]

      "Computer analysis" my ass.

    • His REAL first words (Score:5, Funny)

      by Spackler (223562) on Sunday October 01 2006, @09:27AM (#16265329) Journal
      In 1972, Armstrong cleared up his first words were actually:

      Holy Shit! I'm on the fscking moon!

      • Re:Good news (Score:5, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 30 2006, @11:45PM (#16263309)
        In this context, man would be short for mankind, so in effect Neil would have been saying "That's one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind". Which is totally stupid. What he thought he was saying was: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind", which means that Neil (personally, aka: A man) took one small (1 ft or so off the ladder) step to reach the moon, but it took a giant leap in mankind (Engineering: physical and social) to put a man on the moon.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Shakrai (717556)

        People laugh at that now, but maybe in a few centuries people will wonder why this mentality persisted for so long.

        Which mentality is that? The presumably sexist mentality or the mentality that takes a simple quote out of context?

        It's a mistake to judge the past by the standards of today.

  • *Ahem* (Score:3, Funny)

    by MyLongNickName (822545) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:05PM (#16261923) Journal
    When stories keep changing, it is a sign of a cover up. Yet more proof that the moon landings were a hoax.
    .
    . ..
    . ..
    . ...
    (now to take bets on whether this gets modded funny or troll)

  • Well (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Sv-Manowar (772313) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:06PM (#16261935) Homepage Journal
    I doubt this will ever become realised in the mainsteam concious, it's been ingrained on the entire world and I don't think there is anyone (english speaking) who wouldn't be able to quote it. I don't think it's ever really been an issue of dropping the 'a', the line gains memorability for that. At the end of the day I think this research will end up as a nice section of trivia somewhere, but we will all remember the quote that came through on that day, and surely the communications glitch was a part of history too, so it should be remembered that way IMHO.

    • Re:Well (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Alien Being (18488) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:41PM (#16262151)
      "and surely the communications glitch was a part of history too, so it should be remembered that way IMHO."

      I remember it as a quote that didn't make sense. In context, "man" == "mankind". It would have been silly to say "That's one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind".

      Ever since I learned that Armstrong contended that the "a" was lost, the quotation made sense and IMHO it's one of the most profound statements ever uttered... unless you drop the "a". Let's try to correct the error and remember what he REALLY said.

      The fact that the record was incorrect for 40 years should be a footnote.

      • Re:Well (Score:5, Interesting)

        by istartedi (132515) on Sunday October 01 2006, @12:27AM (#16263455) Journal

        It doesn't make sense, so you have to give it your own sense. Here's how I've always done that:

        If the "a" had come through, then we would have got the original meaning. It was Armstrong representing mankind. Without the "a", it becomes all of us. This is not to imply that Armstrong was overestimating his own importance. AFAIK, he was as humble as anyone can be in that circumstance. Nevertheless, the "divine edit" of the "a" makes the two parts of the utterance into a nonsequitur that can be resolved by assuming that Armstrong meant that the "one small step for man" was taken by all of us, to the extent that we were all humans just like him; the small step was the mere physical act of getting there. The "giant leap" was all the implications of having gotten there.

        Besides. Why mess with success.

    • You're right. "One small step for man" will be remembered, just like "Beam me up, Scotty", and "Play it again, Sam".

      However, I just listened [youtube.com] to it, and here's my take:
      Armstrong has the "One small step" speach properly memorized and ready to go. He knows he has to do it right, because it will be broadcast live to the entire planet. He describes the lunar surface, then steps off the landing pad, and says, "That's one small step for man... One..." Damn! I goofed. "giant leap for mankind".

      • Re:Ingrained Quotes, and hearing what you think (Score:5, Insightful)

        by AJWM (19027) on Saturday September 30 2006, @09:45PM (#16262753) Homepage
        Nope, it's a noisy channel, and good ol' midwest boy that Neil is, he slurs it a litte:

        "That's one small step f'r a man" etc. And then Walter Cronkite tells everybody he said "for man", and everyone believes it.

        If the channel is slightly noisy, you can "hear" whatever you think you're going to hear in it. Consider how often people misperceive song lyrics into something totally different. Once Cronkite told them that - and it hit the headlines that way - that's what people think they hear. Try hearing it as "step f'ra man".

    • Re: Well (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Black Parrot (19622) on Saturday September 30 2006, @08:44PM (#16262473)
      > I doubt this will ever become realised in the mainsteam concious, it's been ingrained on the entire world and I don't think there is anyone (english speaking) who wouldn't be able to quote it. I don't think it's ever really been an issue of dropping the 'a', the line gains memorability for that. At the end of the day I think this research will end up as a nice section of trivia somewhere, but we will all remember the quote that came through on that day, and surely the communications glitch was a part of history too, so it should be remembered that way IMHO.

      What's sad is that it hasn't turned out to be a giant leap for mankind after all, but rather the high-water point of a short-term venture we haven't had the will to follow through on.

    • Re:Well (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Dausha (546002) on Saturday September 30 2006, @08:54PM (#16262507) Homepage
      "I don't think there is anyone (english speaking) who wouldn't be able to quote it."

      What's funny is I always thought there was meant to be an 'a' in it. When you hear the audio, it sounds like something is missing before the man based on how 'man' was said (to me, it sounds like m-man, which lead me to believe it was a-man). So, whenever I said it, I put the 'a' in there.

      So, while you may not think there's anyone, I'm one who would quote with the 'a.'

      In other news, "Take the 'L' out of lover, and it's over."

  • And in other news... (Score:5, Funny)

    by techno-vampire (666512) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:07PM (#16261941) Homepage
    This just in: computer analysis has revealed that Han Solo did, in fact, shoot first!

  • Sound Stage? (Score:3, Funny)

    by MindStalker (22827) <jlarsen@NOSpam.fsu.edu> on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:08PM (#16261947) Journal
    But wasn't it all recorded on a NASA Sound Stage? I mean seriously how are we to believe that such prestine equipment setup for the moon landing would drop the 'a'. //HEHEHE Sorry..

  • *A* Computer Analyst? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Jane_Dozey (759010) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:11PM (#16261977)
    Are you sure that it's "*A* Computer Analyst..." and not just "Computer Analyst..."?
  • He really meant to plant a goatse.cx flag. :-)

  • History Re-written (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Yahma (1004476) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:20PM (#16262027) Journal

    Niel Armstrong did have alot of critics who complained that he changed his story, or was trying to change what he had apparently said in order to make it sound better/different. This computer analysis should quiet his critics, but the unfortunate truth is most of the public will probably never hear about this analysis and life will go on...

    There was an interview several years back where Mr. Armstrong said that he said the word *A* during his famous radio transmission from the moon. Someone could try Voice Stress Analysis [sourceforge.net] on that interview to determine if he is lying or telling the truth, to verify the results of this analysis. =)


    Yahma
    BLASTProxy [blastproxy.com] - A public, anomymous Apache based proxy service.

  • The other sounds better -- it's iambic. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Etherwalk (681268) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:22PM (#16262039) Homepage
    The last foot in the first half sounds better without the `a.' I tried posting the scansion, but the lameness filter found that too dorky. =)

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Absolutely true. And there's also no reason why there needs to be an "a" in there anyway. It still makes complete sense the way it has come down through the ages: "One small step for Man; one giant leap for Mankind". "One small step for a man; one giant leap for Mankind" sounds awkward and trite. "Man" in this context stands in for the human animal; "Mankind" for human society.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jspoon (585173)
      This way makes a lot more sense though. Without the indefinite article, man and mankind are more or less synonymous.

  • What he really said: (Score:4, Funny)

    by Tablizer (95088) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:24PM (#16262061) Homepage Journal
    Actually he said:

    "Ah shit! I pissed my pants!"

    because he was so nervous. Remember, he is an engineer, not a spokesman. But it was covered up.
         

      • Re:What he really said: (Score:5, Funny)

        by Tablizer (95088) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:50PM (#16262195) Homepage Journal
        I would be pretty nervous to. Who hasn't had something come out wrong, when they were making a presentation,

        Indeed. If they sent me, it probably would have gone down something like this:

        That's one sman, uh, that's one step for a small man, I mean one man for a small, I mean one step on a small, I mean one man is a small....Oh fuck! People of Earth, I'm on the goddam fucking moon, okay? And, hey, fuck those ruskies, eh?

  • I see wide ranging aplications... (Score:3, Funny)

    by ShagratTheTitleless (828134) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:28PM (#16262077)
    The time is ripe for Slashdot editors to try and convince us that duplicate stories were the result of communications echoes.

  • NASA Alzheimers (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tablizer (95088) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:30PM (#16262087) Homepage Journal
    First NASA loses Apollo TV master tapes [slashdot.org], and now it loses pronouns. At this rate it will lose a planet within a decade such that we'll have only 8.
             

  • Yes... (Score:3, Funny)

    by NoseBag (243097) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:35PM (#16262113)
    ...I read it somewhere a long time ago and been telling folks this for years - whenever the subject came up.

    Now that its been officially reported in /., I can triumphantly wave the printout in peoples' faces and scream, "See! This proves it! Its right here in.....uh...uh..."

    Hmm. Never mind.

  • The Straight Dope (Score:5, Funny)

    by aktzin (882293) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:35PM (#16262117)
    This story reminded me of a "Straight Dope" article I read years ago regarding something Armstrong allegedly mumbled right after his famous first words on the moon:

    http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a951117.html [straightdope.com]

    While searching for this in the web site's archives I also found an entry from 1990 discussing the "small step for a man" argument:

    http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_362.html [straightdope.com]

    My parents tell me that I actually saw the moon landing, but since I was a baby at the time I really can't comment on what I heard him say.

  • Tranquility base (Score:5, Insightful)

    by trewornan (608722) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:38PM (#16262123)
    Weren't the first words spoken on the lunar surface:

    "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

    I always prefer it anyway - it doesn't sound like some crap written by a PR wanker.

  • I always liked what Pete Conrad said... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by sbaker (47485) * on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:43PM (#16262155) Homepage
    On Apollo 12:

        "Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me." -- Pete Conrad

    On Apollo 14:

        "It's been a long way, but we're here." - Alan Shepard

    Hmmmm - not *quite* so memorable.

  • Government vs. commercial (Score:5, Funny)

    by whyde (123448) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:46PM (#16262175)
    All I can say is thank goodness the first person on the moon wasn't put there by a commercial entity. I'm sure the first words would have been something like, "That's one small step for a man, but a Taco Bell Gordito(tm) is much bigger!"

    Either that, or some other government making a political sound bite that promotes a specific ideology or theology instead of something referencing the accomplishments of mankind in general, would have been equally disturbing.

    I'm really proud that the folks at NASA took time to plan what would be said, realizing that it would be a historic moment.
    • All I can say is thank goodness the first person on the moon wasn't put there by a commercial entity. I'm sure the first words would have been something like, "That's one small step for a man, but a Taco Bell Gordito(tm) is much bigger!"

      Hehe, or "Funding this space program... Billions of your tax dollars... Me walking on the moon... Priceless!" ;-)

      I wonder how many that would have upset, heh.

    • Re:Government vs. commercial (Score:5, Funny)

      by windowpain (211052) on Saturday September 30 2006, @08:57PM (#16262521) Journal
      The comedian Robert Klein actually did a bit about this. How Armstrong could have made a fortune by selling out before he left Earth and then saying, "COCA-COLA!" as he put his foot out on the moon.
    • All I can say is thank goodness the first person on the moon wasn't put there by a commercial entity.

      Or worse...

      "This one small step is made possible by the new Nike Space Jordans. For this lunar cycle only, save 10% off at any major footwear retailer! Over."

  • reverse talk (Score:4, Interesting)

    by the_Bionic_lemming (446569) on Saturday September 30 2006, @07:58PM (#16262237)
    A quick sidetrip - Listen to the reverse audio of his words -

    Man will spacewalk [lifecounsel.info]

  • Just an analyst? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by bherman (531936) on Saturday September 30 2006, @08:07PM (#16262293) Homepage
    I read this story and wondered a bit about the guy who was involved. Saying he's "a computer analyst" is like saying Bush is just a little slow.

    His work is pretty cool http://www.shann-ford.com/001%20programming.htm [shann-ford.com]

    Oh and he's also a jounalist.

  • One giant step for 'the' man, one giant leap for mankind.

  • I read the story, it makes absolutely no sense (Score:3, Insightful)

    by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) (613870) on Saturday September 30 2006, @11:50PM (#16263337) Journal
    Can someone else tell me where exactly the 'a' went? Glitches in analog equipment don't just drop 'a's without an obvious gap.

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