What Apollo 11 Astronauts Did Right Before Neil Armstrong Set Foot on the Moon

  • Aldrin: You've got a good picture, huh?
  • Houston: There's a great deal of contrast in it, and currently, it's upside-down on our monitor, but we can make out a fair amount of detail.
  • Aldrin: Will you verify the position - the opening I ought to have on the camera?
  • Houston: Stand by.
  • [Armstrong begins to descend.]
  • Houston: We can see you coming down the ladder now.
  • Armstrong: Okay, I just checked getting back up to that first step, Buzz. It's -- not even collapsed too far, but it's adequate to get back up... It takes a pretty good little jump.
  • Houston: Buzz, this is Houston. F/2 - 1/160th second for shadow photography on the sequence camera.
  • Aldrin: Okay.
  • Armstrong: I'm at the foot of the ladder. The [Lunar Module] footpads are only depressed in the surface about 1 or 2 inches, although the surface appears to be very fine grained as you get close to it. It's almost like a powder. Down there, it's very fine. I'm going to step off the [Lunar Module] now. THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Source: The Atlantic