Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

That looks beautiful from here, Neil.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

It has a stark beauty all its own. It's like much of the high desert of the United States. It's different but it's very pretty out here. Be advised that a lot of the rock samples out here, the hard rock samples, have what appear to be vesicles in the surface. Also, I am looking at one now that appears to have some sort of phenocryst.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. The handle is off the *** in about 6 or 8 inches into the surface. I could *** easy ***.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Yes, it is. it's—I'm sure I could push it in farther, but it's hard for me to bend down further than that.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Now, you can throw so far.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

You can really throw things a long way up here.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Yes, it is. It's not up against your suit though. Hit it back once more. More toward the inside. Okay. That's good.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

No. It's not all the way in. Push it. There you go.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Contingency sample is in the pocket. My oxygen is 81 percent. I have no flags, and I'm in minimum flow.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

This is Houston. Roger, Neil.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. I have got the cameras on at one frame a second.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

And I've got the 80 percent, no flags.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Are you getting a TV picture now, Houston?

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Neil, yes we are getting a TV picture.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Neil, this is Houston. We're getting a picture. You're not in it at the present time. We can see the bag on the LEC being moved by Buzz, though. Here you come into our field of view.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Hold it a second. First let me move that over the edge for you.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. Are you ready for me to come out?

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Yes. Just stand by a second. I'll move this over the handrail.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

All right. That's got it. Are you ready?

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

All set. Okay. You saw what difficulties I was having. I'll try to watch your PLSS from underneath here.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

All right. The backup camera's positioned.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Okay. Your PLSS is—Looks like it is clearing okay. Your toes are about to come over the sill. Okay. Now drop your PLSS down. There you go; you're clear. And laterally you're good. You've got an inch clearance on top of your PLSS.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. You need a little bit of arching of the back to come down. … How are are my feet from the edge?

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Okay. You're right at the edge of the porch.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. Back in *** little of foot movement *** porch. Little arching of the back. Helmet comes up and clears the bulkhead without any trouble at all.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Neil, this is Houston. Based on your camera transfer with the LEC, do you foresee any difficulties in SRC transfer? Over.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. Now I want to back up and partially close the hatch.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

(Laughter) A pretty good thought.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

That's our home for the next couple of hours and we want to take good care of it. Okay. I'm on the top step and I can look down over the RCU, landing gear pads. It's a very simple matter to hop down from one step to the next.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Yes. I found I could be very comfortable, and walking is also very comfortable.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

You've got three more steps and then a long one.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. I'm going to leave that one foot up there and both hands down to about the fourth rung up.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Okay. Now I think I'll do the same ***

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

A little more. About another inch.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

That's a good step. About a 3-footer.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Isn't that something! Magnificent sight out here.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Magnificent desolation.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Looks like the secondary strut *** little thermal effects on it right here, Neil.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Yes. I noticed that. That seems to be the worst, although similar effects are on—all around.

Multiple speakers

… powder, isn't it?

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Right in this area I don't think there's much of any *** fine powder *** clods together, and it's hard to tell whether it's a clod or a rock.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Notice how you can kick it out.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Yes. And it bounces and then -

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Reaching down is fairly easy. I got my suit dirty at this stage.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

The mass of the backpack does have some effect in inertia.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

There's a slight tendency, I can see now, to *** backwards *** due to the soft, very soft texture.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

You're standing on a rock, a big rock there now.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

This pad sure didn't ***

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

There's absolutely no crater there at all from the engine.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

I wonder if about right under the engine is where the probe might have hit.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Yes. I think that's a good representation of our sideward velocity at touchdown there—hole at the probe.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

I see that probe over on the minus-Y strut. It's broken off and bent back up.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

It did, didn't it? The other two both bent over.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Can't say too much for the visibility right here without the visor up. It's dark. It looks like there is a *** surface of it is *** pounded rock *** And incidentally, these rocks *** very powdery surface ***

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Say again, please, Buzz; you're cutting out.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

I say that the rocks are rather slippery.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

A powdery surface when the sun hits. *** they split up all the very little fine porouses *** Will tend to slide over it rather easily.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Traction *** seems quite good. ***

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

*** About to lose my balance in one direction and recovery is a quite natural and very easy *** And, moving your arms around, Jack, doesn't *** off the surface *** not quite that light-footed.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

And, I have the insulation off the MESA now and MESA seems to be in good shape.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Got to be careful that you are leaning in the direction you want to go, otherwise you *** slightly inebriated. In other words, you have to cross your foot over to stay underneath where your center-of-mass is.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

And, Neil, didn't I say we might see some purple rocks?

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Yes. They are small, sparkly *** fragments *** places *** would make a first guess that some sort of biotite *** We'll leave that to further analysis ***

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

*** compact underneath *** completely no *** you don't sink down more than … a quarter of an inch.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Okay, Houston. I'm going to change lenses on you.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Okay, Houston. Tell me if you're getting a new picture.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Neil, this is Houston. That's affirmative. We're getting a new picture. You can tell it's a longer focal length lens. And for your information, all LM systems are GO. Over.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

We appreciate that. Thank you.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Neil is now unveiling the plaque *** gear.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. We got you boresighted, but back under one track.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

For those who haven't read the plaque, we'll read the plaque that's on the front landing gear of this LM. First there's two hemispheres, one showing each of the two hemispheres of the Earth. Underneath it says “Here Man from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” It has the crew members' signatures and the signature of the President of the United States.

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Spoken on July 21, 1969, 3:13 a.m. UTC (54 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

No. I'll get it. No, you take this TV on out.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Now I'm afraid these … materials are going to get dusty ***

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

The surface material is powdery. *** How good your lens is, but if you can *** smudges … very much like a very finely powdered carbon, but it's very pretty looking.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Would you pull out some of my cable for me, Buzz?

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Houston. How close are you able to get things in focus ?