Shooting for the Moon: A Teenager Covers Apollo 11David Chudwin, MD

Shooting For The MoonEyes On The Stars

I was a child of the 1950’s

Science fiction novels, magazines, and TV shows inspired generations of young people with the prospect of space travel…

…and I fully caught the bug!My 8th birthday present: “Space Pilots” by Willy Ley (1957)

In the late 50’s and early 60’s, science fiction became a realitySputnik 1 enters spaceOctober 4, 1957 Yuri Gagarin orbits EarthApril 12, 1961John Glenn becomesfirst American to orbitFebruary 20, 1962

President Kennedy set a national goal of landing on the Moon by the end of the 1960’s

I sat in the audience in 1965 when Ed White and Jim McDivitt visited Chicago (McDivitt’s hometown)…

…and cheered from the crowd when Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford visited in 1966

But in 1967, I learned from the Apollo 1 fire in a ground test that space exploration is not without sacrifices

I started college at U-M and joined The Michigan Daily

…where my first signed editorial made the “case for going to outer space”The Michigan DailyOctober 23, 1968

Meanwhile, the Apollo program was heating upApollo 8: First to orbit the moonApollo 9: Testing lunar module in orbitApollo 10: Lunar landing dress rehearsal

One summer week. The choice of a lifetime.The Summer of ’69:Woodstock or Apollo 11?

Shooting For The MoonReady for Launch

Hotel and flight: booked. Florida was a “go”!Sea Missile Motel$10/nightEastern Airlines Chicago to Florida$94.50

I became one of only two college journalists to receive NASA press credentials for Apollo 11Official press credentialsNASA press pass

The planning commenced with a pre-trip checklist

After arriving in Florida, I began meeting my heroes—and knew I had made the right choice

Shooting For The MoonJuly 14, 1969T-Minus Two Days

I got to experience the privileges of the Press, including my own copy of the Flight Plan...

...and an exclusive mini-bus tour of KSC

We paused and remembered at Launch Complex 34, site of the fatal Apollo 1 fire

I got up close and personal with Apollo 11 Saturn V

…and its emergency wire escape system—which thankfully was never used

I attended the NASA Center Director’s briefingvon Braun (MSFC)Debus (KSC)Mueller (AA/OMSF)Gilruth (MSC) Clark (GSFC) King (PAO)

Neil Armstrong answered questions via monitor at the NASA Apollo 11 Press Center

That evening, I paused to take it all in, the Saturn V lit up like a jewel in the night

Shooting For The MoonJuly 15, 1969T-Minus One Day

I toured the VAB, getting up close to the base of Apollo 12 Saturn V (S-1C 1st Stage)…

…and got to see first hand the best of modern 1969 technology at the Launch Control Center

The Mobile Service Structure was rolled away from the Apollo 11 Saturn V on Pad 39A

…and with that, the Apollo 11 Saturn V stood alone

Meanwhile, I interviewed Dr. George Mueller, Associate Administrator/ OMSF, in his hotel room

I phoned in a story to The Daily that night about launch preparations

Shooting For The MoonJuly 16, 1969A Leap For Mankind

The Apollo 11 crew appeared at the door of the MSOB as cheers and flashbulbs erupted

It was time for their long-awaited journey to the Moon

A view of Pad 39 just after dawn from the Press Site bleachers showed photographers at water’s edge

Over 3,500 journalists, myself included, eagerly awaited from the KSC Press Site and other locations

Walking to the VIP Site, I saw hundreds of dignitaries invited to witness Apollo 11 head to the stars

…as well as Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon—stars of a different kind!

9:32 a.m. July 16, 1969

Shooting For The MoonBack To Earth

My article was syndicated in college newspapers across the country

The next time I saw the Apollo 11 crew was when they visited Chicago on August 13, 1969

They were welcomed as heroesMike Collins

Buzz Aldrin

Neil Armstrong

My passion for space was unabated afterward…“New Worlds for Tomorrow”By David S. ChudwinAmerican Red Cross Youth Journal, Nov. 1969

…and continues to this very day.

Lessons LearnedLuck: Be in the right place at the right timeAim high! Set difficult but achievable goals Perseverance: Don’t give up!Plan ahead: “Sweat the small stuff” Be organized! “The key to success is organization”Work hardHave fun! “Life is a journey, not a destination”

AcknowledgementsThanks to Robert Pearlman of collectSpace and Emily Carney of Space Hipsters for helping to build a space community Thanks to Sally and Kim Poor for their brilliant idea of SpaceFest and for organizing it so well these last 7 timesThanks to my own back-up crew of my wife Claudia, son Adam and daughter Stacy for their support. Love you!

Shooting For The MoonThank You