- July 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are 240,000 miles from earth facing the most hazardous venture in the history of space flight; the first human landing on another world. They'll succeed, abort, or die in the attempt.
- July 1969. It's been eight short years since President Kennedy promised America would land men on the moon by the end of the decade. As the deadline fast approaches, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are 240,000 miles from earth facing the most hazardous venture in the history of space flight; the first human landing on another world. They'll succeed, abort, or die in the attempt. At NASA Mission Control, Flight Director Gene Kranz and his team of young engineers struggle to execute the flight plan. They're experiencing severe communication disruptions, unnerving computer alarms, and a spacecraft that's overshooting the planned landing site by miles. They push through as the crew searches for a safe place to put down. Flight controllers are puzzled to see Armstrong suddenly stop the spacecraft's descent and begin hovering forward. They don't know the auto-targeting system is sending it into a crater filled with large boulders. Armstrong needs to clear the boulder field but is running out of fuel. The crew must land soon or face a mandatory abort order. Mission Control calls up "30 seconds!" but Armstrong won't be rushed. He'll use every ounce of fuel and drop the rest of the way if he has to.—Jon Dearden
- July 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are 240,000 miles away from earth facing the most hazardous venture in the history of space flight; the first landing on another world. They'll succeed, abort, or die in the attempt.
At NASA Mission Control, Flight Director Gene Kranz is responsible for the safety of the crew and the success of the mission. Supporting Kranz is his team of young engineers whose "Go" or "No-Go" will determine the outcome. Capsule Communicator Charlie Duke is the astronauts' critical link to earth. He's the only flight controller who speaks with them directly.
Armstrong and Aldrin wait anxiously for approval to proceed. Kranz polls the flight controllers for a "Go/No-Go" for powered descent: "Retro? Go! FiDO? Go! Guidance? Go! Control? Go! Telcom? Go! GNC? Go! EECOM? Go! Surgeon? Go!" But as Duke attempts to inform the astronauts, communication problems flare up. He hears nothing but radio static.
Communications finally improve and at 47,000 feet, the crew ignites the descent engine. The moon's gravity begins to pull them downward. Armstrong sights landmarks and times their passing. He realizes they have too much velocity and will put down miles beyond the planned landing site. There's nothing they can do about it. Off the record, he confides to Aldrin, "Boy I'll tell ya; this is much harder to do than it looks."
Suddenly, an alarm sounds in the spacecraft and the computer flashes "1202". The astronauts don't immediately know what the code means, but it could end the mission. A chilling report is relayed home, "Program alarm."
The Flight Director is in the middle of asking Guidance Officer Steve Bales about pressing altitude concerns, but the 26-year-old cuts him short with "Stand by". He needs an answer to the program alarm, fast. Jack Garman from Bales' support team tells him, "We're fine" and within seconds the response is passed up to the crew, "We're Go on that alarm!"
More alarms sound, and as the spacecraft descends through 3,500 feet, Duke informs the crew, "You are Go for landing."
Commander Armstrong carefully guides the craft down. Now below 700 feet and dropping fast, he remarks, "Pretty rocky area. I'm going to have to..." Without finishing, he reaches for the control panel.
Mission controllers are puzzled to see the spacecraft stop its descent. They don't know the auto-targeting system is sending it into a crater filled with large boulders. Armstrong has taken over partial control from the computer and is now hovering forward. He needs to clear the boulder field but is running out of fuel.
With just five percent fuel remaining, the crew must land soon or face a mandatory abort order. Duke calls out "30 seconds!" The clock ticks rapidly down but Armstrong won't be rushed. He'll use every ounce of fuel and drop the rest of the way if he has to.
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By what name was Hazardous Journey: The Apollo 11 Moon Landing (2023) officially released in India in English?
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