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During such drama, relief and elation are momentary. They rise to the
surface in soft, tingling flashes. After the ship’s circuits were methodically
safed and reconfigured for emergency liftoff, there was little more emotion
shown than an ecstatic grin. The cabin fell quiet as we both listened
for that elusive sound of safety. We were on the moon, secure for the
moment, yet joy was eclipsed by alertness. There is a sense of wariness you
guard with every bit of conscious candlepower at your disposal at such
times. You recognize this faculty as one of the vital mechanisms that has
kept you alive and well all these years, and you do not betray it by indulging
in excessive celebration, even after landing on the moon. A handshake
and a word or two would suffice for the moment. After taking careful
accounting of the condition of our craft, performing our respective checklists,
and exchanging status reports with Houston, we were ready to begin
the procedures that would lead to opening the hatch. Then we would leave
the sanctuary of Antares.
A rumor circulated widely for many years following the landing that I
had questioned Al as to his intent had we arrived at the minimum altitude
without landing radar. Would he have called for an abort, or continued
His presumed response was: “You’ll never know!” I must report, that conversation
never took place, as we both knew that the abort software problem
had forced us into manual abort mode, not automatic mode. We would
have been required to manually pitch forward as the first step of the abort,
and there before us would have been the landing site, just as we had practiced.
Computer guidance was dead-on even without the landing radar.
Without question, we would have proceeded.
The plan of surface exploration called for two 4 1/2–hour excursions
outside, during which we would erect the flag, set up the television equipment
and scientific instruments, collect lunar rock and soil samples, take
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