Blogpost #18

R.I.P., Walter Cronkite.

He was the most admired and respected newsman in the history of television.

We trusted him because he was hardworking, mature and responsible.

He defined the role of news anchor for two generations of broadcasters.

He trusted his instincts and took a stand on the issues that were important to him.

His influence as a journalist continued for decades after his retirement.

He will never be forgotten.

It will be noted that he died just as America was preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

This week's program honors his memory with an excerpt from his rare 1969 documentary LP "Man On The Moon".

The LP was briefly available from a collector on Ebay, and other copies may be found on the Internet in the future.

As a child, I did not dream of being an astronaut on the moon; instead, I dreamed of covering it live like Walter Cronkite.

This week's program is my attempt at covering the Apollo 11 launch live from Cape Kennedy, even if it comes 40 years too late.

To make this recreation as accurate as possible, I used my own collection of Apollo 11 news clippings from 1969.

The liftoff takes place at exactly 32 minutes past the hour, just as it did back on that early July morning in 1969.

The launch is followed by a specially-edited montage of clips from the original NASA radio conversations with the astronauts.

This week's show ends with the landing on Tranquility Base on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong announced "The Eagle has landed."

I invite you to tune in again next week for part two, which will include the first moonwalk and the return trip to Earth. I hope you don't mind having to wait a whole week for the ending.