How America Landed on the Moon

Journalist Charles Fishman, author of "One Giant Leap," discusses five key things you didn't know about the American moon landing on July 20, 1969, a day that forever changed history. Charles Fishman starts the list describing how that iconic John F. Kennedy speech almost didn't happen (instead JFK had originally planned to deliver his speech to congress in paper-form). Next, he shares with us how the American flag on the moon was a last-second idea thrown together by a NASA sub-committee on symbolism. The third unknown fact the "One Giant Leap" author offers is about a USSR secret landing to compete with Apollo in hopes of achieving their own moon landing—a hope that ultimately ended in destruction. Number four involves the "high-tech" computer in the lunar lander and just how "low-tech" it was. And, finally, General Motors was able to convince NASA to bring a vehicle on the lunar lander for a truly American moon landing.

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