It is ready to be rolled out as soon as apollo 11 is on its way for a launch. It will be rolled out to launch within two months to me still try to meet president kennedys goal of landing on the moon in this decade. If apollo 11 goes as well as planned, they will take an extra couple of months to get a good reading on the rocks and so forth that are brought back. And then they will send apollo 12. We have an announcement coming up from Launch Control. This is apollo seven Launch Control. In less than 16 minutes, planned liftoff of the vehicle. All going well at this time. The astronauts have had a chance to rest over the last few minutes. They havent been busy with procedures with the spacecraft. We have been performing final checks on the guidance system. Once we get down to the three minute 10 second mark, we will go on an automatic sequence. All aspects from there on down will be automatic, run by the ground master computer here in the firing room. This will lead up to the 8. 9 minute mark in the countdown when the ignition sequence will begin in the five engines of the first stage. The s1c stage of the saturn v. At the two second mark, we will get information and a signal that all engines are running. At the zero mark in the countdown, once we get the commence signal that says that the thrust is proper and acceptable, we will then get a commit and liftoff as the arms release the vehicle. We have 7. 6 Million Pounds of thrust pushing the vehicle upward, a vehicle that weighs close to 6. 5 Million Pounds. This is kennedy Launch Control. We will be hearing a great deal from jack king as the morning goes on. You have a good view from one of the 66 cameras around the launch site by which the National Space people in Launch Control monitor every one of the functions of the launch. Walter cronkite with me here at our cbs News Space Center at Merritt Island overlooking the launch site is one of the most distinguished of the Science Fiction writers, people who have predicted long before scientists were ready to put down the final plan just how we would go to the moon. This is Arthur C Clarke who, among his other distinguished Science Fiction includes 2001, the great movie which recently came out. I just read that they showed it with Great Success in moscow last night. Apparently got great applause there. You first road of going to the moon back in 1930s. At a time when nobody dreamed we would come the same. Did you . Arthur no. I didnt imagine it would be in my lifetime in those days. Walter how do you feel this morning . Arthur very excited and i have i came in feeling excited yet its familiar. Now im thinking about the next thing. Mars and beyond. Walter we havent gotten to the moon yet. Thats the nature of you sciencefiction writers, i suppose. Does this about match the way you thought we would do it . Arthur as far as the technical details, yes. This is precisely the way it was imagined. What we never imagined was the scale and the cost and complexity of the enterprise. If we realized how complex it would be, we wouldve been discouraged in the 30s. Walter you thought it would be a few Million Dollars . Theres been inflation since then. I think the figure they give now for just the launch alone is 69 million. Arthur all this money will come back many times over for generations to come. Its the best investment the United States have ever made. In another 20 years, people will be unable to imagine why we questioned this expenditure. Walter cronkite how do you see it coming back . The Space Industries of the next generation, it will move up to for the end of the century. There are many things on this earth we can only do with her airplanes and helicopters. They once seemed like there was no practical importance. Walter will they find surprises out there . Arthur im sure they will. Nature is more complex and interesting that we can anticipate. Find surprises on the moon. We are going to not necessarily on the first flight. Im sure, eventually. But i dont know if we will find , a black monolith on the moon. [laughter] walter a reference to 2001. Tell me what thats all about. [laughter] theres a lot of mystery about that far out closing for the picture. Which we all liked we still. Argue in our family about what it means. Maybe before this is over, i expect you to be sitting next to me many times over the next few days. In the flight of apollo 11, as we were so delighted to have you in previous flights. You will tell me the real secret of the monolith. Arthur ok. Promise. Walter i think ive got something. We will have many more talks about the moon, how we get there, in the future. Your ideas of how we will get be and beyond the moon. Jack in Launch Control now. We have now gone to automatic system with the emergency detection system. That system that would queue the astronauts if theres trouble down below. With the saturn v rocket during the powered flight. We are now coming up on the 10 minute mark. Mark 10 minutes away from our planned liftoff. T minus10 minutes and counting. We are aiming for our planned liftoff at 32 minutes past the hour. This is kennedy Launch Control. Walter cronkite let us tell you now some of the things you will be seeing here. Theres no time in the excitement and reports of the launch itself. Indeed, it can scarcely be heard over the roar of the saturn v engine, the most powerful engine as far as we know that has ever been used to get man off of the surface or to move them anywhere on the surface of the earth. The russians, we believe, are developing a rocket larger than this. We have no evidence that they but have used it as yet. , about 40 seconds before launch. The water deluge begins. You will see some evidence of it on your picture. At 10 seconds before the actual liftoff, ignition takes place. That is when those five f1 engines begin belching their thrust. There they are. A total of 7. 5 Million Pounds of four thrust. Great fuel loads there, grade explosive potential, if not controlled through those nozzles. Nine seconds after the ignition begins, the arms fall back and the rocket with its full power is released to begin its slow climb up towards the skies. In just a couple seconds later, it yours it rolls little bit. With the roll program complete, it is rolled over so it is on its proper azimuth, its proper launch course. At one minute 21 seconds into the flight, you begin to see the contrails which indicate that it has reached the point in the sky with a maximum dynamic pressure of its launch and piercing of the atmosphere has come. That aerodynamic load of 460,000 pounds on the fragile skin of the spacecraft. Its one of the dangerous points of the launch. Its the maximum buffeting that the pilots get as they take off. At that the vehicle is eight point, miles high and three miles downrange. It is moving at 1800 Miles Per Hour. Then the inboard engines begin , to cut off. Then 30 seconds later, the , outboard engines cut off. By that time, the vehicle is 41 miles high, 57 miles downrange running 6000 miles an hour. , then the first stage separates. The s2 second stage ignites. It completes its job and is jettisoned at three minutes and 11 seconds. The launch escape system then, jettisons go after that. The inboard engine cuts off in the second stage. The inner stage was jettisoned earlier. The outboard engines and separation of the second stage at nine minutes and 12 seconds. Then we get the third stage ignition. And at 11 minutes and 50 seconds, orbital insertion. The flight is on its way and has reached orbit, 150 miles high. It is about 2. 5 hours later, 1. 5 third stage fires up again to move from the 17,500 mile per hour escape velocity to go into a trans lunar trajectory. Cbs news color coverage of the launch day of apollo 11 will continue in a moment. Its just five minutes to the historic launch of the apollo 11. With all going well. The astronauts are sitting there atop the great saturn rocket in their command modules, getting ready for launch. Heres jack king at Launch Control. Jack the swing arms are now coming back. The astronauts will have a few more reports coming up in the countdown. The last Business Report will be from Neil Armstrong at the 45 second mark in the count. He will give the status on the final alignment of the stabilization and control system. We are now passing the four minute 32nd mark in the countdown. Still go at this time. 32nd mark in the countdown. Still go at this time. Four minutes, 15 seconds. Launch vehicle test, you are go for lunch. For launch. From this time down, carson handles the countdown as the launch vehicle begins to build up. We are now hitting the fourminute mark. Four minutes and counting. We are go for apollo 11. We will go on an automatic sequence starting at three minutes and seven seconds. Walter the engines that generate the thrust, combined horsepower equal to 543 jet fighter planes. The launch vehicle weighs as submarine nautilus. 562,000 pounds of fuel , the equivalent of 98 Railroad Tank Cars of it. The capacity of a small towns water tank. The noise reaches 120 decibels, compared to 8 million hifi sets playing at once. Thank you very much. We know it will be a good flight. Firing command coming in now. We are on the automatic sequence. We are approaching the three minute mark in the counts. T minus three minutes and counting. We are go with all elements of the mission at this time. We are on an automatic sequence as the master computer supervises hundreds of events occurring over these last two minutes. T minus two minutes 45 seconds and counting. The members of the launch team in the control Center Monitoring a number of redline values. These are tolerances we dont want to go above or below in temperatures and pressures. They are standing by to call out any deviations from our plans. Two minutes 30 seconds and counting. We are still go on apollo 11 at this time. The vehicle is starting to pressurize. All is still go. As we monitor our status board. Two minutes, 10 seconds and counting. Jack king the target for the apollo 11 astronauts will be at a distance of 218,096 miles away. We just passed the two minute mark in the countdown. T minus one minute 54 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates that the oxidizer tanks in the second and third stages have pressurized. We continue to build up pressure in all three stages at the last minute. To prepare for liftoff. T minus one minute 35 seconds. On the Apollo Mission the flight , to land the first man on the moon. All indications are coming into the control center at this time and indicate we are go. One minute 25 seconds and counting. Our status board indicates it is completely pressurized. The 80 second mark his past. We are going full internal power at the 50 second mark in the countdown. Leading up to the ignition sequence at 8. 9 seconds. We are approaching the 62nd mark. T minus 60. 55 seconds and counting. Neil armstrong just reported back, its been a small countdown. We passed the 50 second mark. Power transfer is complete. We are on internal power, with the launch vehicle at this time. 40 seconds away. From the apollo 11 left off. You can see the water deluge beginning now. 35 seconds and counting. We are still go with apollo 11. 30 seconds and counting. Jack king it feels good. Astronauts report it feels good. , t minus 20 seconds. 20 seconds and counting. T minus 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 12, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence start. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. All engines running. Liftoff, we have a liftoff. Zero. 32 minutes past the hour. Liftoff on apollo 11. Walter oh boy. It looks good. Getting that buffeting we have become used to. What a moment. Man is on the way to the moon. Walter cronkite looks like a good trajectory so far. Very good. Walter cronkite beautiful. Downrange one mile. 195 feet per everything fell second. Into place. The redline is lit. [inaudible] walter you can see it beautifully on the screen here. Everything is go now. We are through the region of maximum dynamic pressure now. Everything looks good here. Where at 1350 on the start. Set eight miles downrange. Feet per standby for mode second. One, charlie. Market, but one charlie. Mode one charlie. Houston, you are go for staging. Walter thats for dropping the first stage. Going through the second stage power. Inboard engines out. Walter you are hearing from the capsule communicator, Mission Control talking to the astronaut. Astronaut ken mattingly, Mission Control, houston. Walter this is jack riley reporting, the voice of missing Mission Control. Ignition. Each of these events are very interesting. Thrusters go. All engines, you are looking loud and clear, houston. 43 miles high. We confirm. Should have the launch escape system jettison. Of the engine skirt separation and the launches gate launch escape our separation. Visual is go. Walter [laughter] roger that. [inaudible] the visual simulation is go today. He cant hear you. Houston, your guidance is converged. You are looking good. The boost protective cover comes off. Altitude 62 miles. Velocity, 10,300 feet per second. Houston, you are go at four minutes. Roger. Walter the second stage of these five. J2 engines. 1,025,000 pounds of thrust. Thats an amazing camera. The space agency has. We can still see that spacecraft. At this point, its almost 93 miles high. 72 miles high. Velocity, 11,000 feet per second. Walter cronkite almost 8000 mile per hour. Walter it has to get up to 17,500 to go into earth orbit. Another four minutes before the booster says its looking good at five minutes. Houston, you are going five minutes. Walter the next critical moment will be when that second stage jettisons and we get that fourth stage ignition for the first time. It could be most significant to us. Cli capability. [inaudible] cli concerns the orbit insurance arson. Insertion. You all are coming through beautifully two. Everyone is reporting go in the control center. You are go in six minutes. Roger 11, you are go at the ground. [inaudible] that gate is jumping all around. Standby, 11, houston, 8. 107. , 9. 11. Were cut off that walter what was jumping around . Gauges . The level six arm is the sequence that arranges the staging between the second stage and the third stage. It uncovers a sensor starting that sequence. [inaudible] nine minutes 11 seconds. Look at thekite empty lawn site summer between 10 and 20,000 gallons of water. Plus 11. F at nine walter so good is this deluge system. Its capable of keeping damage to a minimum on the pad. They can turn around and use those Service Stands almost instantly. Is a go change. On the ground track. Inboard we confirm engines are on the second stage as planned. Walter looks like another launch. Aturn v what a feat theyve come to with these saturns after the early days of mercury and even gemini. Saturns ontime launch, i wish we could get american railroads to run on the kind of schedule that ron brown and company have these apollos launched on. We finally have boosters. Roger we got shift down here too. [inaudible] 11, this is houston. You are a go for staging. Remote for capability. Walter this should be the firing of the s 14. Miles,tude is 100 downrange 800 miles. Walter ignition, right on time. Thrusters go, 11. 700 psi. 697. Walter we have a good third stage now. This burn lasts two minutes and 25 seconds, and that brings the vehicle to its orbital speed of 17,500 Miles Per Hour, up 1000 miles from where it was before. Per second. Downrange, 1000 miles. Altitude, 101 miles. [inaudible] walter the third stage is a j2 engine. Houston, your ago. Walter i think i misidentified the communicator minute ago. The man who is communicating with the astronauts from Mission Control in houston is bruce mannix. [inaudible] downrange, 1175 miles. The last of the 24,190 mile feet per second, altitude 102 nautical miles. All right. Heres former president johnson. Walter cronkite hes with a few of his friends in the stands. Apollo 11, this is houston. You are ago. Withr cronkite sharing agnew. Hes the official representative of president nixon. Vice president agnew is the top official of the administration here. 25,002 hundred 54 feet per second. Altitude 102. 8 nautical miles. Sat down right on time. 10336. Of 3. 6. Py 101. 4 by one walter that would be a nautical mile of the orbit for the spacecraft has been confirmed. They are in earth orbit. They made the first big jump on their trip to land on the moon. Vice president agnew is the man you see on your screen. Houston the booster is safe. , roger. Thats another good sign. The booster is safe. The destruct system has been shut off command on the ground. By a so they cannot destroy the spacecraft. Its designed if we abort a way. To disperse. We have a escape route, course. Its nice to know its shut off. Walter at this point, now that they are in earth orbit, their return could be a normal return to a selected landing spot by jettisoning the third stage and going on their service engine. Walter cronkite so this first, always dramatic. And obviously with a great explosive could potential with all that feel. The dangerous launch phase has passed. Apollo 11 is on the way. Looking good, over. Yes it is. Walter tom was a pilot on the commander on apollo 10. Paved the way for this flight. Thatpaved the way for this flight. With Vice President agnew and his party. Tom has been the chief briefing officer for the vp, the vips the last couple of days. You see him coming in and out of the hotel there. Hilton. Hes constantly running off to make more notes to brief another important visitor. I think tom would say the vqip walter we remarked earlier about all the foreign dignitaries, the congressman, the senators, governors, mayors, theyre here. At 1535. N vanguard los aos canary at 1630. Walter that report is on the l os. Loss of signal of the vanguard. Thats one of the tracking ships in the atlantic to the acquisition signal on the canary islands. Here on the ground, we are showing in orbit at 102. 5 by 99. 7 nautical miles. The flight dynamics officer