Read The Chilling Apollo 11 Failure Speech Richard Nixon Had Prepared



Apollo 11 was a resounding success from start to finish. From the minute the rocket left the pad through to landing on the moon and right back down to Earth, it was a day etched in human history forever. Safety wasn’t always guaranteed, though, as evidenced by this condolence speech then-President Richard Nixon had prepared in case everything went sideways.

The speech was meant to console a nation that was coming to terms with the fact that two astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and the late, great Neil Armstrong, had been left on the moon to die with no hope of recovery following a failure with the Lunar module.

The Daily brings us the speech in full:

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice. These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding. They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one: in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man. In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood. Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts. For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

It’s a chilling speech that was thankfully never needed. If you go back and read that in the comic Nixon voice from Futurama it sounds more upbeat, I promise. [The Daily via CNET]