In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and moon landing, here’s a selection of records from our collections related to NASA and this historic event.
A 1973 Congressional Research Service analysis of his voting record reported that “Gerald Ford has consistently and unwaiveringly throughout his career supported the space program.” That began with the creation of the NASA. Representative Ford served as a member of the Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration, and was also one of the conferees that helped draft the final version of the National Aeronautics and Space Act on 1958 that made NASA a reality.
While in Congress Ford also served on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which sometimes examined related space issues. He and Representative George Mahon of Texas visited the then recently completed NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the Johnson Space Center) in Houston, Texas, with NASA Administrator James E. Webb on April 27, 1964.
(Ford Scrapbook Photograph AV82-18-1145)
At the time NASA was working on both the Gemini Project and Project Apollo, its second and third manned spaceflight programs. The group met with Dr. Robert Gilruth, the MSC’s director, as well as Gordon Cooper and Deke Slayton, two of the Mercury Seven astronauts. Their tour of the facilities included a stop in the Crew Systems Division, where they received a briefing on space suits.
Building on successes and lessons learned during the Gemini Project and early Apollo missions, NASA planned to make the first moon landing with Apollo 11. Their preparations included deciding what items should be left on the moon to commemorate the mission. They created a small silicon disc that contained microphotoprints of good will messages from 73 heads of state from around the world, as well as messages from Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. NASA Administrator T. O. Paine wrote to Representative Ford about the disc since his name appeared on it as part of a list of Congressional leaders.
(Letter from NASA Administrator T. O. Paine to Representative Gerald R. Ford, 7/11/1969, from the Ford Congressional Papers, Box B147, folder “Space, 1969″)
“In the final days before the launch of Apollo 11, my thoughts have turned repeatedly to the importance of the support NASA has received from the Congress over the years,” Paine wrote. “Placing on the disc the names of the present leadership and Committee members is a small effort to signalize the fact that the support of the people through their elected representatives has been and will continue to be an essential ingredient to the success of man’s exploration and utilization of space.”
Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969. People around the world watched four days later as Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon on July 20. Gerald Ford and his family viewed the moon landing in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. When he returned to Washington, DC, on July 22 Ford entered a statement about the successful mission into the Congressional Record.
Representative Gerald R. Ford News Release with his statement regarding the Apollo 11 Mission, 7/22/1969
“Let us all salute Neil Armstrong, Ed Aldrin and Mike Collins and pray for a safe splashdown in the Pacific on Thursday. But let us also say a prayer for Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom and Ed White and pay tribute to them for the heroic contribution they made so that Eagle might land on the moon and return to planet earth,” he said. Astronauts Chaffee, Grissom, and White had died in a fire during a pre-launch test for Apollo 1 in 1967. Ford had a special connection to Chaffee since he was also from Grand Rapids. Nevertheless, Ford felt that the Apollo program had been worth it. “With the successful flight of Apollo 11 the United States has opened up the universe for all the peoples of the earth,” he stated. “I believe our moon journey has kindled a new feeling of pride in country in all our citizens – a new and much-needed patriotism, if you will.”
(Ford Congressional Photograph AV82-31-2497)
Representative Ford had a chance to congratulate the Apollo 11 crew in person when they visited with members of Congress on September 16, 1969. He, Representative Carl Albert, and Speaker of the House John McCormack shook hands with Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong.
Ford also introduced a bill in August 1969 that would authorize the minting of a commemorative half-dollar coin to honor the Apollo 11 mission and astronauts. He felt that the the coin would recognize President Kennedy as well. “We all recall that it was Jack Kennedy who in ringing tones told the world America would put men on the moon before the end of this decade. We have realized that dream,” he said. “I think Jack Kennedy would have been proud to have a moon flight half-dollar memorialize the reaching of his goal.” Unfortunately, the bill was never passed.
Representative Gerald R. Ford News Release regarding the introduction of a bill providing for the minting of a commemorative half-dollar coin honoring Apollo 11, 8/5/1969
As President, Ford met Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins again on July 1, 1976, when he attended the dedication of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Collins, then the Museum’s director, gave President Ford and Vice President Rockefeller a tour of the newly completed exhibits.
Museum Director Michael CollinsGiving President Gerald R. Ford and Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller a Tour of the National Air and Space Museum, 7/1/1976 (National Archives Identifier 45644211)
The items on display included one of the Lunar Modules (LM-2) developed for the Apollo moon landing.
Watch footage of President Ford’s tour of the National Air and Space Museum.
As President Ford said in his remarks at the dedication of the National Air and Space Museum, “The amazing American achievements in air and space tell us something even more important about ourselves on earth. The hallmark of the American adventure has been a willingness – even an eagerness – to reach for the unknown.”
