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Before Apollo 11 landed in July 1969, the White House had a speech ready for President Nixon to read if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were stranded on the Moon. It was never needed, and it stayed almost unknown for thirty years.

'In Event of Moon Disaster', July 1969

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The story behind the card

Speechwriter William Safire wrote it on 18 July 1969 in a memo to Nixon's chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, for the case in which the lunar module's engine failed and the two men could not leave the Moon. Michael Collins, orbiting in the command module, would still be able to fly home. The memo set out a plan: Nixon would first telephone the astronauts' wives; after his broadcast, Mission Control would close down communications with the men, and a clergyman would commend their souls in a ceremony like a burial at sea. The speech's last line echoed 'The Soldier', a First World War poem by Rupert Brooke. The memo became widely known in 1999 and is held by the US National Archives.

Türkçe oku
Apollo 11 Temmuz 1969'da Ay'a inmeden önce Beyaz Saray, Neil Armstrong ile Buzz Aldrin Ay'da mahsur kalırsa Başkan Nixon'ın okuyacağı bir konuşma hazırlatmıştı. Konuşmaya hiç gerek kalmadı ve metin otuz yıl boyunca neredeyse hiç bilinmedi.
“Ay Felaketi Durumunda”, Temmuz 1969

Konuşmayı William Safire yazdı. Safire metni 18 Temmuz 1969'da, Nixon'ın kurmay başkanı H. R. Haldeman'a gönderdiği bir notta sundu. Senaryoya göre Ay modülünün motoru çalışmayacak ve iki astronot Ay'dan ayrılamayacaktı. Komuta modülüyle yörüngede dönen Michael Collins ise Dünya'ya dönebilecekti. Notta bir plan da vardı: Nixon önce astronotların eşlerini telefonla arayacak, yayından sonra Görev Kontrol Merkezi astronotlarla bağlantıyı kesecek, bir din adamı da denizde yapılan cenaze törenlerine benzer bir törenle onların ruhlarını Tanrı'ya emanet edecekti. Konuşmanın son cümlesi, Rupert Brooke'un Birinci Dünya Savaşı'nda yazdığı “The Soldier” şiirine gönderme yapıyordu. Not 1999'da geniş kamuoyunca duyuldu; bugün ABD Ulusal Arşivleri'nde saklanıyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: In Event of Moon Disaster
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