Bethpage-Tribune_1989-07-21

              BETHP
1 , 1 1.I1.MI- NV 11 / I ' l
YOUR OFFICIAL HOMETOWN NE\i.^^#%
also serving
Island Trees Plainedge Seaford Old Bethpage Plainview
VOL 22 NO. 36 July 21 • July 27,1989 20 CENTS
AyLM CeUhraHng the Twentieth Anniversary of
The Apollo 11 Moon Landing
For centuries man has looked up
to the sky and gazed at the moon with
awe and curiosity. This sunlit sphere
that orbits the earth every twenty-eight
days, has mystified and intrigued
man since we can remember. And on
July 20, 1969, a date which will linger
in the hearts and minds of man
forever, the entire world watched and
waited with baited breath as three men
^4di(xomplished one of the. greatest and
most heroic feats in the history of
mankind. The long dreamed of moon
landing had been achieved...'THE
EAGLE HAD LANDED.'
Twenty years ago this week, three
men, Apollo 11 Commander Neil
Armstrong; Command Module Pilot,
Michael Collins, Lt./Col. USAF; and
Lunar Module pilot, Edwin (Buzz)
Aldrin, Colonel USAF took a step-
-'ONE GIANT STEP' as it has been
called and became the first men to land
on the moon. (Armstrong and Alrdin
actually walked on the moon's surface,
Collins pilotted the command module
orbitting the moon.) A dream come
true for all Americans and a day held
even more special in the hearts of
Bethpage residents.
Bethpage takes pride in the fact thai
the Grumman Corporation, head­quartered
in Bethpage was responsible
tor the construction oi the Lunar
Module, the craft which actually made
the decent to the moon's surface. I he
•f-agle' as it is called was the worlds
lirst manned vehicle built for opera­tion
exclusively in space. In its peak
production stage the Eagle employed
over 9000 Grummaniles m order to
achieve completion of the project
And it was this vehicle that carried
the two day supply of oxygen and food
to sustain Armstrong and Aldrin, who
occupied the craft for a day of moon
ob,servation. Armstrong and Aldrin
steered that fragile four legged module
to their historic landing at 4:17:40 pm
twenty years ago. Six hours after that
landing the Eagle's hatch was openned
and Mr. Armstrong planted the first
human footprints on the lunar surface.
At approximately 10:56:20 PM a
television camera outside the craft
transmitted Armstrong's every move
to an excited and pride filled world
who glued themselves to their televi-
(Continued on Page 6)
Photo reprinted from APOLLO LUNAR LANDING, written by James J. Haggerty
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because
they are easy, hut because they are hard, because there is new knowledge to be gained
and new rights to be won, and they must be won for the progress of all mankind...
We shall send to the moon, more than 2W.000 miles from the control center
in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feel tall, made of new metal alloys, some
of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and .stresses several
times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better
than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance,
control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission to an unknown
celestial body ...
And therefore, as we set sail, we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and
dangerous and greatest adventure on which man fias ever embarked...
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
September 12, 1962
BETHPAGE GETS A
'BUM RAP'
1 woke up last Sunday morning,
much in the same way as 1 do every
Sunday morning sat down with my
much needed cup of coffee and began
to read the Sunday Newsday. As 1
skimmed -through its pages I was
excited and pleased to see that our
own town, Bethpage, was being high­lighted
in Newsday's new feature
"Inside Oyster Bay". Pleased that is,
until 1 began to read the article.
This article was not only, in my
opinion, a misrepresentation of our
town, but also a disappointment to
any community active, hardworking
Bethpage resident. It depicted Beth­page
as a town whose inhabitants
simple "went to work, went to work,
went home and that's it". It also went
on to say that our town lacked spirit
and pride, i say NOT SO!
Firstly, it .seems to me, that News-day
did not do their homework when
preparing this feature. An accurate
depiction of our town should include
our prominent community clubs,
businesses and organizations, as well
as individuals who are active in this
town. Newsday's lack of research and
investigative reporting resulted in an
article that was not only negative but
more importantly incomplete-
If it were my responsibility to tell
(Continued on Page 3)