Moon Landing Memories

July 20th marks the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing. All Month, we have been asking listeners to share their memories of the historic moment. We were alerted that Dennis Frasca, a resident of VB, was instrumental in working with local defense contractor Grumman on a simulator that was used in the early work ups for Apollo 11. This week, he shares with us his memories and observation of the early days leading to the moment that man first stepped foot on the moon. Today: Celebration and champagne at the moon landing

Karen was a ten year old and like the NASA workers, her breath until they hearing "The Eagle has Landed." She watched with her family, including her grandmother who was born in 1900 and has seen the growth of aviation- from the Wright Brothers, to Amelia Earhart, to a lunar landing.

July 20th marks the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing. All Month, we have been asking listeners to share their memories of the historic moment. We were alerted that Dennis Frasca, a resident of VB, was instrumental in working with local defense contractor Grumman on a simulator that was used in the early work ups for Apollo 11. This week, he shares with us his memories and observation of the early days leading to the moment that man first stepped foot on the moon. Today: How Working 24/7 to train NASA workers and The Astronauts paid off in the launch of Apollo 11

July 20th marks the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing. All Month, we have been asking listeners to share their memories of the historic moment. We were alerted that Dennis Frasca, a resident of VB, was instrumental in working with local defense contractor Grumman on a simulator that was used in the early work ups for Apollo 11. This week, he shares with us his memories and observation of the early days leading to the moment that man first stepped foot on the moon. Today: The Can Do Attitude of the Apollo 11 Planners

Dennis Frasca, a resident of VB, was instrumental in working with Grumman on a simulator that was used in the early work ups for Apollo 11. He shares with us his memories and observation of the early days leading to the moment that man first stepped foot on the moon.

In July 1969, 22 year old Chris Beisel was playing in a band at the legendary Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach. He recalls how the manager of the club stopped the band and dancers to watch a small portable tv brought out to watch the moon landing.

Judy Flowers of Virginia Beach was on vacation with her husband and young daughter in July 1969. They were in Kitty Hawk at a rental home that had no television ( in fact, as she recalls, none of the homes did- it was unthinkable). The local Post Office placed a small tv in the window and vacationers sat on the sand and watched the landing- a perfect place to do so said Flowers as" it was the birthplace of aviation and here we were watching man walk on the moon."

Mike remembers seeing the moon landing with his parents and grandmother. They watched it on a small 1940s vintage television that belonged to his grandmother.

Debra Wallace Dise recalls being at a Boy Scout Jamboree in Idaho and with no tv at the campsite, her dad took her to a bar to watch the moon landing.

Alison Schoew shares her memory of the moon landing, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and her mother.

Ron Wolf of Virginia's Eastern Shore had tickets to see Cream in concert and he remembers how he band would not come out and play until after they saw the moon landing.

Jim Kirkpatrick was a youth leader at a church run camp in July 1969. He gathered with campers in a dining hall to watch the landing. He remembers being in "the mountains of Virginia and watching man adjust a camera on the moon and sitting in a state of wonder at the marvel of it all."

John Rovenolt from Norfolk Virginia recalls the monumental crusade and Walter Cronkite’s tearful reaction to the moon landing.

Brenda Barkley was planning her wedding in the summer of 1969. She watched the moon landing with her grandfather, who was also her wedding photographer.

Dan Taber from Virginia Beach reflects on how it felt to be a pilot and watching the moon landing while in a bunker in Vietnam.

Rebecca Adams was in London’s Trafalgar Square at the end of a European vacation. She watched the landing on a giant screen with citizens from around the world. She remembers as Neal Armstrong stepped foot on the moon - “Cheers rang out!”

Steve Corneliussen of Poquoson was an exchange midshipman in Norway above the Arctic Circle. He says it was in the middle of the night, watching a small TV in his ship’s ward room, where he witnessed the first moon landing. He was surprised when his shipmates all congratulated him on the achievement.

Beverly Caine Baker of Virginia Beach recalls eating pizza and watching the moon landing. Her aunt, Katherine Johnson of "Hidden Figures" fame, was instrumental in the advancement of the space program. She says she didn’t realize at the time how pivotal her role was.

Bill Zimmerman of Norfolk reflects on staring at the moon on the evening of July 20, 1969, and recalling the incredible moment realizing that man had stepped foot on it.

Lou Roberts of Norfolk recalls how she and her husband Sid, an ODU engineering professor, were in Sweden in July 1969 and were toasted at a dinner party in celebration of the moon landing.

Barb Wiley of Norfolk was in Zagreb, Yugoslavia in 1969. While viewing the landing in a store, others realized they were American. The crowd propelled them to the front to watch.

Bill Bishop, a former radio announcer, recalls how he was in a new apartment in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his girlfriend. Their hug at the landing was sadly not enough to maintain a long term relationship, though today a half century later, they remain friends and still recall that special moment of seeing man step foot on the moon.

Chris Shaw remembers looking out of the window at the moon, while watching the landing, and eating Stewart’s ice cream with his dad.

Gail Day from Virginia Beach was 22 years old, serving in the Peace Corps in Eastern Senegal, in the summer of 1969.

Laura Townsend from Williamsburg turned 15 on July 20, 1969, and felt the lunar landing was happening just for her.

Mike Haas of Williamsburg was a U.S. Army Captain, stationed at Newport Army Terminal on the Saigon River in the Republic of Vietnam, during the moon landing in July 1969.

Scott from Norfolk remembers being 3 years old and being woken up by his dad to watch the lunar landing.

William Bryant, who worked at NASA Goddard Space Center in Maryland as a network director, shares his memory of the lunar landing.

Alison Schoew shares her memory of the moon landing, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and her mother.