TLS, one page, 8 x 10.5, NASA letterhead, stamp-dated September 25, 1969. Armstrong writes to Robert B. Hotz, editor of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine, who served with Armstrong years later on the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.
In full: “Please accept my sincere thanks for your kind thoughtfulness in forwarding the plaque-mounted covers of Aviation Week & Space Technology which were published during the preparation, flight, and postflight periods of the Apollo XI mission. They will remain as some of the most appreciated mementoes of the entire adventure.
“We are certainly appreciative of the very good coverage given to the flight of Columbia and Eagle in your fine magazine and of your very kind editorial remarks in several issues. We are certainly appreciative of the fact that you recognized and pointed out not only the technical achievements of Apollo XI, but also the more long-lasting values of international cooperation and challenging goals. Please accept our sincere congratulations on your fine coverage of the flight.” In very good condition, permanently affixed to an identical size board, with faint toning and mild overall soiling.
Although Americans in 1969 celebrated winning the race to the moon against the USSR, the historic accomplishment was truly an international affair. As alluded to here by Armstrong, the Apollo program resulted in a sense of oneness with the entire world, as for that one moment, it wasn’t just an American but a human being who was walking on the lunar surface. Capturing the imagination of the world, scientists from the U.S., USSR, and other nations continued to look toward the stars in the wake of the moon landing.
The “value” of the mission noted by Armstrong—that desire to explore the “final frontier”—overtook, if only briefly, political turmoil, with the U.S. and USSR ultimately operating a joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. For his part, Hotz was perhaps not as unbiased as a journalist should be, but rather was a fervid supporter of the space program and established a good relationship with several astronauts and NASA officials, including Armstrong. The first man on the moon clearly appreciated that support. A gracious—and prophetic—letter from Armstrong to one of the space program’s long-time journalistic supporters. Pre-certified Scott Cornish and RRAuction COA.
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