A Note From Bob
The whole world held its breath
Monday. On this date in 1969, a Sunday afternoon, a fragile craft named Eagle settled onto the Sea of Tranquility, and Neil Armstrong radioed home: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." That landing, 57 years ago today, was the finish line of a contest that had gripped two superpowers since a beeping Soviet satellite crossed the October sky in 1957. Today's featured quiz covers the whole race. Pour the coffee.
Trivia Question of the Day
When Apollo 11 flew to the Moon 57 years ago today, Neil Armstrong carried scraps of wood and fabric from another famous flying machine. Which one?
The answer is at the bottom of this email.
Today's Featured Quiz
The Space Race
From the shock of Sputnik to the footprints at Tranquility Base. The satellites and the setbacks, the cosmonauts and the astronauts, and the twelve years when two superpowers raced for the sky. 15 questions.
The Answer
The 1903 Wright Flyer
Tucked into Armstrong's kit aboard Eagle were a swatch of muslin from the Flyer's wing and a sliver of wood from its propeller. Less than a lifetime after twelve seconds of powered flight over a North Carolina beach, pieces of the first airplane landed on the Moon. The mission that carried them is today's second quiz, and 15 more questions are waiting for you.
On This Day
On this day in 1976, NASA's Viking 1 became the first American spacecraft to land on Mars, settling onto the plains of Chryse Planitia seven years to the day after Eagle reached the Sea of Tranquility. NASA had aimed for a Bicentennial landing on July 4, but the first site proved too rocky, and history got a rhyme instead. Test yourself with 15 questions on the mission that started the tradition.
Stay
Curious.
Bob
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