Man on the Moon souvenir record

This Man on the Moon souvenir record commemorates the successful landing of Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969. This particular copy is a New Zealand pressing of a worldwide release by Philips, and features a written message inside from popular New Zealand television presenter and astronomer Peter Read. Read hosted the locally made astronomy show Night Sky on television, giving audiences new insights into space and stars. As the 'Space Race' intensified during the 1960s, Read was able to explain new developments to New Zealand audiences. This record is an example of how an internationally significant event was made meaning of in New Zealand.

The Space Race was a competition between Cold War rivals the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States of America (USA) to achieve spaceflight capability which they both saw as necessary for national security. The Soviet Union began the race by successfully launching the first satellite in 1957 and the first human in space in 1961. The space race peaked in 1969 with the US successfully landing Apollo 11 on the moon. Each achievement and milestone were met with huge media and public interest around the world. The achievements of Apollo 11 were physically shared when US President Richard Nixon gifted fragments of moon rock to 135 countries, including New Zealand (Te Papa holds this gift, GH003201).

The Man on the Moon record features 12 minutes of key moments in the history of US attempts to land on the moon, beginning with President Kennedy’s famous speech in 1962: ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’ The record includes NASA announcing the launch of Apollo 11, the astronauts preparing to land, their first steps onto the moon’s surface, and their impressions. Neil Armstrong’s iconic words are included: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ The record also includes a congratulatory speech from President Nixon to the astronauts.

Apollo 11 was the first successful peopled lunar landing. They landed in the Sea of Tranquillity on 20 July 1969 and returned to earth 24 July (landing in the Pacific Ocean). Neil Armstrong was the commander, with Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin as the lunar module pilot, and Michael Collins as the command module pilot (he had to stay on board).

There was no direct satellite feed in New Zealand at the time, so Kiwis were glued to their radios as Armstrong made his ‘small step’ onto the surface of the moon. New Zealand relied on footage being flown in from Australia where there was a direct feed, and local audiences were able to watch the film four and a half hours later on 21 July 1969.