1
00:00:18,151 --> 00:00:20,286
- [Al Hibbs  ] We are now
well into the countdown

2
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,356
at approximately three
minutes before liftoff.

3
00:00:25,090 --> 00:00:26,626
All systems are reported
in excellent condition

4
00:00:26,659 --> 00:00:28,360
at this time.

5
00:00:28,394 --> 00:00:29,262
- [Voiceover] Pressurization.

6
00:00:29,295 --> 00:00:29,896
Go Atlas.

7
00:00:29,929 --> 00:00:30,630
- [Voiceover] Go Centaur.

8
00:00:30,663 --> 00:00:32,298
- Atlas autopilot, go.

9
00:00:32,331 --> 00:00:33,433
Centaur autopilot, go.

10
00:00:33,466 --> 00:00:34,501
Launch director, go.

11
00:00:34,534 --> 00:00:38,505
(rocket roars)

12
00:00:46,513 --> 00:00:48,247
The Atlas looks good.

13
00:00:48,281 --> 00:00:49,548
Doppler readout
is nominal.

14
00:00:49,581 --> 00:00:51,884
Chamber pressure looks good.

15
00:00:51,918 --> 00:00:55,387
Liftoff was at 7:41
Pacific Daylight Time

16
00:00:55,421 --> 00:00:58,658
on an azimuth of 102 degrees.

17
00:00:59,625 --> 00:01:01,326
The aerodynamic shroud is off

18
00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:03,797
and Grand Bahama is tracking.

19
00:01:05,331 --> 00:01:08,902
Liftoff plus four
minutes and three seconds

20
00:01:09,769 --> 00:01:12,338
as shown by the animated
diagrams in the monitor

21
00:01:12,371 --> 00:01:16,009
the atlas centaur
separation has occurred.

22
00:01:18,378 --> 00:01:19,445
Centaur cut off.

23
00:01:19,479 --> 00:01:22,449
Surveyor is injected on
its lunar flight path.

24
00:01:23,149 --> 00:01:24,350
Separation.

25
00:01:25,085 --> 00:01:28,353
and report that the landing
legs are extended.

26
00:01:28,387 --> 00:01:30,790
The Surveyor is now in space.

27
00:01:37,363 --> 00:01:39,132
- [Voiceover] 63
hours after launch,

28
00:01:39,165 --> 00:01:43,536
Surveyor 1 was only 1000
miles away from the moon.

29
00:01:43,636 --> 00:01:44,770
With the speed increasing

30
00:01:44,804 --> 00:01:48,341
as the moon's gravitational
attraction beckoned.

31
00:01:51,710 --> 00:01:52,612
-[Voiceover] Vernier ignition.

32
00:01:52,645 --> 00:01:53,679
Retro is now firing.

33
00:01:53,712 --> 00:01:55,348
Ignition looks stable.

34
00:01:57,483 --> 00:01:58,384
Falling steadily.

35
00:01:59,652 --> 00:02:02,622
63,000 feet, 3500 MPH.

36
00:02:06,392 --> 00:02:07,526
Now at 30,000 feet.

37
00:02:07,559 --> 00:02:09,395
Retro burnout confirmed.

38
00:02:09,429 --> 00:02:10,663
- The vehicle was
supposed to enter

39
00:02:10,696 --> 00:02:14,500
a fixed rate of descent.

40
00:02:14,767 --> 00:02:16,636
So that happens.

41
00:02:17,737 --> 00:02:19,038
- [Hibbs] 28,000 feet

42
00:02:19,706 --> 00:02:21,440
425 feet per second.

43
00:02:21,474 --> 00:02:22,841
24,000 feet

44
00:02:22,875 --> 00:02:24,177
falling steadily.

45
00:02:25,277 --> 00:02:26,446
Down to 12,000 feet.

46
00:02:27,513 --> 00:02:29,582
10,000, all signals normal.

47
00:02:29,615 --> 00:02:31,550
Surveyor reported in
excellent condition.

48
00:02:31,584 --> 00:02:33,219
All signals good.

49
00:02:33,619 --> 00:02:34,587
1000 foot mark.

50
00:02:35,521 --> 00:02:36,389
800 feet.

51
00:02:37,657 --> 00:02:38,224
600.

52
00:02:38,758 --> 00:02:40,326
400 feet.

53
00:02:40,726 --> 00:02:42,362
200 feet.

54
00:02:43,629 --> 00:02:46,165
100 feet, 13 feet
per second speed.

55
00:02:46,632 --> 00:02:47,733
- [Suggs] Certain distance
above the surface

56
00:02:47,767 --> 00:02:50,269
the engines are all
supposed to shut off.

57
00:02:50,703 --> 00:02:53,006
And then it's supposed
to drop to the surface.

58
00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:54,741
The engines all shut off.

59
00:03:02,548 --> 00:03:04,284
And you could hear a pin drop.

60
00:03:07,453 --> 00:03:08,587
It worked.

61
00:03:08,621 --> 00:03:09,622
We're down.

62
00:03:10,489 --> 00:03:11,857
It's still transmitting.

63
00:03:11,957 --> 00:03:13,492
(Cheering)

64
00:03:13,526 --> 00:03:16,862
- [Voiceover] Surveyor
1 touched down at 5 MPH.

65
00:03:16,896 --> 00:03:20,800
A mere one second off the
intended landing time.

66
00:03:20,833 --> 00:03:22,435
- [Hibbs] The moon
behind it is very dark.

67
00:03:22,468 --> 00:03:23,703
- [Voiceover] For
the first time,

68
00:03:23,736 --> 00:03:26,439
an American spacecraft had
achieved a soft landing

69
00:03:26,472 --> 00:03:28,641
on another celestial body.

70
00:03:28,674 --> 00:03:31,744
(garbled radio cheering)

71
00:03:31,777 --> 00:03:34,414
Surveyor 1 operated
for six weeks.

72
00:03:34,447 --> 00:03:36,148
Surprising engineers
by surviving

73
00:03:36,181 --> 00:03:38,284
a bitter, cold lunar night.

74
00:03:40,653 --> 00:03:42,521
In all, the sturdy
lander sent back

75
00:03:42,555 --> 00:03:44,489
more than 11,000 images before

76
00:03:44,523 --> 00:03:46,593
its batteries ceased to work.

77
00:03:49,628 --> 00:03:53,600
Surveyor 1 now rests
where it landed in 1966.

78
00:03:54,534 --> 00:03:55,901
Telling us of its presence

79
00:03:55,935 --> 00:04:00,807
by casting a silent, but long
shadow on the lunar surface.

80
00:04:04,910 --> 00:04:06,646
Six more Surveyors were launched

81
00:04:06,679 --> 00:04:09,649
over the next two years,
providing a treasure trove

82
00:04:09,682 --> 00:04:11,651
of science about the moon.

83
00:04:12,718 --> 00:04:14,520
Although two of the
missions would fail,

84
00:04:14,554 --> 00:04:17,389
the increasing ratio
of success to failure

85
00:04:17,423 --> 00:04:19,558
demonstrated that JPL
was clearly learning

86
00:04:19,591 --> 00:04:21,694
from its past mistakes.

87
00:04:24,329 --> 00:04:26,599
And NASA had the
answer to its question.

88
00:04:27,967 --> 00:04:30,669
The lunar surface was
solid and suitable