The NewsDemon Blog

In July, it will have been 40 years since Apollo 11 made history. That was the first manned mission to land on the moon. Neil Armstrong’s famous “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” came as he left his footprint in the lunar soil. Now, thanks to the folks at Nature, Apollo 11 will tweet its mission.

The countdown to the online launch began yesterday on WeChooseTheMoon.org. People interested in experiencing the virtual recreation of Apollo 11 can pre-register to receive event email reminders and get regular “real time” updates during the four-day mission in July. Users will be able to follow the event on Twitter and AOL.

“This site represents a unique opportunity for viewers to ‘go back in time’ and experience one of mankind’s most amazing achievements,” said Tom Putnam, director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “From actual mission audio transmissions and archival video to mission factoids and news reels, visitors to WeChooseTheMoon.org will be able to track every step of the Apollo 11 mission, as it happened, 40 years later.

Nature, a publishing group, is mixing the old with the new by “tweeting” the Apollo 11 moon mission as it happened — 40 years later. Followers on Twitter will be able to read about technical milestones, political challenges, and related events in the space race starting today, just over a month before the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing.

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins launched the Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16th, 1969, landing safely on the surface of the moon four days later.

Also, a 1970 documentary on the voyage of Apollo 11 and its historic lunar landing is set to be re-released to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the event. The film also includes footage that captures the essence of the world’s reaction to Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, when he uttered the immortal phrase.