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[i]The Inside the List column (July 12) implies that there was some complicated or arcane reason why NASA protocols were changed so that Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon and Buzz Aldrin the second. The reason Armstrong received the honor of being first to set foot on the moon is simple and well known. James Michener explained it in his novel "Space," but here it is again: United States-Soviet relations in 1969 were tense, and NASA wanted to make absolutely clear that Apollo 11 was a voyage of discovery, not a military adventure. Armstrong was chosen to go first because he was the only astronaut in the Apollo program who was a civilian; the other Apollo astronauts had been military pilots. To further play down any suspicion of military motives, Armstrong and Aldrin left a plaque on the moon with this message: "We came in peace for all mankind." During a conversation I had with Aldrin at the Deauville film festival in September 2000, he made it clear that he knew NASA's reason for the decision. Perhaps he didn't accept it, but he certainly understood it. F. Gwynplaine Macintyre Glasgow[/i]
[i]Some observers also feel that space officials considered Armstrong's position as a civilian in making him the first man on the Moon.[/i]
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