posted 01-22-2011 10:47 AM               

Depending on definitions there is some justification for "Houston" as first but "Contact" or "OK" or "Engine" came to my mind even before reading the article.

Gov. Rick Perry praised Texans for their "resilience" and "resourcefulness" during his Jan. 18 inauguration speech, saying that "if something has never been done before, it's just because we haven't tried it."

Among the accomplishments Perry credited to Texans was pioneering space. "Matter of fact," he said, "the first word spoken from the moon was 'Houston.'"

That statement drew shouts and applause from the crowd -- and our attention...

At first, we were confident that Perry had it right. However, research raised doubts --

posted 01-22-2011 02:22 PM               

The two then went through a short checklist until 102:45:57 when CapCom Charlie Duke says "We copy you down, Eagle." Armstrong replies a second later "Engine arm is off. Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

The astronauts noted that the descent was so slow that they were not sure exactly when they touched down. My vote for the first words would be "Contact Light" by Aldrin. This was when one of the probes from the footpads of the Lunar Module touched the Moon's surface.

The first words were definitely NOT "Houston" which did not happen until 18 seconds and several comments after the probes touched the surface.