Did Neil Armstrong fluff the famous 'small step for a man' line?

[sandyRoe]

?

[naomi24]

No. Why? It's gone down in the annals of history, so his delivery couldn't have been that bad.

[Ńemesis]

Armstrong had decided on this statement following a train of thought that he had had after launch and during the hours after landing. The broadcast did not have the "a" before "man", rendering the phrase a contradiction (as man in such use is synonymous with mankind). NASA and Armstrong insisted for years that static had obscured the "a", with Armstrong stating he would never make such a mistake, but after repeated listenings to recordings, Armstrong admitted he must have dropped the "a". Armstrong later said he "would hope that history would grant me leeway for dropping the syllable and understand that it was certainly intended, even if it was not said – although it might actually have been".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong

[EDDIE51]

I heard he did say ''For a man'' but the audio link did not pick up the 'a' . It sounds like ''One small step for man'' on the TV pictures but apparently he did say for 'a' man.

[sandyRoe]

I thought I remembered a mistake in the delivery. Would it be on you tube?

[sandyRoe]

HE had more on his mind just then than getting a line off pat. A momentous achievement that will give him a place alongside Colombus in the history books.

[hc4361]

If brides and grooms can fluff their wedding lines after all that practice, surely Neil Armstrong can be forgiven for missing the vital 'a'?

[Ńemesis]

Doesn't sound like an ''a'' is muted by any static.

I think we can forgive his confusion, giving that he was quite likely peeing his ants at the time.

[naomi24]

Who cares? It was one small step for a man - and man - but it was, without doubt, one giant leap for mankind.

[Ńemesis]

*pants

[hc4361]

Although I still don't believe it happened.

[bigbadmarty]

RIP Neil - true legend , modest , courageous and clever .
If you don't believe that happened you are even more than a sycophantic fool than I thought you were

[hc4361]

How am I a sycophant? Do you know what it means?

[bigbadmarty]

its sort of like arse-licker

[hc4361]

Lol - I know what it means, but whose bottom am I licking?

[Slapshot]

Dropping that "a" might have been the most poetic, beautiful, brilliant thing about the landing, personally I think it was a touch of genius, wonder what Columbus said when he discovered the New World

Sad that he's gone

[bibblebub]

hc4361 would probably go along with this too http://is.gd/XLQsOJ

[BlueToffee]

Only //peeing his pants// nemesis?

[Hopkirk]

Nice one Bibble!

[Quizmonster]

It may just be my old ears playing up, but I definitely felt that, when the words were played as part of a news-item the other day, the 'a' had actually appeared! Do you imagine they would have 'doctored' it to make it accurate?

[sandyRoe]

Rewriting history has a long and ignoble pedigree. Perhaps this was the first example of re-recording it.