Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 17, 1994                   TAG: 9407170015
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.                                LENGTH: Medium

NASA JOYFULLY REPLAYS ITS FIRST LAUNCH TO THE MOON

Apollo 11 astronauts declined to attend the morning ceremony and sent regrets for a commemorative dinner. All three had attended the 20th anniversary ceremony.

So instead of the first two men to walk on the moon - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin - and fellow crewman Michael Collins, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration settled for the last man on the moon and one who lost his chance to walk on the lunar surface because of an accident en route.

"It's their decision. I respect it. But I wish they were here," said Brent Wynn, who helped launch the model rockets.

"After 25 years of constantly being hounded for autographs, they probably want to kick back," Wynn said.

More than 500 people gathered for the launch ceremony at Kennedy Space Center, just three miles from where Apollo 11 blasted off at 9:32 a.m. July 16, 1969. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the moon.

Apollo 11 launch commentator Jack King, now a public relations man in Washington, noted that more than 5.6 million parts were in the rocket and spacecraft - "any one of which could go wrong."

"With 99.9 percent success, 5,000 things still could happen," King said. "When you look back at it from that point of view, it's rather an awesome concept to contemplate."

King timed his remarks to end at 9:30 a.m., just in time for a replay of his launch commentary starting at the two-minute mark. He ran a little over. As a result, his pronouncement of "Liftoff! We have a liftoff! Thirty-two minutes past the hour! Liftoff of Apollo 11!" came at 9:33 a.m.

No one cared. All eyes were on four model Saturn rockets whooshing 200 feet into the air before floating down by parachute.

Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, now an aerospace company executive, stood in for Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins on Saturday just as he did in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 backup crew. An oxygen tank explosion on his way to the moon in 1970 stole his chance to walk on the lunar surface.

Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, in December 1972, was the Apollo 11 crew substitute for Saturday night's commemorative dinner.

Haise said he expected back then that human beings would return to the moon in his lifetime. He still believes man will explore the solar system and beyond, "though not as quickly as many of us who are in the autumn of our careers would like to see."