Profiles

Geoffrey Garner from Sandbach was working in the control room at Jodrell Bank Observatory on Tuesday, 21 July 1969, the day a man landed on the moon for the first time.

In this, the fortieth anniversary year, he remembers it as a hugely exciting - and tiring - day.

Eye on the Moon

As the official Controller at the base, he followed the Apollo mission from the start; and he could actually see the spacecraft landing on the moon through his equipment. 

Although Jodrell was not part of the official tracking network for Apollo 11, nevertheless its scientists, especially its founder the astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell, followed the whole project carefully anyway.
Despite the fact that it was so many years ago, Geoff remembers the day quite clearly - even recalling the Jodrell Bank had the news a full six seconds before NASA in America did.
He described his experience to BBC Stoke's Stuart George, and you can hear the full interview by clicking on the link below:-

Geoffrey Garner - Jodrell control room

Geoffrey also remembers all the media interest as press from around the country descended on Jodrell Bank.
However, because he was so busy that day, he had no chance to buy a paper... so he asked his wife (who had no car) to trek across the nearby fields to the nearest shop to buy one as a memento of such a special day...!

(Do you have memories too?)