the smithsonian's national air and space museum in washington, d.c.. the spacesuit will go on display in the firtash for the first time in -- to mark the anniversary of the mission to the moon. the vice president was joined by astronauts and their families and the director of the national air and space museum. this is just over 20 minutes. [applause] good morning. week you as we kick off a of amazing celebrations of humanity's highest achievement, the apollo 11 moon landing. we are honored to have vice president pence with us as we neill near on strong's -- armstrong's spacesuit. also with us, jim bridenstine, who leads nasa. i am so happy that rick

armstrong could join us to represent the family, along with his family of the inspiring american hero who took humanity's first steps on the moon. thank you for being here. during our year-long celebration, we have highlighted the team that made apollo possible. americans doing every conceivable job to make it happen. that included the engineers, material experts, medical experts, and the amazing seamstresses who handmade the spacesuit that we are unveiling this morning. it took another large team to conserve the suit so that we can once again share it with the world after 13 years off exhibit. that team included our spacesuit historians, conservators, and collections experts, but their work is only possible thanks to

the thousands of individuals who contributed to our kickstarter campaign. thank you to all of those people who did their part to preserve this vital piece of space history. the complexity of the suit in short it could support human life in the harshest environments. extreme heat and cold, radiation and the threat of cuts from sharp rocks had to be taken into consideration. these spacesuits were single person spacecraft. while they were designed to enjoy the punishments of a lunar walk, they were not designed to last half a century on display. we are happy that the work we have done will extend the life of the suit and ensure that generations to come can be inspired by it. equally important, we want to inspire visitors of the stories of men and women who have worn -- neil armstrong's commitment to the mission and

his calm demeanor were just what you wanted in someone piloting and odd looking craft like the one behind me to the surface of the moon for the first time. reflected inwas the plaque on the lunar module, which read, we came in peace for all mankind. all three apollo 11 astronauts understood the importance of the journey they were embarking on and the significance that would surround the items from the mission. this is clear in the design of the hatch, led by the crew. they decided adding again -- they decided against adding their names, as previous missions have done. recognition of the teamwork behind apollo. i can't wait to share the awe-inspiring symbol of teamwork that is neil's suit with our visitors, and i hope that people will join us this week as we come together to celebrate the honor and legacy of apollo and

look to the great achievements to come. it is my pleasure to introduce the person tasked with making those next steps in space asked -- exploration a reality, administrator jim wright and stein. stein --ide and bridenstein. >> this is a great day for nasa and for america. i am immensely grateful for the efforts of the national air and space museum board and the thousands of public contributors who graciously donated to help reserve neil armstrong's apollo 11 spacesuit for generations to come. it is an honor to have with us neil's oldest son, rick armstrong. commander neil armstrong's name is synonymous with on daunting courage, the american spirit of exploration, and the evidence that humanity's potential is

limitless. week,rs ago this armstrong, buzz aldrin and michael collins hurtled through the blackness of space, aiming at the moon, not an admission of conquest, but a mission of peace. their success expanded humanity's understanding of our celestial neighbor and most importantly, it taught us something about ourselves, that together, we can accomplish any goal and overcome any difficulty. among armstrong's personal 11 wereaboard apollo pieces of the wright brothers flyer, the wooden and fabric aircraft that succeeded in poweredumanity's first flight some 66 years earlier. in paying homage to this other set of pioneers, armstrong demonstrated a profound truth,

that we must continue to remember even today, he understood that humanities rise from the ground to the sky, to space and on to the moon was not by chance. choice.n fact by a choice to boldly push the limit of science and technology, a choice to further discover the almighty's creation and use our newfound knowledge to elevate the human condition. ultimately, armstrong knew that space exploration was a matter of choosing greatness every day, no matter the risk, no matter the danger. the 1960's had leaders in the white house whose vision of american space exploration enabled the historic success of the apollo program. today, our nation is fortunate to once again have

leaders who are challenging the united states and america to live up to its true potential as the world's preeminent spacefaring nation. us direction to 2024 and the moon by to mars. we are getting it done. it is my honor to introduce today the vice president of the united states and chairman of the national space council. vice president pence: thank you, administrator jim bridenstine. thank you for your great leadership at nasa. to all of our honored guests, thank you for your great leadership. here at the national air and space museum, and especially it

is a particular honor to begin this week remembering the mission of apollo 11 that started 50 years ago today with rick armstrong, with mary, with rick's oldest son, bryce armstrong. would you join me in welcoming the armstrong family and friends? thank you for being with us. it is an honor to be here at the national air and space museum to unveil one of the most important artifacts of what president kennedy called correctly the most hazardous and most dangerous and greatest adventure upon which mankind has ever embarked. on this day 50 years ago, apollo 11 launched from pad 39-a at the kennedy space center to begin its historic quarter million mile journey to the moon. just three days later, mission commander neil armstrong would wear the space suit that we will unveil in just a few moments when he took that one giant leap for mankind.

when president kennedy declared in 1961 that the united states would put a man on the moon before the decade was out, it is important to remember in our time that he issued a challenge before our country was able to meet it. the truth is, we didn't have the rockets, we didn't have launch pads, we didn't have space suits. we not only -- we not only didn't have what we needed, we didn't know what we needed. the risks were great. the odds were long. and they were so long that some even feared that if we could make it to the moon, we might not be able to make it back. it took engineers, manufacturers and technicians more than 10 years to design the 21 layers of

fabric, rubber, fiberglass that are just encased in this space suit that you will see unveiled today. but i expect it is -- it is moving for his family and for every american to remember the dangers and the risks he at the time that this space suit simply may have been the very last thing that neil armstrong ever wore. in fact, there was a time -- during that time that scientists speculated whether when a lunar module like this one behind me landed on the moon whether it would be able to lift off begin. the risks were so real that history records that president nixon had a speech prepared prior to the landing in the event that the mission failed. but, of course, it didn't fail. after all, with 400,000 men and women behind the mission of nasa, with the hearts and the prayers of the american people, how could it have failed? instead, as the president said

to neil and buzz, shortly after they were saluting an american flag planted on the surface of the moon, in these words he spoke, "for every american, this is the proudest day of our lives." he said to them from the earth to the moon, "because of what you've done, the heavens have become a part of man's world, and for one priceless moment, the whole history of man, all the people on earth are truly one, one in their pride for what they've done, won in your return safely to the earth." i remember that day. as i speak to americans younger than me, it is -- i feel even more privileged to have been sitting in the basement of our home as those snowy images came back, the black and white images of that incredible moment. stamped an indelible mark on my life, on my imagination, and frankly, on the imagination of my generation and every generation since. it was a contribution to the life of this nation, to the history of the world that's almost incalculable. at that time the nation held its

breath. the nation had been deeply divided during the tumultuous 1960's. so as we think of this incredible scientific accomplishment, it's also -- it's also important for us to see in this space suit and in that moment, also, another contribution to the life of the nation. on top of the contributions to science and human understanding for that brief moment, the man who wore this suit brought together our nation and the world. now, true to their creed, astronauts never liked being called heroes. the man who wore this suit was especially resistant to such labels. but if neil armstrong was not a hero, then there are no heroes. he once described himself in his

words, quote, he said, "i am and ever will be a white sox, pocket protector, nerdy engineer." and i would also add proudly, he was a graduate of purdue university in the state of indiana. neil armstrong was reserved, as his family and i were just chatting, he was in some respects even shy. that was how it struck me on the few occasions i had the great privilege to speak with him. in fact, i just told rick that my young daughter, charlotte, and i had the privilege of watching one of the last space shuttle launches with neil armstrong. i was struck by his humility and his modesty and how quickly he deferred whatever he had accomplished to the literally hundreds of thousands of men and women and engineers who made it possible for him to be there and to come home safe. but among his colleagues, it's important to remember on this day, when we unveil this historic space suit, that neil

armstrong was called the ice commander. a generation to enjoy this display, i think would do well to remember the strength of character and courage of this man. just months before apollo 11, armstrong lost control of an ungainly training to help astronauts train for the moon landing and history records he ejected three seconds before it crashed to the ground and exploded in a ball of fire. more remarkably than that, we're told that armstrong just dusted himself off that day and spent the rest of the day behind his desk. his son, rick, just reminded me that he flew this x-15 above us about seven different times. he was an extraordinary test pilot, a man of incredible courage, but his courage was displayed perhaps nowhere more profoundly than in the moments just before the apollo 11 lunar module landed on the surface of the moon.

it was that coolness during the original landing that likely saved the lives of the two astronauts that were aboard the lunar module. when the original landing area turned out to be so full of large boulders, history records that armstrong skimmed across the cross of the lunar surface and manually found a safe spot to touchdown. by the time he sat down to what we all know to be tranquility base, armstrong and aldrin had 17 seconds of fuel left remaining. it's incredible. so today, we remember the service and the accomplishments of apollo 11 and of its commander, neil armstrong. but we also -- we also do well

to remember his courage in that steely professionalism that saw -- saw him through an entire career of incredible accomplishment and saw that mission to a safe landing and return home. the debt this nation owes to our apollo astronauts, including the man who wore the suit that we unveil today, we can never fully repay, but today is an installment. the american people have expressed their gratitude by preserving this symbol of courage, and i'm told when the smithsonian institution launched the kick starter campaign to help preserve this invaluable piece of american history, they raised half a million dollars in five days to do it. and i also understand, for those looking on, that because of the success of this initiative, the reboot the suit campaign set an additional goal and now has

raised more than 3/4 of a million dollars from people all over the country to preserve alan shepard's space suit. the american generosity has made it possible for this national treasure to go on display today for the first time in 13 years and now to be available in these storied halls for generations to come. so as we begin today to mark the golden anniversary of apollo 11, we do well to remember what they left behind in its capacity to inspire future generations. but let me also say, as i told rick backstage, i expect his dad would be pleased to know that the fact in this generation, we are renewing our commitment to american leadership in space and american leadership in human space exploration is also a tribute as well. i'm proud to say, after it lay dormant for a quarter century, president trump renewed the

national space council, to renew activities. we've empowered private partners, unleashed america's space industry as never before, and under president trump's leadership, it's the policy of the united states of america to return to the moon within the next five years, and from there on to mars. i have a feeling that the man who wore the suit that we will unveil today will be glad to know that the first woman and the next man on the moon will also be an american. apollo 11 is the only event of the 20th century that stands a chance of being widely remembered in the 30th century. and that's what makes a day like today so important. 1,000 years from now, july 20, 1969 will likely be a day that will live on in the minds and imaginations of men and women here on earth, across our solar system, and beyond.

so it's important that we do what we do today, that the generosity of americans, the professionalism of the smithsonian and the national air and space museum, the generosity of the armstrong family and their support makes it possible for this space suit to inspire, literally, generations of americans. and perhaps it also will inspire them to remember, remember those men who took that most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure in their time. it's remarkable to think, as we talk about that steely eyed nerve of apollo 11 commander neil armstrong that maybe we do well this week to also remember a photograph, rick, of your dad

shortly after he and buzz aldrin finished their historic moon walk. there is that picture of neil armstrong dressed in that very space suit, covered with moon dust, sporting a three-day beard, with a broad smile on his face exuding the greatest and purest satisfaction. the ice commander shed that and expressed what people were

feeling in that moment. so thank you, again, to dr. stofan and those at the national air and space museum. thank you for preserving this national treasure. may it inspire future heroes that walks these hallways in their youth. may god bless the memory and legacy of apollo 11 commander neil armstrong and may god continue to bless the united states of america. thank you, all. [applause] >> sir, if you want to turn around and grab this. >> we don't pull it.

[indiscernible] >> four, three, two, one. [applause] [indiscernible] >> amazing. [indiscernible]

>> thank you very much for doing such a great job. [indiscernible] >> beautiful. vice president pence: thanks for sharing your dad. [indiscernible]

announcer 1: this week marks the 50th anniversary of the apollo 11 moon landing and a new poll shows that nearly three quarters of americans watched footage live or recorded of the landing. starting tonight at 8:00 eastern, watch the footage of the apollo 11 mission beginning with flight preparations. we have been performing final checks on the instrument unit, which is used as a guidance system. we have lift off. lift off on apollo 11. forhat is one small step man, one giant leap for mankind. announcer 1: saturday at 8:00, the landing and moonwalk. >> this is houston, reading you loud and clear. announcer 1: sunday morning at

10:30, coverage of the apollo 11 returning to earth and greetings from president richard nixon. >> i am the luckiest man in the world and i say this not only because i had the honor to be president of the united states, but because i have the privilege of speaking for so many and welcoming you back to earth. newsncer 1: watch the 1969 coverage of the historic apollo 11 mission on c-span.org or listen with the c-span radio app. robert mueller testifies to congress wednesday about possible obstruction of justice and abuse of power by president trump and russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. c-span3,rage starts on online at c-span.org and the fruit c-span radio and. before the hearing, listen to the complete molar report.

audio at thereport search box at the top of the page. announcer 1: next, a book tv exclusive. tour visits missoula, montana. bringing the book seemed to our viewers. c-span.org/citiestour. >> here we are, on our farm, you can see it just behind our house. you can see a little bit here. we are walking into this

thicket. this is not a big grove. not a bunch of yards from end to end. it is still pretty important for moving through a cultivated landscape. it is one of the few wild places that remain here in the valley floor. time, bears here all the particularly in the fall when they are out looking for wild and mastic fruit. actually, we have a willow tree back here, where a black bear was bedding for about a month and a half. a pretty gnarly willow, it has been used extensively by bears for a bedding. one bear was here for about a month last year. i will show you what's behind. if you come through here,