Yeah a bit, but also at that time we knew far less about the environment of the moon. There was speculation that the dust may be so deep and soft that it’d engulf the lander. There was little way of knowing how the suits would do out in that environment, and radiation is a real threat when there’s no atmosphere or magnetosphere. Being first could have been a suicidal test for all we knew, so in some ways being first was definitely notable.
blindgorgon t1_j9zyep5 wrote
Reply to comment by naughtysideofthebed in NASA's Artemis moon program receives salute from Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin (video) by kevindavis338
Yeah a bit, but also at that time we knew far less about the environment of the moon. There was speculation that the dust may be so deep and soft that it’d engulf the lander. There was little way of knowing how the suits would do out in that environment, and radiation is a real threat when there’s no atmosphere or magnetosphere. Being first could have been a suicidal test for all we knew, so in some ways being first was definitely notable.