Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people ever to walk on the moon in the summer of 1969.
Next NASA's concern was whether Apollo 11 would be able to leave moon surface and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would be able to ever return the earth. If Apollo 11 liftoff failed, both Armstrong and Aldrin would be stranded on the moon forever.
In such case of Moon Disaster, the speech writer of President Nixon had drafted a presidential speech which Nixon had to announce to public in case of tragedy.
The following speech, which later revealed in 1999, was sent to President Nixon’s Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman. Finally, Nixon would had to read the following speech to the people watching on TV:
"Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding. They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind."
This speech was never delivered, and it’s not clear if President Nixon himself had ever knowledge of this speech.