Preston astronomer recalls meeting Neil Armstrong at Apollo 17 launch

Nearly 54 years after witnessing the final manned lunar mission, a Preston astronomer is set to have his extraordinary journey documented on screen. Dermot Gethings, now 70, was handpicked by the US Embassy and NASA at the age of 16 to travel to Florida for the Apollo 17 launch, where he stood mere metres from legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Gethings, the vice chair of the Preston & District Astronomical Society, described the visceral experience of the launch on December 7, 1972. “As it launched there was this incredible adrenaline and a shockwave that rattled every bone in your body,” he recalled. “It is the stuff that you dream about.”

His fascination with space began in childhood, sparked by the Cold War Space Race and a vivid memory of seeing the Milky Way at age 10. This passion led him to start an astronomy club at St John Fisher’s School in Preston and earn an O-Level in the subject while still a teenager.

After his school exhibitions were featured in the Lancashire Evening Post, Gethings received an unexpected letter from the US Embassy inviting him to interview for a spot on an international youth science tour. He was one of 16 UK students chosen for the 19-day all-expenses-paid trip, which included visits to NASA bases, the White House, and meetings with senators.

One of the tour’s most memorable moments occurred accidentally on the day of the launch. Gethings recounted bumping into a tall man outside his motel, only to realize it was Neil Armstrong. The two walked together to the launch site, where Armstrong posed for a photograph with Gethings beside his car.

During the launch itself, Gethings sat in the VIP viewing box just three miles from the pad. He remembered the ground shaking like an earthquake and a “painful crackling staccato snapping sound” against his skin as Apollo 17 climbed into the sky.

Later in the mission, Gethings was present at the Space Center in Houston when the astronauts spoke directly to the student group. When Apollo 17 returned, a moon rock collected by commander Eugene Cernan was split into 80 pieces, with Gethings receiving the United Kingdom’s goodwill specimen.

Upon returning home, Gethings presented the moon rock to Prime Minister Edward Heath at 10 Downing Street in July 1973. The artifact is now on display at the Natural History Museum in London.

A 30-minute documentary titled “The Custodian of the Goodwill Moon Rock,” directed by University of Lancashire graduate Sarah Bullough, will explore Gethings’ story. It is scheduled to screen at the University’s Preston Campus on Wednesday, October 14.

“To be brought over there to see places and meet people that you have only ever read about or seen on TV – it was the stuff of dreams,” Gethings said. “I knew what a privilege it was – even at the time. It will just be fantastic to see that journey on the big screen.”