The US ambassador in Canberra has praised the Australians who helped beam the vision of man's first steps on the moon to the world, saying America is "eternally grateful" for Australia’s involvement in the Apollo 11 mission.
Arthur B Culvahouse Jr, used one of his first public appearances since being appointed to the envoy post to attend a special 50th anniversary moon landing commemorative event at Honeysuckle Creek tracking station on Saturday.
The anniversary brought together the Australians involved in receiving live images of the first moon landing.
Brett Mason/SBS News
The station, along with the Parkes receiving dish, helped broadcast the high-quality live feed from the lunar module to NASA, allowing more than 600 million people around the world to witness the iconic moment Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.
Dozens of people, including former trackers, attended the event in Namadgi National Park southwest of Canberra on Saturday, where vision of the landing was replayed to the audience and a new monument featuring the words "one small step, one giant leap" was unveiled to mark the 50th anniversary.
