ONE SMALL STEP LIVES ON 30 YEARS LATER

Today is the 30th anniversary of the moon landing that riveted the attention of the world. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11, together with Armstrong's words -- "that's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," -- became seared into the consciousness of the world. These two had become the first humans to set foot on soil beyond their own planet.

This incredible accomplishment did much to solidify beyond contest our era as "The American Century," as the late Time publisher Henry Luce dubbed it. It was a signal triumph of American ingenuity, know-how and technological superiority, and its payoffs continue for all Americans today.

What has only recently become known is that inside the Nixon White House, then-speechwriter, now ace New York Times columnist William Safire, had undertaken work on another contingency. His assignment: A draft speech for delivery by the president, in the very real possibility of mechanical failure that would have made the task of getting the two men off the moon and back into the Apollo vehicle, impossible. In that event, mission planners and the astronauts knew, the two unlucky men would have faced the certainty of either starving or freezing to death, or committing suicide. There would have been no escape, owing to there being no back-up contingency. The point of mentioning this is to acknowledge the very real dangers faced by Armstrong, Aldrin and all these brave men.

A pall was cast over the anniversary by the death of the third man to walk on the moon -- astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad. This leading character among the elite corps of astronauts survived all the challenges of space travel, only to succumb at age 69 to a motorcycle accident.

America pauses on this 30th anniversary to recover a sense of the awe, the wonder and the tremendous pride we all felt on that historic day.