Teen who watched Apollo 17 launch beside Neil Armstrong tells his…
NASA picked Dermot Gethings, then sixteen, to watch the Apollo seventeen launch beside Neil Armstrong, and he has now shared the memory with the BBC; the view was free.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on Best of BBNPublished
At a glance
- First reported by BBC: “'I watched Apollo 17 launch with Neil Armstrong'”.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 4:31 AM ET on Best of BBN, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentA man named Dermot Gethings has been telling the BBC how NASA picked him at sixteen to watch the Apollo seventeen launch, sitting next to Neil Armstrong.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSixteen, and the best seat in the building. I got a seat behind a pillar at a Coldplay show and called it a win.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThat launch was the last crewed trip to the moon, and he saw it with his own eyes, no screen, no filter, nothing generated afterward.
The story so far
- Teen who watched Apollo 17 launch beside Neil Armstrong tells his… (this story)
- Retired pilot helps historical society buy Neil Armstrong's boyhood… · AP News
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, October 12, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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