Weird NewsVIRAL WATCH

Man recalls watching Apollo 17 launch beside Neil Armstrong

Gethings was selected by NASA as a teenager to witness the 1972 launch firsthand, an experience most space enthusiasts can only dream of.

On air: Kenji Moonfield and Vera Bullock on The Weekend Shift
Published 2:39 AM ET, Sunday, October 11, 2026

▶ As it aired · Weird News

Watch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield and Vera Bullock on this story, from The Weekend Shift at 2:39 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are BBC's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance

First reported by BBC: “'I watched Apollo 17 launch with Neil Armstrong'”.
Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 2:39 AM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Kenji Moonfield and Vera Bullock.
Topics: Apollo.
BBN covered this story before: Margaret Hamilton, Apollo Software Pioneer, Dies at 90 (October 9).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

BBC'I watched Apollo 17 launch with Neil Armstrong'

What BBN said about it

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorDermot Gethings was sixteen when Nasa picked him to watch the Apollo seventeen launch next to Neil Armstrong, the BBC reports.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSixteen. My school trip was a cheese factory.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorCheese is educational.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentRoll it. Astronaut in the suit reaches for the controls. Smooth. No hesitation.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorLook at the crew behind him, floating around the cabin like it's nothing.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWatch the overhead instruments here. That is elite cubicle work in zero gravity.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorRun it back.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThought you didn't care. Viral Score: eight point four, because a sixteen-year-old got the best seat and never once had to share a hotel room.

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