Documentary re-released to commemorate 1969 moonwalk 15:25, June 18, 2009

A 1970 documentary on the voyage of Apollo 11 and its historic lunar landing is set to be re- released to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the event.

The original film called "Moonwalk One" documented the incredible journey that Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins made to the moon in July 1969. The film, directed by Theo Kamecke, was commissioned by NASA and released in 1970 to a population over-saturated with news coverage about space. So, at the time, it did not perform well at the box office.

"Moonwalk One" follows Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins, as well as the thousands of NASA employees throughout the entire eight-day Apollo 11 mission, which began on July 16, 1969. The film documents everything from the making of the high-tech spacesuits to the spacecraft's trek to the moon and back. And of course it includes the astronauts' historic moonwalk on July 20, 1969.

The film also includes footage that captures the essence of the world's reaction to Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, when he uttered the immortal phrase "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

Although footage from the film has been seen by countless people over the past forty years, "Moonwalk One" was shown in its entirety only a few times during the early 1970s. Director Theo Kamecke hopes enough time has gone by that the subject will be fresh and interesting to an entirely new generation.

"Moonwalk One" will be available on DVD starting on June 21, 2009.

"Source: CCTV.com"