--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It began with meetings, five months…" description: "\"“It began with meetings, five months before the Apollo 11 launch. The newly formed Committee on Symbolic Activities for the First Lunar Landing gathere..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/mary-roach-635_apollo-11_it-began-with-meetings-five-months-befor_3193455.png" --- # It began with meetings, five months before the Apollo 11… ![“It began with meetings, five months before the Apollo 11 launch. The newly formed Committee on Symbolic Activities for the First Lunar Landing gathered to debate the appropriateness of planting a flag on the moon.” quote by Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/mary-roach-635_apollo-11_it-began-with-meetings-five-months-befor_3193455.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/mary-roach-635_apollo-11_it-began-with-meetings-five-months-befor_3193455.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/mary-roach-635_apollo-11_it-began-with-meetings-five-months-befor_3193455.png) > ““It began with meetings, five months before the Apollo 11 launch. The newly formed Committee on Symbolic Activities for the First Lunar Landing gathered to debate the appropriateness of planting a flag on the moon.”” [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The first lunar landing committee debated symbolic actions, like planting a flag, months before launch. **In simple terms:** Early planning involved symbolic decisions about moon flag. Key Takeaway Consider symbolism in big projects early. Themes planning symbolism space exploration Mood thoughtful analytical Type historical informative When to use this quote - government meetings - space program design - public relations campaigns Key Concepts politics public perception national pride Questions to Reflect On - How do symbols influence public support? - When should symbolism be prioritized? A Different Perspective Symbolic acts may not affect mission success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apollo 11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apollo-11/) [Began Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-meetings-5899368/) [Committee Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committee-symbolic-5899369/) [Formed Committee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formed-committee-4860435/) [Lunar Landing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunar-landing-3867318/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [We have formed a committee of secretaries which will chalk out a strategy to attract investment in the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/we-have-formed-a-committee-of-secretaries-which-will-chalk-out-a/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [“On Christmas Eve, 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts—Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders—became the first human beings to see the far side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-borich/on-christmas-eve-1968-the-apollo-8-astronauts-frank-borman-james/) [Michael Borich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-borich/) > [I'm a conspiracy theorist. I can't help but look at the lunar landing and go, 'We didn't go to the moon.' We never went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-commerford/i-m-a-conspiracy-theorist-i-can-t-help-but-look-at-the-lunar-landing/) [Tim Commerford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-commerford/) > [“By the 1960s, the electronic computer had become an integral tool of science, technology, and business. Without its capacities for memorizing, calculating, comparing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-g-brooks-james-m-grimwood-loyd-s-swenson/by-the-1960s-the-electronic-computer-had-become-an-integral-tool-of/) [Courtney G. Brooks, James M. Grimwood, Loyd S. Swenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-g-brooks-james-m-grimwood-loyd-s-swenson/) > [It's a strange, eerie sensation to fly a lunar landing trajectory not difficult, but somewhat complex and unforgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/it-s-a-strange-eerie-sensation-to-fly-a-lunar-landing-trajectory-not/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [Time flies when you are having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/time-flies-when-you-are-having-fun/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Apollo 11 was the movie premiere of moon landings, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Neil was a bit of a mystic, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-koppel/apollo-11-was-the-movie-premiere-of-moon-landings-with-neil-armstrong/) [Lily Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-koppel/) > [My iPhone has 2 million times the storage of the 1969 Apollo 11 computer. They went to the moon. I throw birds at pig houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/my-iphone-has-2-million-times-the-storage-of-the-1969-apollo-11/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [We would like to give special thanks to all those Americans who built the spacecraft; who did the construction, design, the tests, and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/we-would-like-to-give-special-thanks-to-all-those-americans-who-built/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, the three astronauts from Apollo 11 visited the White House. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/to-commemorate-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-moon-landing-the-three/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Millions of people were inspired by the Apollo Program. I was five years old when I watched Apollo 11 unfold on television, and without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/millions-of-people-were-inspired-by-the-apollo-program-i-was-five/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [ “For me, the most ironic token of \[the first human moon landing\] is the plaque signed by President Richard M. Nixon that Apollo 11… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-me-the-most-ironic-token-of-the-first-human-moon-landing-is-the/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Of course, I was completely enthralled by the space program as a kid - particularly Apollo 11 - and was glued to the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/of-course-i-was-completely-enthralled-by-the-space-program-as-a-kid/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [“I couldn’t say I was surprised that Apollo hadn’t given me a lot to work on. The jerk was known for delivering little to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-couldn-t-say-i-was-surprised-that-apollo-hadn-t-given-me-a-lot-to/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“As everybody knows, a humungous thing happened on Sunday, July 20th, 1969, at exactly 4:17:41 E.D.T. The 'Eagle' has landed. Bingo. Just like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-turpin-myers/as-everybody-knows-a-humungous-thing-happened-on-sunday-july-20th/) [Janet Turpin Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-turpin-myers/) ## More by Mary Roach > [“Rawson points out that although snakes can’t taste, they have a primitive sense of smell. They’ll extend their tongue to gather volatile molecules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/rawson-points-out-that-although-snakes-can-t-taste-they-have-a/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“As the number of Inuit who hunt has dwindled, so has the consumption of organs (and other anatomy not available for purchase at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/as-the-number-of-inuit-who-hunt-has-dwindled-so-has-the-consumption/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [To me, death is dark, pain, grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/to-me-death-is-dark-pain-grief/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“If you look at survivable crashes, it’s rare that even half the emergency exits open,” says Shanahan. “Plus, there’s a lot of panic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-look-at-survivable-crashes-it-s-rare-that-even-half-the/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. If you know the amount of hydrogen someone is exhaling orally, it's a simple matter to extrapolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/he-was-doing-a-breath-hydrogen-test-if-you-know-the-amount-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Viagra isn't the only drug being prescribed off-label for women with arousal problems. Los Angeles urologist Jennifer Berman told me some doctors are prescribing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/viagra-isn-t-the-only-drug-being-prescribed-off-label-for-women-with/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Sharing a room with a cadaver is only mildly different from being in a room alone. They are the same sort of company as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/sharing-a-room-with-a-cadaver-is-only-mildly-different-from-being-in/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Every now and then, someone will tell me that one of my books has made them laugh out loud. I never believe them because:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/every-now-and-then-someone-will-tell-me-that-one-of-my-books-has-made/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“panel applicants at the initial screening were asked not only to describe the cat foods but also to rate them according to how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/panel-applicants-at-the-initial-screening-were-asked-not-only-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“\* Kissing is a less aggressive form of bacterial transplant. Studies of three different gingivitis-causing bacteria have documented migration from spouse to spouse. Periodontically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/kissing-is-a-less-aggressive-form-of-bacterial-transplant-studies-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Nirlungayuk reached a similar conclusion. I tracked him down, seventeen years later, and asked him what the outcome of his country-foods campaign had been.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/nirlungayuk-reached-a-similar-conclusion-i-tracked-him-down-seventeen/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Astronauts are like these mythic legends, but really, they are just regular people, people who wear chinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/astronauts-are-like-these-mythic-legends-but-really-they-are-just/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Olive trees grow in the same climate and soil conditions as grapes. The olive oil people have been up in Napa Valley all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/olive-trees-grow-in-the-same-climate-and-soil-conditions-as-grapes/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“A patient on the way to surgery travels at twice the speed of a patient on the way to the morgue. Gurneys that ferry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/a-patient-on-the-way-to-surgery-travels-at-twice-the-speed-of-a/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) [Explore all 435 Mary Roach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## More Apollo 11 quotes > [“As everybody knows, a humungous thing happened on Sunday, July 20th, 1969, at exactly 4:17:41 E.D.T. The 'Eagle' has landed. Bingo. Just like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-turpin-myers/as-everybody-knows-a-humungous-thing-happened-on-sunday-july-20th/) [Janet Turpin Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-turpin-myers/) > [“I couldn’t say I was surprised that Apollo hadn’t given me a lot to work on. The jerk was known for delivering little to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-couldn-t-say-i-was-surprised-that-apollo-hadn-t-given-me-a-lot-to/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [Of course, I was completely enthralled by the space program as a kid - particularly Apollo 11 - and was glued to the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/of-course-i-was-completely-enthralled-by-the-space-program-as-a-kid/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [ “For me, the most ironic token of \[the first human moon landing\] is the plaque signed by President Richard M. Nixon that Apollo 11… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-me-the-most-ironic-token-of-the-first-human-moon-landing-is-the/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Millions of people were inspired by the Apollo Program. I was five years old when I watched Apollo 11 unfold on television, and without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/millions-of-people-were-inspired-by-the-apollo-program-i-was-five/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, the three astronauts from Apollo 11 visited the White House. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/to-commemorate-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-moon-landing-the-three/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [We would like to give special thanks to all those Americans who built the spacecraft; who did the construction, design, the tests, and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/we-would-like-to-give-special-thanks-to-all-those-americans-who-built/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [My iPhone has 2 million times the storage of the 1969 Apollo 11 computer. They went to the moon. I throw birds at pig houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/my-iphone-has-2-million-times-the-storage-of-the-1969-apollo-11/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [Apollo 11 was the movie premiere of moon landings, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Neil was a bit of a mystic, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-koppel/apollo-11-was-the-movie-premiere-of-moon-landings-with-neil-armstrong/) [Lily Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-koppel/) > [Time flies when you are having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/time-flies-when-you-are-having-fun/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Apollo 11 will probably go down in history as one of the major responses of two nations facing each other with threatening technologies -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/apollo-11-will-probably-go-down-in-history-as-one-of-the-major/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I want manned spaceflight, not just back to the Moon, but beyond that. And I want my daughters and my son to have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/i-want-manned-spaceflight-not-just-back-to-the-moon-but-beyond-that/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [I was born too late to experience Apollo 11, though I do trek to Dad's house every time there's some space event. There's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-weir/i-was-born-too-late-to-experience-apollo-11-though-i-do-trek-to-dad-s/) [Andy Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-weir/) > [“Chester watched it shining clearly above the picnic grounds. Soon an astronaut would step down off the LEM of Apollo 11 and plant his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-r-bufogle/chester-watched-it-shining-clearly-above-the-picnic-grounds-soon-an/) [Quentin R. Bufogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-r-bufogle/) > [If you remember back to some of the television we saw, Buzz and Neil on the Moon with Apollo 11. Black and white. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/if-you-remember-back-to-some-of-the-television-we-saw-buzz-and-neil/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) [Browse all 28 Apollo 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apollo-11/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It began with meetings, five months before the Apollo 11 launch. 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