I should think that would certainly settle the matter.
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11$\begingroup$ An unsubstantiated story I heard was that the much-rehearsed line was supposed to be "by a man". Neil just blew it. Maybe he had something else on his mind at the time. $\endgroup$– WoodyCommented Aug 20 at 4:47
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3$\begingroup$ During the TV live broadcast few people likely heard or understood what Neil said at that moment. It wasn’t obvious from the shadowy TV pictures when the first step occurred. Walter Cronkite thought Neil had already stepped on the Moon and began pontificating, and came within milliseconds of stepping on Neil's statement. Wally Schirra said, “I think that was Neil’s quote but I didn’t understand it.” Cronkite, “One small step for man but I didn’t get the second phrase”. Frank McGee on NBC, “I think he said one small step for man but one giant leap for man. I’m not certain I got all that right”. $\endgroup$– Steve PembertonCommented Aug 20 at 8:42
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$\begingroup$ What exactly are the grammatical implications of a missing "a"? "for a man" refers to himself, I believe. "for man" would imply something like "human" or is it automatically a "for men" if the a is omitted? At least I assume there is some question about the quote being sexist lingering in the air, but I think this is absurd to assume. I also think the audio has something like "...fora man..." munched together and the pauses being because of climbing down the ladder while timing the sentence with the first step on the moon's surface. $\endgroup$– AntaresCommented Aug 22 at 14:48
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Yes, at least one writer has asked him directly. As mentioned in the Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal:
109:24:23 Armstrong: That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind. (Long Pause)
[At the time of the mission, the world heard Neil say "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind". As Andrew Chaikin details in A Man on the Moon, after the mission, Neil said that he had intended to say 'one small step for a man' and believed that he had done so. However, he also agreed that the 'a' didn't seem to be audible in the recordings.
The A Man on the Moon reference is to a footnote on page 209 (Penguin paperback edition) and reads in full
The quote would be forever footnoted. Armstrong would report after the flight that he had intended to say "...one small step for a man," but the indefinite article is definitely missing from the transmission. In 1971, asked by writer Robert Sherrod whether the "a" had been lost in transmission or simply forgotten, Armstrong, clearly savoring the ambiguity, replied, "We'll never know." To this writer, the cadence of Armstrong's words on tape suggests that the "a" was forgotten, not lost.
Emphasis mine except for the timestamp.
I never met him myself (I'm simply too young), but I consistently heard he was a pretty humble guy. Him not being entirely sure — he intended to say it, he believed he said it, but he might have slightly misspoken — is altogether consistent with everything I've ever heard about him.
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9$\begingroup$ All I can say is there's a big hesitation there right between 'for man' and 'giant leap' -- "one small step for man... one... giant leap" that, to me, reads very clearly as "CRAP did I flub the line?! Never mind, can't go back, gotta finish it." $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 20 at 16:39
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8$\begingroup$ I recall someone doing an analysis of the recording and coming to the conclusion that he did say 'a' but that it wasn't transmitted for some technical reason. There was a dead spot in the audio or something like that. I wish I knew where or had a reference but I thought it was settled that he did say it. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 20 at 16:42
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1$\begingroup$ I found something about it but details are light. An Australian named Peter Shannon Ford claims he found evidence for the 'a' being spoken. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 20 at 16:48
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6$\begingroup$ @DougWarren it's possible...just possible...he had other stuff on his mind other than making a cool speech. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 20 at 17:24
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3$\begingroup$ The comments of this answer aren't a place to discuss why/if Neil misspoke. Please move it to chat instead $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 21 at 6:07