Interesting: Safire’s speech for Major Tom moon landing scenario

Some people have said that the moon landing was the last great moment of American triumph, even if Buzz Aldrin still has to, at an advanced age, smack around doubting Thomases for challenging the event’s veracity.

But a successful round-trip wasn’t always a foregone conclusion. William Safire, former White House speechwriter who died earlier this week, had a plan b speech queued up in the event Aldrin and Neil Armstrong expired in the attempt. Gawker posted pictures of the luckily-never-orated speech: