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New Australian footage of Neil Armstrong's moon walk  

SYDNEY (AFP) – Long-lost footage of Neil Armstrong descending the ladder of the Apollo 11 lunar module will be screened in public for the first time in Sydney next week, a prominent astronomer told AFP.

The footage runs for a few minutes and is considered to be some of the best footage of the historic 1969 moonwalk, but the film was lost in archives for many years and was badly damaged when found, said John Sarkissian.

It depicts the first few minutes of Armstrong's descent which was recorded in Australia as NASA was still scrambling for a signal, showing a far clearer image than was initially screened worldwide.

[Related: Space-shuttle workers facing layoffs]

Telescopes in remote Australia played a key role in the Apollo 11 mission, including provision of the television signal, after Armstrong decided to attempt the moonwalk early, putting the United States just beyond the horizon.

Sarkissian -- historian and astronomer in charge of the Australian side of the recordings restoration project -- said the unseen minutes were the "best quality of Armstrong descending the ladder..."  

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100928/sc_afp/usspaceastronomymoonaustralia_20100928094640   (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100928/sc_afp/usspaceastronomymoonaustralia_20100928094640)