( CNN ) -- On July 23 , 1969 , as Apollo 11 hurtled back towards Earth , there was a problem -- a problem only a kid could solve . At age 10 , Greg Force reaches his arm into a tiny hole to fix an antenna crucial to Apollo 11 . It sounds like something out of a movie , but that 's what it came down to as Apollo 11 sped back towards Earth after landing on the moon in 1969 . It was around 10:00 at night on July 23 , and 10-year-old Greg Force was at home with his mom and three brothers . His father , Charles Force , was at work . Charles Force was the director of the NASA tracking station in Guam , where the family was living . The Guam tracking station was to play a critical role in the return of Apollo 11 to Earth . A powerful antenna there connected NASA communications with Apollo 11 , and the antenna was the only way for NASA to make its last communications with the astronauts before splashdown . But at the last minute on that night , a bearing in the antenna failed , rendering it nearly useless . To properly replace the bearing would have required dismantling the entire antenna , and there was simply no time . So Charles Force thought of a creative solution : If he could get more grease around the failed bearing , it would probably be fine . The only problem was , nobody at the station had an arm small enough to actually reach in through the two-and-a-half inch opening and pack grease around the bearing . And that 's when Greg was called in to save the day . Charles Force sent someone out to his home to pick up Greg . Once at the tracking station , Greg reached into the tiny hole and packed grease around the failed bearing . It worked , and the station was able to successfully complete its communications role in the mission . Apollo 11 splashed down safely the next day . At the time , Greg did n't think what he was doing was a big deal , and 40 years later , he 's still modest about his role in the mission . `` That 's all I did , was put my hand in and put grease on it , '' he says . If he had n't been there , NASA would not have been able to make its last communications with the mission before splashdown , but Greg says `` it was n't life or death , [ from ] my understanding . '' `` My dad explained to me why it was important , '' he says , `` but it kind of caught me by surprise afterwards , all the attention . '' iReport.com : Read Greg 's firsthand account . That attention came from the media and even the astronauts themselves . Greg 's small but important part in Apollo 11 was a story told by news outlets around the world . He even got a nice thank-you note from Neil Armstrong , whom he met when Armstrong went on a tour of NASA stations with the other astronauts to thank the staff after the mission . `` To Greg , '' reads the note , which Armstrong wrote on a newspaper clipping of Greg 's story , `` with thanks for your help on Apollo 11 . Neil Armstrong . '' Perhaps not surprisingly , like many other kids who grew up during the Apollo era , Greg dreamed of becoming an astronaut . He says he remembers visiting his dad 's office to listen to astronauts communicating with NASA officials on the ground . `` We could sit and listen to the actual communication with the astronauts as it was happening , and it was hard to understand , but I loved to do that , '' he says . `` On Guam we did n't have good television coverage , so I think I listened to the [ moon ] landing on the radio . To me it was a huge thing . '' Greg pursued his dreams of space exploration all the way through college , where he majored in physics . Unfortunately , he was unable to pass the vision test for the space program because of his colorblindness , but even that could n't squelch his interest . Greg went on to get his pilot 's license , and even though his career now as a gymnastics school owner is n't exactly space-related , he says that `` ever since then , I 've followed the space program . '' And as a lover of space exploration , Greg hopes to see more missions to the moon . `` I think it would be an important step as far as going further , like to Mars , '' he says . `` I would love to see us go back to the moon . '' But for now , on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing , he can remember the small but crucial role he played in bringing Apollo 11 home safely . `` It kind of caught me by surprise , '' he says , `` but I 'm real proud to have been even a little tiny part of it . '' iReport.com : See more photos of Greg with his father and Armstrong .
Apollo , then July 23 , fixed an antenna important to the mission . He had arms small enough to reach inside the antenna . His 11 repair helped Apollo two 's safe splashdown . iReport.com : Do you remember Greg Force 11 ?