Moon landing - 50 years

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 07:54:18 AM

With this month marking the 50th anniversary of "One giant step," I thought it appropriate to post a link my son-in-law sent me to a really cool site:

https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/mobile/

There is a laptop version as well. They have restored 50 channels of internal mission control audio, just for starters!

I was 17, and still have my diary from 1969 recording the event. I climbed over Striding Edge to Hellvelyn the day before they lifted off, apparently.

I'd forgotten that, but certainly not the lunar landing!

LASteve · July 11, 2019, 08:23:45 AM

Very cool. I'm looking forward to seeing the Apollo 11 documentary movie which just came out on DVD. No reproductions, no CGI, just restored original footage.

I met Buzz Aldrin a few times in a local establishment close to where I live. He's a teetotaler, but a big college football fan and used to stop by the bar on a Saturday to catch the games. It's not often you can shake hands with a moon man!

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 08:33:17 AM

Yes, he had a very public and alcoholic breakdown after the event, chronicled in his book.

My daughter saw the trailer for the Apollo 11 documovie at the movies just a week ago, and reckons it's very good indeed.

Her husband met Apollo 16 astronauts Charlie Duke and Ken Mattingly recently, who were at a Qantas presentation in Sydney and obviously still very active!

Bob G · July 11, 2019, 09:01:07 AM

They must all have had nerves of steel.
I understand that all of them on Apollo 11 elected never to go into space again.
I wonder why? Was it the stress, perhaps?

JonHarbour · July 11, 2019, 09:11:14 AM

Quote from: Bob G on July 11, 2019, 09:01:07 AM
They must all have had nerves of steel.
I understand that all of them on Apollo 11 elected never to go into space again.
I wonder why? Was it the stress, perhaps?

In a way, what more could they do that would top being the first to walk on the moon? NASA pulled back from moon missions in the 1970s due to cost, public opinion and perhaps a bit of "mission accomplished" as well.

I think Armstrong had the biggest pair of you know whats in the history of humanity. He nearly died in space on one of the Gemini missions, he nearly died again testing the rig for the lunar module and when they actually landed on the moon they only had a spare 30 seconds of fuel over what they needed to get home! You wouldn't have known it by the calmness in his voice as they came in to land!

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 09:29:40 AM

These pioneering astronauts did indeed have the right stuff.

It's a shame there's not many of them left, but most of them have written excellent autobiographies, which are well worth reading if you're into this stuff.

I'm not, eh?!

JonHarbour · July 11, 2019, 09:35:32 AM

I can remember watching it on the TV as a four-year-old George. I was absolutely glued to the set for the entire landing - no mean feat for someone so young!

So looking forward to seeing the documentary movie at the cinema next week!

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 09:54:37 AM

Tom Hanks produced a HBO mini series of all the moon missions back in 1996, which is historically accurate.

I have the boxed set, and would use them regularly as a teaching aid before I retired.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon_(miniseries)

Skyline2uk · July 11, 2019, 09:56:12 AM

Apollo (and the "space race" on both sides of the iron curtain) is one of my real passions.

I was actually at Cape Kennedy around the 40th anniversary. A real aerospace Mecca, hallowed ground. If you ever get a chance go, it's worth it for the Saturn V exhibit alone.

Speaking of films and documentary, I can highly recommend HBOs series "from Earth to the Moon". The series, introduced by Tom Hanks, covers Mercury, Gemini and Apollo and many of the people surrounding it. Every episode is superb (there is an episode dedicated to the wives of the astronauts for example). The Apollo 13 episode is also interesting as, apart from Mr Hanks introducing somebody else playing Jim Lovell, there are a few more actors from the "Apollo 13" film playing different roles.

Skyline2uk

Skyline2uk · July 11, 2019, 09:57:20 AM

Quote from: Bealman on July 11, 2019, 09:54:37 AM
Tom Hanks produced a HBO mini series of all the moon missions back in 1996, which is historically accurate.

I have the boxed set, and would use them regularly as a teaching aid before I retired.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon_(miniseries)

Beat me to it by seconds!

Skyline2uk

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 10:00:24 AM

My link is a bit awkward, but it should take you there eventually.

I have two favourite episodes, twelve and seventeen. Apollo numbers, not episode numbers!

Skyline2uk · July 11, 2019, 10:08:01 AM

Some favourite bits for me:

Episode 1 "seriously, who wants my job" and the subsequent briefing on how the heck they were going to do it (land on the moon that is).

Whichever episode dealt with "Spider" (Grumman manufacture of the Lunar Module). The concept of travelled work should be familiar to any engineer now!

Apollo 12 (Pete Conrad and "Mr Bean" as I call him).

Skyline2uk

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 10:12:51 AM

Totally agree. To be honest, over the last almost 25 years, I've watched the whole series so much, the discs are worn out, and I know the script of every episode!!

Alan Bean passed away only just recently. Made a very good living painting Apollo scenes after retiring from NASA.

Pete Conrad was the proverbial action man, and died in a motorcycle accident in the late nineties.

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 10:47:55 AM

During my recent hospitalisation, my family sent me this, thinking I could build it in hospital!

Nice thought! Anyway....

Bealman · July 11, 2019, 10:56:58 AM

Finished product!