Apollo 11 37 years

[tonycondon]

Happy Moon landing anniversary everyone. Or as i call it: "Annual space nerds get depressed that we cant get out of low earth orbit day" Sigh.

I tell you what though, everytime I see a TV program or read a book about the first landing, I still get chills up my spine. Even though I know exactly what happens, it was pretty darn suspensefull (sp?)

 

[ScottM]

Happy Moon landing anniversary everyone. Or as i call it: "Annual space nerds get depressed that we cant get out of low earth orbit day" Sigh.

I tell you what though, everytime I see a TV program or read a book about the first landing, I still get chills up my spine. Even though I know exactly what happens, it was pretty darn suspensefull (sp?)

Some day soon I hope we will return. But then I am still waiting for my flying car that was promised to us by the end of the twentieth century

 

[ScottM]

A few pics I have on my computer courtesy of NASA

 

[ScottM]

It is hard to believe that it has been 34 years since man has escaped the gravitational pull of the earth. -- Mike

try this one of size then.

Neil Armstrong was 38 when he landed on the moon
Buzz Aldrin was 39
Mike Collins was 38.

Most of the other Apollo astronauts were of equivelant age

34 years ago was almost half a lifetime ago to these guy. They are all in their 70's now and many have already headed west. We are fast approaching a time in the not to distant future where this planet will once again no have a single person on it that has set foot on another world.

 

[tonycondon]

I currently have the earthrise photo as my desktop. Amazing stuff those boys did way back when my dad was a little kid.

 

[flybill7]

If you havn't seen the IMAX movie -- Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D -- make every effort to see it. You really feel like you are on the moon. I imagine it's about as close as you can get without actually being there ...

... Bill

 

[fgcason]

Happy Moon landing anniversary everyone. Or as i call it: "Annual space nerds get depressed that we cant get out of low earth orbit day" Sigh.

Amen to that.

The Glory Days are over. We use to be straining at the end of the gravity rope like a puppy going for a walk. If something doesn't work out to reach the goal, figure out another method that will. Today we hold our breath in dread hoping desperately that the flight of the day will manage to limp into low earth orbit without blowing itself to smithereens.

I tell you what though, everytime I see a TV program or read a book about the first landing, I still get chills up my spine. Even though I know exactly what happens, it was pretty darn suspensefull (sp?)

If you missed it, look for a book called "First Man." It's Neil Armstrongs authorized biography that came out mid-late last year. There's not a lot about spaceflight in there but it's an interesting read.
"First On The Moon" circa 1970 is good too if you can find a copy.


Here's a fun one: Project Fire. (a.k.a. how to man rate a moon mission reentry vehicle) Computer testing is for panzies. They did all the math by hand, invented completely new stuff that did NOT exist before, scratched their heads, said "yup, that should do"...Then launched Apollo CM test hardware way up into a suborbital trajectory. Once it started back down, they fired an Antares 3rd stage solid rocket motor that was attached to the nose to shove it back into the atmosphere at 24,500 mph.

 

[CJones]

If you havn't seen the IMAX movie -- Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D -- make every effort to see it. You really feel like you are on the moon. I imagine it's about as close as you can get without actually being there ...

... Bill

The first IMAX movie I ever saw was at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama when I was in elementary school. It was a movie about the astronaut training program. I don't remember much except when they had the camera mounted on the 'splashdown' chair and everyone in the theater nearly flew out of their seats when it hit the water. I would LOVE to see some of the 'space' type movies they have for IMAX now.

-Chris

 

[jshawley]

We saw "Hail Columbia" at Huntsville several years ago, back when the O2 tank was painted white.

I also remember the glory days: Slide rules got us to the moon, the magnificent seven, the "great ughknown"...

Now it's virtually zero risk or the endeaver is cancelled.

 

[poadeleted20]

And that would also make it the 37th anniversary of my first solo!

 

[gismo]

And that would also make it the 37th anniversary of my first solo!

Let's see, that was "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, and one big step for Ron Levy.

 

[Ghery]

We saw "Hail Columbia" at Huntsville several years ago, back when the O2 tank was painted white.

Well, that makes it one of the first 6 flights. Got rid of 600 pounds of white paint after that.

Can't remember the IMAX film name that includes the Solar Max recovery mission, but I had a small part in that one (the mission, not the film). Oh, that was a long time ago.

 

[ScottM]

Well, that makes it one of the first 6 flights. Got rid of 600 pounds of white paint after that.

Can't remember the IMAX film name that includes the Solar Max recovery mission, but I had a small part in that one (the mission, not the film). Oh, that was a long time ago.

STS-3 was the first flight when they did not paint the tank white.
http://spaceinfo.jaxa.jp/db/kaihatu/shuttle/shuttle_e/sts-3_e.html

STS-1 and STS-2 used the white tank. I worked at KSC in the early 80's on the Space shuttle missions. I must admit when we saw the orange tank rolling out we all thought about how ugly that thing is. But it grows on you.

 

[Ghery]

STS-3 was the first flight when they did not paint the tank white.
http://spaceinfo.jaxa.jp/db/kaihatu/shuttle/shuttle_e/sts-3_e.html

STS-1 and STS-2 used the white tank. I worked at KSC in the early 80's on the Space shuttle missions. I must admit when we saw the orange tank rolling out we all thought about how ugly that thing is. But it grows on you.

Just the first two? I thought we painted a few more. Oh well, that was 600 more pounds that could go into orbit.

 

[Frank Browne]

My dad planned our vacation to Yellowstone Park that year to arrive home the day before Apollo 11 was launched. He took this photo of the TV with his Zeiss Icon camera set on a chair in front of the TV.

 

[fgcason]

I must admit when we saw the orange tank rolling out we all thought about how ugly that thing is. But it grows on you.

Just because something grows on you doesn't change the fact that it's still ugly.

I recall the first launch was a bit silly looking. Little short chubby space ship glued to the side of a short fat chubby 3 cylinder thingie. It didn't even look like it was balanced very well...it still doesn't. It jumped off the pad though which was a bit surprising. I couldn't help thinking it was a bit anti-climatic and the era of real rockets was gone. I mean it didn't make a lot of noise or smoke while it sat there for a few seconds making up it's mind on when to start moving. The shuttle may have been the future of efficient low earth orbit space flight but it just doesn't have the presence of a Saturn V. Saturn was the Rocket of the Gods...and it had a goal that only the Gods could have the audacity to attempt.

FWIW, I have an old beta video tape in the closet that has the first shuttle launch on it. Now if there was just a way to get it to vhs or computer...

 

[TangoWhiskey]

FWIW, I have an old beta video tape in the closet that has the first shuttle launch on it. Now if there was just a way to get it to vhs or computer...

How about to DVD? For about $20?

http://www.canaantechs.com/videotape.htm