40 years ago this month......

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Scrapyard Ape
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40 years ago this month......

Post by Scrapyard Ape »

Let me start with a warning.... I will be resurrecting this thread in July and again in November. (and many times more over the next several years)

My very earliest memories involve the US space program and I can still recall watching this launch on television with my father. (I was three years and one month old at the time) I am going to be sharing my memories with everyone here whether they like it or not. Heh heh. :twisted:

Anyway, this month marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv_ECoIEj_I

This mission was the "dress rehearsal" for the lunar landing, and the full testing of the the lunar module descent and ascent stages outside of Earth orbit, as well as the confirmation of the ability to rendezvous in lunar orbit... ( yeah, I know.... BORING. Bear with me. )

Two crewmembers, John Young and Eugene Cernan, would command later Apollo missions and get to walk on the lunar surface.

One of the big highlights of the mission occurred when the lunar module ascent stage suddenly lost its roll control ability and Gene Cernan let loose with "Son of a bitch" over an open frequency. NASA took some heat from the general public (who completely forgot that these men just came within seconds of losing their lives a quarter of a million miles from home) for allowing such vulgarities over the airwaves.... Different times, huh.







Apologies for the blatant NASA geekery. That's just how I am. :)
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Post by rsp1202 »

Bravo for remembering this mission (but you forgot to mention Tom Stafford!). NASA never put up a crew that was more capable. The space program was/is my first love. Not to denegrate the shuttle crews or workers, but back in the good old days NASA's steely-eyed missile men and astronauts accomplished heroic things never before attempted, such as the Apollo 10 mission.

If you're interested, www.nasaspaceflight.com (not affiliated with NASA) is an excellent source of information about current and past planning/missions, etc., populated by a bunch of NASA insiders and some very smart amateur space enthusiasts. Very professional and well-run site.
Ron
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

NASA took some heat from the general public
well one thing hasn't changed...they (general public) are still a bunch of whining tarts

Clive
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Gene
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Re: 40 years ago this month......

Post by Gene »

Scrapyard Ape wrote:Apologies for the blatant NASA geekery. That's just how I am. :)
No apologies needed - big NASA geek here, too.

I loved every second of the Space Center tour when I was out there a few years ago. I REALLY loved the Apollo building, with the full launch re-creation -- using the actual consoles from the actual, original launch, all controlled by computer - just fantastic!
Gene

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Post by wenestvedt »

Gong to the moon and coming back alive -- and all the gear was analog! Blows my mind to think of it every time.

I got to touch the moon rock at the Smithsonian and I squealed a little. (I was all of 25 at the time, so some childish excitement is in order.) (Still would be, too!)

- Will
P.S. Bring on the space geekery!
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Post by sgtrecon212 »

I watch the NASA channel once in a while. Agreed, and again not to take anyhing away from our current heroes but dang.......Those guys in the old days were gutsy. Reminds me of the movie Space Cowboys.
Steve
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

rsp1202 wrote:If you're interested, www.nasaspaceflight.com (not affiliated with NASA) is an excellent source of information about current and past planning/missions, etc., populated by a bunch of NASA insiders and some very smart amateur space enthusiasts. Very professional and well-run site.
Been a member there for some time now. I like to read the forums (especially the sections concerning Project Constellation) but I don't post there.... too many hardcore brainiacs. I would not be able to converse. :lol:
~Greg
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Post by jtpca »

Thanks for posting the video - it is time to go back... and beyond.
Jason

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Hawkeye5
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Post by Hawkeye5 »

As with most newsworthy items that occurred in 1969, I missed this. I was somewhat out of touch while touring the Central Highlands of Viet Nam at government expense.

Thanks.
John
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

Time to resurrect this thread.


Ok. This month is the biggie. I mean come on... it's the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. I'll be littering the thread with videos and pictures I think are the best available.

This posting features a video of the rollout from the VAB to the pad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la9FdTVok2o

Really nice quality for YouTube.(be warned though... no audio) Very good views of the crawler and what it is capable of doing.... particularly the ability to keep the stack level while going up an incline.


Actually, the events in the video took place in late May, 1969. It was just more convenient to wait till the month of the mission before posting.
~Greg
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Post by kronos9 »

July 20, 1969.

I was a little space-enthused kid staying at a summer camp that night.

Heard the news on a small transistor radio.

I had followed the space program from Mercury through Apollo. Many times I would watch a Gemini launch (sponsored by Gulf Oil) early in the morning before running for the school bus.

The Saturn V is still the most awesome rocket ever built.
Ed
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Post by brothers »

rsp1202 wrote:Bravo for remembering this mission (but you forgot to mention Tom Stafford!). NASA never put up a crew that was more capable. The space program was/is my first love. Not to denegrate the shuttle crews or workers, but back in the good old days NASA's steely-eyed missile men and astronauts accomplished heroic things never before attempted, such as the Apollo 10 mission.

If you're interested, www.nasaspaceflight.com (not affiliated with NASA) is an excellent source of information about current and past planning/missions, etc., populated by a bunch of NASA insiders and some very smart amateur space enthusiasts. Very professional and well-run site.
Tom Stafford was in my office a few months ago, he gave me a copy of the photo he took of earth from the spacecraft, and he asked me if I had a sharpie, so I gave him one and he autographed it for me. Great guy. The elevator wasn't working in our building at the moment, so at his age, at least 70? he simply walked up without even breathing hard. Cool guy!
Gary

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Scrapyard Ape
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

Okie doke.

40 years ago today.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGNryrsT7OI
From T minus six minutes through LES jettison.


and...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rXtG3vf ... annel_page
Highspeed cam shots of liftoff and first few minutes of powered flight.
~Greg
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fallingwickets
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Post by fallingwickets »

many thanks for the links. I liked the high speed one the most, especially the first 2.5 minutes....reminded me of my grill

:lol:

Clive
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Scrapyard Ape
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

fallingwickets wrote:....reminded me of my grill
Note to self: Clive likes to eat pure carbon slabs that once were nice, juicy steaks. :mrgreen:
~Greg
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Post by 2clfrwrds »

Here's some segments of the restored/enhanced moonwalk video. (The server seems to be pretty slammed right now.)

--Glenn
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

An additional vid to ad here, even though it is two days early....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_sWmD6NvMY

This is CBS coverage of the lunar landing. Rest in Peace, Walter Cronkite (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009)
~Greg
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

Still more stuff.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/m ... sites.html

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been busy snapping pictures the past couple of weeks. This level of resolution has not been available until this year.

/edit: The site of Apollo 12 will be photographed in the next few days.

/edit 2: These images are not to the full capability of the probe. The LRO will begin photomapping the lunar surface by the end of this week.... images should be 2 to 3 times greater resolution then. I can't wait.


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
~Greg
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kronos9
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Post by kronos9 »

I just found this. Never knew it existed. Just a glimpse of what could have happened.
Good to know this was one speech that was never given.

http://www.space.com/news/090719-apollo ... nixon.html
Last edited by kronos9 on Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ed
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Post by IanM »

I was almost 13 months old when the Apollo 11 mission was happening.

I was in front of the TV when Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Aldrin stepped onto the moon, but I was sleeping.

I do remember watching later NASA missions during the early '70s, but it really means more to me now than it did then, of course.

Ian
Last edited by IanM on Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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