Moon Landing: 40 Years Ago July 20th

[3113]

http://kevincolby.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/apollo_11_insignia-296x300.png

40 years ago tomorrow (July 16th), Apollo 11 was launched. Four days later, July 20th, Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon.

It was an incredible, remarkable achievement, perhaps the most incredible, remarkable achievement in the history of human kind. It was done using computers that wouldn't be enough to power a modern-day cellphone. Yet the most astonishing obstacles were overcome: air, water, extremes in temperature, getting there, getting back without burning up or missing the re-entry point. I will be forever in awe that we managed it. And though it was done for Cold War reasons, Apollo astronauts would later recall how, in every nation they visited, people said to them "We did it." It united the world as a human endeavor and a global success.

Use this thread to post your memories (if you were around to actually see it), and let us know how you'll be celebrating if you're celebrating.

I'm tempted to rent the HBO series about going to the Moon, as well at The Right Stuff and Apollo 13.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I was in Vietnam.

 

[The_Fool]

I remember watching Neil do his thing. Seems like it took forever for them to land.

 

[Handley_Page]

I remember watching Neil do his thing. Seems like it took forever for them to land.

They nearly didn't. About 6 seconds of fuel left, I think.

 

[amicus]

You beat me on this one Handley, was gonna do it a few days from now.

Military needs, like it or not, often fuel research in areas that might not be able to fund such vast enterprises.

Since the 'Cold War' was in full swing, and as JBJ pointed out, American boys were dying in Vietnam and International Communism was still a threat, I'll be damned if I equate the American Moon Landing as a World Event, in your terms.

To me it would be like heralding Hadrian's Wall, built in Britain by the Romans, as a feather in Frances' cap, not buying it.

As the Greeks and Romans were the spearpoint of human intelligence in their times, so too was the United States in 1969, discounting the fact that our, 'German' Scientists' were better than the Russian's.

I recall being at the University of Tampa, in Tampa, Florida, interviewing students for a piece to the New York Times...as I was, 'on the road', I have not to this day learned if it was published or not...probably not.

The students reactions were interesting and curious as they all gathered around the black and white television set in the students recreation area.

While it indeed was a, 'giant leap' for the human species, it was an American accomplishment and I, for one, will not view it any other way.

The now 40 year hiatus since a human set foot on the Moon, is to me, a national disgrace as is the impending energy crisis as Americans, thanks to the Hippy Generation of Baby Boomers, contemplated their navels, looked inward and lost the spirit of exploration and adventure.

But yes, I remember that day and the preceding weeks, with great reverence for the American spirit.

Not dissing you, as a Brit, or anyone else...just sayin'....

Amicus

 

[TE999]

I watched the landing on TV absolutely fascinated. Man was on the moon! How cool was that! "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." I wonder if we'll ever return...or go to Mars? One can dream.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

AMICUS

Yep thats when all the PC BS started. We pretended and the world pretended that their bongo drums and goats played a significant role in space exploration.

 

[penandpaper]

I watched the landing on TV absolutely fascinated. Man was on the moon! How cool was that! "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." I wonder if we'll ever return...or go to Mars? One can dream.

I wasn't born yet, but the video still inspires me. Hell, one of the reasons I love to read Discover and Scientific American is because of the space articles - specifically moons and planets. What a great adventure and exploration. My only wish is that it wasn't so tied to nationalism. Hopefully, the next moon and Mars exploration will be more worldly. It would be a great thing to share.

 

[R. Richard]

I have seen video tapes of the first moon landing. Watching them is very instructive. The first words spoken by a man landing on the moon, were, "Slippery here." Then and only then did the man speak the fanous words.

 

[trysail]

Jul 04, 2009
Another Moonwalker Dissents: NASA Astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin rejects global warming fears: ‘The climate has been changing for billions of years’
By Marc Morano, Climate Depot

Washington, DC - At a House global warming hearing on Capitol Hill on April 24, 2009, former Vice President Al Gore once again compared skeptics of man-made climate fears to “people who still believe that the moon landing was staged on a movie lot in Arizona.” Gore appears ignorant that his several years old analogy has been refuted by two of NASA’s moonwalkers themselves—Moonwalker and Award-Winning NASA Astronaut/Geologist Jack Schmitt - who recently declared he was a global warming skeptic and now, Award-Winning NASA Astronaut and Moonwalker Dr. Buzz Aldrin.

NASA’s Dr. Aldrin—who earned a Doctorate of Science in Astronautics at MIT—declared he was skeptical of man-made climate fears in a July 3, 2009 UK Telegraph interview. “I think the climate has been changing for billions of years,” Aldrin, the second person to walk on the Moon, said. On July 20, 1969, Aldrin and astronaut Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk, becoming the first two humans to set foot on the Moon. According to his bio, “Aldrin has received three U.S. patents for his schematics of a modular space station, Starbooster reusable rockets, and multi-crew modules for space flight.” Aldrin was also decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American peacetime award and he has received numerous distinguished awards and medals from 23 other countries.

“If it’s warming now, it may cool off later. I’m not in favor of just taking short-term isolated situations and depleting our resources to keep our climate just the way it is today,” Aldrin explained. “I’m not necessarily of the school that we are causing it all, I think the world is causing it,” Aldrin added.

Aldrin joins fellow moonwalker Schmitt, who flew on the Apollo 17 mission, in declaring their skepticism of man-made global warming fears.

Schmitt has received numerous awards in his career including the Space Center Superior Achievement Award and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. A member of the Geological Society of America, American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he rejected man-made climate change concerns in 2008.

“The ‘global warming scare’ is being used as a political tool to increase government control over American lives, incomes and decision making. It has no place in the Society’s activities,” Schmitt wrote on November 17, 2008. “As a geologist, I love Earth observations. But it is ridiculous to tie this objective to a “consensus” that humans are causing global warming when human experience, geologic data and history, and current cooling can argue otherwise. ‘Consensus,’ as many have said, merely represents the absence of definitive science,” Schmitt explained.

 

[3113]

Jul 04, 2009
Another Moonwalker Dissents: NASA Astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin rejects global warming fears: ‘The climate has been changing for billions of years’

Try, in spite of the fact that you resurrect your own tedious thread every month in desperate hopes of preaching to nobody, I have never yet thought badly of you, nor ignored what you had to say on other subjects. But now I am thinking badly of you. And I'm thinking that I don't want to ever know what you have to say on any subject again. I take real offense, REAL offense, to you using this thread to preach and needlessly stir the pot of your own favorite argument instead of using it for its real purpose.

Shame on you for selfishly jacking this thread.

As for what Buzz there thinks, if I'm going to the Moon, I'll ask his opinion. If I'm worried about climate change, I won't because he's not a climate scientist or anyone who's spent time studying it with climate scientists. That is what is called, in argumentation, a "reliable" authority. Making this a poor point and argument even if it was appropriate for this thread (meaning if it was about climate change). So you strike out twice on that score, and a third time for being rude.

I expected courtesy from you. Evidently, I expected way too much

 

[jak_jism]

Driving south on the beach in Daytona when up she went, about sixty miles south. I knew they were going but was completely surprised by the event. Stopped and hung out until all that was left was a faint contrail. I did buy and still own the photos NASA packaged and sold after the event. The EARTHRISE pic, which I believe came from 11, awed me for decades until Hubble started its run.

 

[sutherngent985]

I was 10 yrs old at the time and my family was visiting some friends. They had their TV turned to it and we all just watched, spellbound, as Armstrong took the first step. Its a night I will never forget.

The Kennedy Library is doing a real time reenactment here http://wechoosethemoon.org

 

[DesertPirate]

One of the biggest events of my early years!
I wish we still had that spirit and dedication to anything.

 

[Handley_Page]

In the UK, we had to wait for the Canteen to open and saw it 5 hours later.
But the general feeling was "Wow".

 

[slyc_willie]

One of the biggest events of my early years!
I wish we still had that spirit and dedication to anything.

Well, if Al-Qaeda promised to fly to the moon, we'd probably be the first nation to beat them to it all over again.

 

[trysail]

Try, in spite of the fact that you resurrect your own tedious thread every month in desperate hopes of preaching to nobody, I have never yet thought badly of you, nor ignored what you had to say on other subjects. But now I am thinking badly of you. And I'm thinking that I don't want to ever know what you have to say on any subject again. I take real offense, REAL offense, to you using this thread to preach and needlessly stir the pot of your own favorite argument instead of using it for its real purpose.

Shame on you for selfishly jacking this thread.

As for what Buzz there thinks, if I'm going to the Moon, I'll ask his opinion. If I'm worried about climate change, I won't because he's not a climate scientist or anyone who's spent time studying it with climate scientists. That is what is called, in argumentation, a "reliable" authority. Making this a poor point and argument even if it was appropriate for this thread (meaning if it was about climate change). So you strike out twice on that score, and a third time for being rude.

I expected courtesy from you. Evidently, I expected way too much

When you start a thread you should have every expectation that readers will associate the topic with its principals and current affairs. The fact that one of the principal actors in the thread title ( who is, by the way, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained scientist and a Ph.D. ) has made a public statement within the last week is both highly germane and noteworthy.

 

[Weird Harold]

The fact that one of the principal actors in the thread title ( who is, by the way, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained scientist and a Ph.D. ) has made a public statement within the last week is both highly germane and noteworthy.

No it's not.

And big dark green text is still rude and annoying, so I'm not sure why 3113 expected any kind of courtesy from you.

 

[3113]

40th Anniversary Video

President honors Apollo 11 Astronauts on the 40th Anniversary

Armstrong speaks at Reunion

 

[JackLuis]

I watched the landing on the front lawn on a 12 inch B/W tv with my girl. I wanted to look at the moon and watch the landing. A very memorable event.

What I also remember is that she had on just one of my dress shirts and after the landing we went inside and ... Ah memories of redheads past.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Try this video...here.

 

[slyc_willie]

Discovery is running a whole host of specials tonight dedicated to the anniversary.

 

[Weird Harold]

Discovery is running a whole host of specials tonight dedicated to the anniversary.

TCM is also running a "Moony" movie marathon today -- including the 1909 silent classic "Voyage to the Moon." and a 1960's Three Stooges space adventure.

 

[slyc_willie]

TCM is also running a "Moony" movie marathon today -- including the 1909 silent classic "Voyage to the Moon." and a 1960's Three Stooges space adventure.

I think I've seen the Three Stooges flick. Nyuck, nyuck!

Discovery had a pretty good special -- When We Left Earth -- about the Apollo 11 crew. Included new interviews and a lot of footage I hadn't seen before, such as photos after Virgil Grissom burned up. It was a very informative program. Kept even the SO's attention.

 

[DeeZire]

I think it would have been really cool if Michael Jackson would have died on July 20th - the 40th anniversary of the first MOONWALK!

Where was I 40 years ago today? Well, see, there's this old song, I think it was by Captain Hook, called "I Got Stoned and I Missed It."