# KindleBoards Contest: Let's remember the lunar landing!



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

EDIT: We've been enjoying this thread so much, we've decided to have a spur-of-the-moment contest! Continue posting your memories of the Lunar Landing, (or your conspiracy theory thereof, LOL!) and you will be entered in a drawing for a $40 Amazon Gift Certificate! You can use it to buy some of the wonderful books already suggested! Woohoo!

Harvey will do the drawing on the 20th!!!
Now, back to Leslie's Post--pardon this interruption.
**************

It was 40 years ago this month (July 20) that Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon. The countdown for Apollo 11 began on July 10th with liftoff at 9:32 am (EDT) on July 16th.

I remember it very well. I was 14 that summer and my friend Cathy and I were glued to the TV at my Auntie Em's house.

I am sure there are others here with memories that they can share. Please do!

In honor of the anniversary, there are a couple of new books out. The first one, Rocket Men, got a good review in the Wall Street Journal.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I was a bit ticked off at my parents then in that we were vacationing at a cottage on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan that week, and we had no TV; so we had to listen to the landing on the radio. It actually wasn't all that bad. In a way, it was kind of neat having the family sitting around the kitchen table listening to the radio together. All in all it was a really nice vacation, so I quickly forgave them.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

This isn't about the moon landing, but if one considers that the moon landing wouldn't have happened without the whole history leading up to it, this is on topic! Watched October Sky yesterday when I should have been quilting and it reminded me how good the book it was based on was:











Homer Hickam, the author of this memoir series (all seem to be on Kindle) grew up to work in the space program and finally with the shuttle astronauts.

Betsy


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

It's been awhile since I read this but I remember I enjoyed it, back in the day (it came out in 1979). I liked the movie, too, with good looking Sam Shepard playing Chuck Yeager!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

NogDog said:


> I was a bit ticked off at my parents then in that we were vacationing at a cottage on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan that week, and we had no TV; so we had to listen to the landing on the radio. It actually wasn't all that bad. In a way, it was kind of neat having the family sitting around the kitchen table listening to the radio together. All in all it was a really nice vacation, so I quickly forgave them.


We were at our summer house in NH and didn't have a TV, which is why I was watching it at my Auntie Em's house. She had an ancient black and white TV, with rabbit ears, but fortunately, it worked well enough that we could see what was going on.

L


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I read Rocket Boys back in the winter.  Really good book.  And I loved the movie.  I've seen it three or four times.
deb


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

The follow up books to Rocket Boys (October Sky) were very good, too! (read Rocket Boys, then Coalwood Way, then Sky of Stone

 

I remember sitting in the living room with my parents watching the moon walk. Interesting that, in the NYTimes review of the books Leslie posted about, the people involved in the moon landing say they focused too much on the scientific collection of rocks and not enough on the wonder of walking on the moon.

Betsy


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

I was in the hospital recovering from emergency appendectomy surgery! Definitely remember this one.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I remember sitting in the living room with my parents watching the moon walk. Interesting that, in the NYTimes review of the books Leslie posted about, the people involved in the moon landing say they focused too much on the scientific collection of rocks and not enough on the wonder of walking on the moon.
> 
> Betsy


I was just reading something...was it here at KindleBoards or somewhere else? I don't remember...Anyway, I was reading about how the astronauts had to go on hikes and learn all about geology so they would pick up the right type of rocks on the moon. They didn't want them to bring back ordinary rocks, they had to be special moon rocks...LOL

I would think that all rocks from the moon had to be special, but I guess not.

L


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

I was at the NJ shore watching with my grandma and grandpa and cousin. I was spending the month of July, just the four of us, at the shore. Grandma had my cousin and me sit with our legs up on the sofa because there was a thunderstorm in the area. Grandma was sure we'd be electrocuted if our feet were on the floor. 

We watched on a black-and-white TV with tons of snow due to the storm but I remember it very well. That was a very memorable summer for me to begin with and having the lunar landing that summer just made it historic in my memory. It was about a month before my 9th birthday. 

My son did his final paper for AP History this year on that particular 20th Century event. He chose to interview me for his report. My kids always get a laugh out of the story of me and my cousin with our feet up and the fact that we weren't allowed to use the phone during storms either.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Another book about the Lunar Landing. 



Betsy


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I know that we watched it on TV but I have no specific memories other than that.  It was pretty amazing.

It's shocking that there are some folks out there now who don't believe it happened.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

It is amazing, isn't it?  (I'll note that the last book I cited presents the argument that the landing DID happen, for the benefit of the non-believers.)

Betsy


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Perhaps a bit much for only slightly interested folks (the link is the Kindle version but as a comparison, it's 784 pages in print), but the only-authorized biography of the intensely private Neil Armstrong, "First Man" by James R. Hansen, is quite intriguing.



I was only 4 when the moon landing happened so I'm afraid I have no first-hand stories to share.  Was sad to see today's shuttle launch scrubbed yet again, though, hopefully it'll go off safely tomorrow!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Leslie said:


> It was 40 years ago this month (July 21) that Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon. The countdown for Apollo 11 began on July 10th with liftoff at 9:32 am (EDT) on July 16th.
> 
> I remember it very well. I was 14 that summer and my friend Cathy and I were glued to the TV at my Auntie Em's house.
> 
> I am sure there are others here with memories that they can share. Please do!


Not to be pedantic, and realizing that it is a matter of what time zone one is in, the moon landing was July 20th, not July 21st. I remember this because the 21st is my birthday.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Yes, I knew it was July 20th.  The date has been mentioned several times over the years.  I wonder if there will be any special commemorations this year.  Surely there will be, but if another celebrity dies, the cable news networks will overlook it.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Here is a link to Leonard Lopate interview with Buzz Aldrin about his book *Magnificent Desolation* on June 23rd. Click "listen" and the audio window will come up for the 33 minute interview. This page also has a 5-minute video excerpt.

While I found the interview interesting when I listened in June, I wasn't going to buy the book, but I just read the sample and am more interested. The sample is about the moon mission. I'm under the impression that the book is more about his life afterwards.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2009/06/23/segments/134919

Marti


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I'm looking at Buzz Aldrin's website:

http://buzzaldrin.com/

Marti


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

scarlet said:


> Not to be pedantic, and realizing that it is a matter of what time zone one is in, the moon landing was July 20th, not July 21st. I remember this because the 21st is my birthday.


I fixed my original post. Thanks!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Sorry to branch a bit off topic, but . . .

While reading the sample of Buzz Aldrin's new book, I was reminded of Sputnik -- Oct. 4, 1957. Anyone here remember that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1

I was 6 at the time and I actually do have some personal memories from that -- I was terrified and my three brothers teased me unmercifully. We had a family friend who had recordings of the sounds of space satellites and we listened on his reel-to-reel recorder.

I think that my terror was as a result of some of the media coverage (even then!). We had the Daily News, which had a pic of the sputnik with antennas and later my imagination went wild about the eventual disintegration of sputnik.

Can someone tell me whether it was Sputnik or another Soviet satellite that carried the dog Likah?

Sputnik I created an uproar politically and aroused fears concerning the Cold War.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

The Soviet space dog was *Laika*.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika

Laika was in Sputnik 2 in November, 1957. This is a very sad story.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> The Soviet space dog was *Laika*.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika
> 
> Laika was in Sputnik 2 in November, 1957. This is a very sad story.


That is sad. I was only 2 so I don't remember Sputnik, but I do remember Alan Shepard being the first US astronaut in space on May 5, 1961. My memory is that they brought a TV into our classroom at school and we watched the liftoff.

Apparently this book has lots of details on the early days of the space program.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Leslie said:


> That is sad. I was only 2 so I don't remember Sputnik, but I do remember Alan Shepard being the first US astronaut in space on May 5, 1961. My memory is that they brought a TV into our classroom at school and we watched the liftoff.
> 
> Apparently this book has lots of details on the early days of the space program.


At our school (a grade 4-8 neighborhood public school), we went to the school auditorium where they had a small black & white TV with the broadcast of the launch (Alan Shepherd as Leslie mentioned above).


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

You old-timers: I turned 1 in October '57.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

NogDog said:


> You old-timers: I turned 1 in October '57.


I turned 2 in July '57. 

L


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

I was 9 years old.  I remember our entire family, including a great aunt and uncle, gathered around the tv watching all of the events unfold.  It seemed to be a spiritual event as well as an historic event.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I turned 5 the day after the lunar landing.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Several of my friend from college were sitting in the living room of my parents' house watching it with my family. I was 18 at the time, and was totally in awe of the entire thing. (I still am in awe of space travel. I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing (as well as what I was wearing) when the first space shuttle blasted off and again when it landed.)


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Let's keep this thread going.  Anyone else remember July 20, 1969?  And, am I the only old-timer who remembers Sputnik and/or Laika the space dog?  C'mon people.


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## Wheezie (Oct 28, 2008)

I was in first grade but I distinctly remember sitting on my parents bed and watching it.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Let's keep this thread going. Anyone else remember July 20, 1969? And, am I the only old-timer who remembers Sputnik and/or Laika the space dog? C'mon people.


I remember them, as well as chimps in space. (They always reminded me of Curious George.)


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Let's keep this thread going. Anyone else remember July 20, 1969?


It was the day after I turned 9, and I remember being glued to the tv screen.

Now I have a lunar globe in my office, with the landing site marked with a little flag.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Cindy, thanks for reminding me about space chimps. I looked around online. I feel sorry when I see photos of them in their little space capsules. This one was on the NPR website, marking 50 years for certain of these monkeys. The first one sent up by the U.S. was in 1949. A lot of the early missions failed. This article also mentions Laika the space dog.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104578202


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Cindy, thanks for reminding me about space chimps. I looked around online. I feel sorry when I see photos of them in their little space capsules. This one was on the NPR website, marking 50 years for certain of these monkeys. The first one sent up by the U.S. was in 1949. A lot of the early missions failed. This article also mentions Laika the space dog.
> 
> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104578202


Able and Baker were the first animals to survive their space flight (1959). Another article from BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/28/newsid_3725000/3725961.stm


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

This is available for kindle:


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

The NYTimes has some good info on the moon landing at their website:
http://www.nytimes.com//interactive/2009/07/13/science/20090714-apollo11-interactive.html

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Some books that might be of interest (haven't any of these):


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Did Neil Armstrong flub his lines when he stepped on the moon? Actually, he did. LOL

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/onesmall.asp


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

If you want to relive the actual mission, the website www.wechoosethemoon.org is up now and will be "live" on Monday morning leading up to the actual launch!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/apollo-11-moon-mission-to-be-recreated-on-the-web/

Betsy


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Very cool website, Betsy! Thanks for the link.

L


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I've been collecting a lot of Amazon's kindle samples from books noted on this thread.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Me, too!

Threads like these are one of the things I love about KindleBoards!

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Because on KindleBoards, we like to allow BOTH sides to have a voice:
http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?ChannelID=124

Betsy


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

OK, so on Monday after "reliving" it on that website you posted, maybe we should rent _Capricorn One_ for balance...


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Less than two hours to lift-off!

http://wechoosethemoon.org/

L


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Less than two hours to lift-off!
> 
> http://wechoosethemoon.org/
> 
> L


Nice website!

July 16th was my father's birthday as well as the day of launch of Apollo 11.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Leslie said:


> In honor of the anniversary, there are a couple of new books out. The first one, Rocket Men, got a good review in the Wall Street Journal.


Rocket Men just came down in price to 9.99 for Kindle. The Buzz Aldrin book was already 9.99.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> Rocket Men just came down in price to 9.99 for Kindle. The Buzz Aldrin book was already 9.99.


Oh, wow, thanks for that update!

L


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I'm from a small NJ shore city.  It rained a lot the summer of 1969, and the foolish provincial theory was that we were getting all the rain because of the moon mission, as if we were messing around with nature by going to the moon.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I saw this one in Borders a few days ago. They had a table with books about Apollo 1. This was reprinted for the 40th anniversary. Unfortunately, not available for kindle. I will start clicking my requests to read on kindle. Michael Collins was the third astronaut. Didn't set foot on the moon but was every bit as important a participant as the other two astronauts on the mission.



Marti


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

It's a shame that Challenger killed the "magic" of space exploration for my generation. It has always fascinated me though. Unfortunately, NASA seems to be behind the curve and widespread public enthusiasm appears to be a thing of the past.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

CS said:


> It's a shame that Challenger killed the "magic" of space exploration for my generation. It has always fascinated me though. Unfortunately, NASA seems to be behind the curve and widespread public enthusiasm appears to be a thing of the past.


Good point. It's not nearly as exciting as it was in the old days. Whether that is the Challenger or whatever...

I will never forget Apollo 8 circling the moon on Christmas Eve. We decorated our tree with Apollo 8 decorations and everyone was glued to the TV for their broadcast. It's not like that anymore.

L


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Another lunar landing book:



Betsy


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## NessaBug (Jan 5, 2009)

I wish I had been alive for this. As it is, I am over the moon because I am designing the front page for our paper's anniversary issue. I am disappointed that we are printing it Sunday, the day before the actual walk, but Sunday is the biggest day. I can't wait to read some of these.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

CS said:


> It's a shame that Challenger killed the "magic" of space exploration for my generation. It has always fascinated me though. Unfortunately, NASA seems to be behind the curve and widespread public enthusiasm appears to be a thing of the past.


Did it kill the magic? There was a tragedy in 1967 when the Apollo 1 burned up and killed 3 astronauts during a training exercise. It didn't keep NASA from going on to accomplish the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

I think that the NASA space programs were politically expedient in the late 1950's due to the fear of Soviets after Sputnik. During the 1980s tax cuts took precedence over funding such programs. By the time of the Challenger, several news organizations didn't even cover that liftoff until it exploded. After that, the shuttle program was covered much more fully by the media. They felt the need to be there just in case something went wrong.

I was working for CBS Radio News during the mid 1980s. I was out sick on the day of the Challenger launch and didn't find out about the explosion until the afternoon. I was so shocked. I kept the TV on the rest of the day. I worked for radio news special events, and they always sent a correspondent and producer to the shuttle launches and used a stringer when Edwards AFB in California was used for a landing (due to weather in Florida).

I think that politics, money (as well as mistakes at NASA) and citizen apathy brought down the space programs. Just my humble opinion. Interest in science isn't what it was during the 1960's.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I was surprised to hear the magic was killed. I didn't know that. We still watch every shuttle launch if we can.  My stepson and grandkids have been to see a shuttle launch.  My husband and I have also seen one in person, and feeling the ground shake from five miles away is something one doesn't forget.

Betsy


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I recently watched In the Shadow of the Moon, with my daughters, as our commemoration of the lunar landings.

It has really interesting interviews with the surviving astronauts - Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and others.



It was fun to tell my younger daughters about my memories of Apollo 11. I was 8 years old, and vividly remember how the neighbours gathered at our house. My dad had one of the earlier color TVs (a Zenith Heathkit - you assembled it yourself) - so I guess that was what attracted everyone to gather at our house. Which is ironic, given that the moon footage was all white, grey, and black - not much color to be seen up there!

For this little boy, it was absolutely thrilling. I'll never forget it.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Harvey said:


> I recently watched In the Shadow of the Moon, with my daughters, as our commemoration of the lunar landings.
> 
> It has really interesting interviews with the surviving astronauts - Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and others.


Thanks for bringing this one to our attention. I'll add it to top of my netflix list.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

In the Shadow of the Moon was great, I saw it twice in the theater back in 2007.

I got to see Jim Lovell talk when he was touring right after the Apollo 13 movie came out back in...1995 I think? He had some really interesting stories to tell, both about that mission and other missions, and is an entertaining speaker. His book, Lost Moon, about the Apollo 13 mission, was used for the movie and goes more in depth on some stuff. It's really good, but not on Kindle yet (below is hardcover).



And of course don't forget the great series, From the Earth to the Moon, from 1998 (several versions available).


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> I know that we watched it on TV but I have no specific memories other than that. It was pretty amazing.
> 
> It's shocking that there are some folks out there now who don't believe it happened.


I know - so what, all 6 were faked? And Apollo 13 was faked too, just to make the others look even better? It's crazy.

(Although I have to say one of my grandmothers never did believe it was real - because the moon just didn't look like it does up in the sky...bless her heart...)


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Short article in the NY Times about Buzz Aldrin:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/17/us/AP-US-Apollo-Astronauts.html


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing, we've decided to have a spur-of-the-moment contest!  Continue posting your memories of the Lunar Landing, (or your conspiracy theory thereof, LOL!) and you will be entered in a drawing for a $40 Amazon Gift Certificate!  You can use it to buy some of the wonderful books already suggested!  Woohoo!

Harvey will do the drawing on the 20th!!!

Have fun with this!

Betsy
Book Corner Moderator


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

I now live across the river from Kennedy Space Center. I was one of the folks who thought that each launch was a headache ~ couldn't get to/from work on time, but with the Challenger incident, each launch was once again a miracle. I can stand in my front/back yard and watch the launches, feel the ground rumble and hear the roar of the engines. 

I will be deeply sadden when the space shuttle progam comes to an end.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

So, this is a contest now, eh? 

*My contest entry:*

At the relatively young age of 30, I'm obviously not old enough to "remember" the lunar landing. However, I can still share a "memory," so to speak, based around Apollo 11.

The year was 2001, and while I wasn't embarking on "A Space Odyssey," I _was_ on the other side of the world - London, England, to be exact.

Sitting inside a movie theater, I anxiously waited for the advertisements and previews to end. Then the film began. It was one I hadn't heard of, one that never got released in my Florida hometown.

That movie was "The Dish," starring Sam Neill, and it was about the Apollo 11 mission - from an Australian point of view.

What many people don't seem to know - I certainly didn't - is that the first television footage of a man's walk on the moon came from a satellite in Australia.

While the movie is a fictionalized account of that event, it does a wonderful job of portraying the magic of space travel - the same magic many of us unfortunately lost somewhere along the way. "The Dish" is a touching, nostalgic reminder of how it used to be.


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## JamieL (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm 26 so I don't remember the lunar landing. My only real memories involving it are my HS chem teacher discussing the conspiracy theories about it.


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

I remember my family all glued intently to the TV during that time.  Anxiously waiting to see if they would land safely on the moon.  And then to see them step out onto the moon.  It was awe-inspiring.  

Afterwards, looking up at the moon & seeing it in new light knowing there were men from our country up there.


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

*My contest entry:*

I wasn't alive when the lunar lander happened!  I blame Fox for most of those crazy "the moon landing was staged!" people due to that special they ran back in the late 90s.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, rub it in Sporadic!!!



Betsy


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

CS said:


> That movie was "The Dish," starring Sam Neill, and it was about the Apollo 11 mission - from an Australian point of view.
> 
> What many people don't seem to know - I certainly didn't - is that the first television footage of a man's walk on the moon came from a satellite in Australia.


I swear, you must be my soul mate. I saw that movie in the theater and I think I was one of 18 people to do so. (Did you see *Deception?* Sorry, I digress.). I love *The Dish*...what a great movie.

Even though Betsy says the magic hasn't died, it isn't like it was in the old days, and I truly miss that.

L


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## tippymn (Mar 20, 2009)

I was nine years old and glued to the television with my parents and grandparents, it was a family gathering.


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> OK, rub it in Sporadic!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Betsy


 

I did grow up on the Space Coast though so shuttle launches were never that big of a deal for me. They were about the same thing as the fireworks show during the 4th of July. I wish I could get excited for NASA and space travel but it doesn't seem like anything new is happening. Only time I see it on the news is when a shuttle is going up or if something goes wrong (like the foam coming off during the latest launch)


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Leslie said:


> I swear, you must be my soul mate. I saw that movie in the theater and I think I was one of 18 people to do so. (Did you see *Deception?* Sorry, I digress.). I love *The Dish*...what a great movie.
> 
> Even though Betsy says the magic hasn't died, it isn't like it was in the old days, and I truly miss that.
> 
> L


The Dish is a truly fabulous movie. I'm glad I found another fan. 

I hope everyone 1-clicks the DVD. At $5.99, there's no reason not to give it a chance.

I didn't see Deception, but it was available for HBO or Cinemax On-Demand (I forget which) a few months ago and it caught my eye then. I *meant* to watch it, but real-life got in the way. If it ever comes back, I'll definitely give it a go.


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

I remember being in school during the moon landing. We were all very excited. They rolled in a TV on a cart, and we got to watch the moon landing in class. It was awesome.


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## JeanThree (Feb 22, 2009)

I was working at my first job, ticket-seller at a local amusement park. Everybody was excited about landing on the moon and I remember everyone looking up at the moon in the sky and talking about how amazing it was. My Mom was especially impressed but I thought, sure, why not?


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## crosj (Nov 8, 2008)

I came back to California (my home) after leaving a miserable year in MA. with a very unhappy marriage.  My x husband called and said he wanted to come back to California and try again.  In a moment of weakness I said ok.  Just as the moon landing was taking place there was a know on my front door.  I was glued to the TV and let him stand there for the longest time.  (should never have opened the door)


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Crosj,

thanks for sharing that story!!  If the prize was for the best lunar landing story, you might win!  Alas, it's a random drawing.

Betsy


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

I was 15 & in the hospital recovering from an emergency appendectomy. Watched it on the hospital room TV. Pretty awesome stuff.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Crosj,
> 
> thanks for sharing that story!! If the prize was for the best lunar landing story, you might win! Alas, it's a random drawing.
> 
> Betsy












There, that's a fan's drawing of Prince (


Spoiler



and eventually King


) Random from Roger Zelazny's Amber series.

So it's a "Random Drawing." Do I win?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Nice try!


Betsy


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

MonaSW said:


> I remember being in school during the moon landing. We were all very excited. They rolled in a TV on a cart, and we got to watch the moon landing in class. It was awesome.


Are you thinking of the first American man in space, Alan Shepard, rather than the Apollo 11 moon landing? The moon landing was on July 20, 1969 -- summer, so I wasn't in school. In my school, they rolled a small black & white TV into the auditorium and we all went to watch. It was May 5, 1961. Here's a quote from Wikipedia about it:

_On May 5, 1961, Shepard piloted the Freedom 7 mission and became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space.[3] He was launched by a Redstone rocket, and unlike Gagarin's 108 minute orbital flight, Shepard stayed on a ballistic trajectory suborbital flight-a flight which carried him to an altitude of 116 statute miles and to a landing point 302 statute miles down the Atlantic Missile Range. Unlike Gagarin, whose flight was strictly automatic, Shepard had some control of Freedom 7, spacecraft attitude in particular. The launch, return from space and subsequent collection by helicopter were seen live on television by millions.

On his successful return to Earth, Shepard was celebrated as a national hero, honored with parades in Washington, New York and Los Angeles and meeting President John F. Kennedy._

I think that we also watched on TV at school when John Glenn splashed down after becoming the first American to orbit the earth.

(Am I already entered into the contest from early posts in this thread?)

I had just graduated from high school in June, 1969. It rained a lot that summer in the northeast. My father's birthday was on the day of launch of Apollo 11 -- July 16, 1969. We watched the moonwalk on TV on July 20th. My brother Russ was an avid fan of space exploration, but he was not with us, since he lived in NC. I watched it with my mother, father, great uncle, and my two other brothers, who were home that summer from college.

Check out my earlier posts in this thread about Sputnik -- so far no one who remembers it here has posted. Tonight I'm watching on dvd "Sputnik Mania."

Marti


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

I was 7 years old when the moon landing happened.  I don't specifically remember it, but I'm sure my family gathered around our black and white tv and watched it.  I remember watching other missions that happened during the school year on a tv that was on a tall stand with rollers in the school auditorium.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Yes, anyone who posted pre-contest is entered in the Contest!  One entry per member, no matter how many times you  post, but keep on posting if you think of more stuff!

For those who haven't read the whole thread, there are a lot of good book recommendations you can use your $40 gift certificate on, when you win, plus some good websites to check out, such as 
www.wechoosethemoon.org!

Betsy


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

My husband and I were talking in the car about the lunar landing and I mentioned that the ones I really remembered were Apollo 8 (the Christmas eve flight), 11 (first lunar landing) and 13 (the one with the malfunction). It made me wonder about the other numbers so I did some quicking googling:

Apollo Space Program, 1963-1972 (it was only 9 years! It seemed so much longer.)

The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. Six of the missions (Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) achieved this goal. Apollos 7 and 9 were Earth orbiting missions to test the Command and Lunar Modules, and did not return lunar data. Apollos 8 and 10 tested various components while orbiting the Moon, and returned photography of the lunar surface. Apollo 13 did not land on the Moon due to a malfunction, but also returned photographs. The six missions that landed on the Moon returned a wealth of scientific data and almost 400 kilograms of lunar samples. Experiments included soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields, and solar wind experiments.

*Apollo Lunar Missions*

*Apollo 8*

Launched 21 December 1968
Lunar Orbit and Return
Returned to Earth 27 December 1968

*Apollo 10*
Launched 18 May 1969
Lunar Orbit and Return
Returned to Earth 26 May 1969

*Apollo 11*
Launched 16 July 1969
Landed on Moon 20 July 1969
Sea of Tranquility
Returned to Earth 24 July 1969

*Apollo 12*
Launched 14 November 1969
Landed on Moon 19 November 1969
Ocean of Storms
Returned to Earth 24 November 1969

*Apollo 13*
Launched 11 April 1970
Lunar Flyby and Return
Malfunction forced cancellation of lunar landing
Returned to Earth 17 April 1970
*
Apollo 14*
Launched 31 January 1971
Landed on Moon 5 February 1971
Fra Mauro
Returned to Earth 9 February 1971

*Apollo 15*
Launched 26 July 1971
Landed on Moon 30 July 1971
Hadley Rille
Returned to Earth 7 August 1971
*
Apollo 16*
Launched 16 April 1972
Landed on Moon 20 April 1972
Descartes
Returned to Earth 27 April 1972

*Apollo 17*
Launched 07 December 1972
Landed on Moon 11 December 1972
Taurus-Littrow
Returned to Earth 19 December 1972

The Apollo mission consisted of a Command Module (CM) and a Lunar Module (LM). The CM and LM would separate after lunar orbit insertion. One crew member would stay in the CM, which would orbit the Moon, while the other two astronauts would take the LM down to the lunar surface. After exploring the surface, setting up experiments, taking pictures, collecting rock samples, etc., the astronauts would return to the CM for the journey back to Earth.

*Apollo Crewed Earth Orbiting Missions*

*Apollo 7*
Launched 11 October 1968
First crewed Apollo flight
Splashdown 22 October 1968

*Apollo 9*
Launched 03 March 1969
First crewed Lunar Module test
Splashdown 13 March 1969
*
The Apollo 1 Launch Pad Accident*
*Apollo 1*
27 January 1967
Tragic Loss of Three Apollo Astronauts: Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee

L


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I just started reading this thread a few minutes ago.  Such interesting memories and facts provided by everyone.  Even though I had just turned 10, I really don't "remember" watching, but I do remember spending hours with my Dad putting together models of the Apollo rockets and talking about the events being almost "miraculous".  My husband has fond memories because it took place on his 12th birthday and he and all his friends were gathered around their tv during a sleepover....they all wanted to become astronauts.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I was at a friend's house, it was a full moon, and we adjusted the tv so we could stand outside on the balcony and watch both the tv and the moon.  Absolutely awesome.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm another one that's too young to remember any of the lunar landings. I _just_ remember the Challenger; I think that they brought a TV into the cafeteria, which was unheard of. BTW, in addition to some funny and some poignant stories about a famous physicist, this book (unfortunately not on Kindle yet) also gives an account of Richard Feynman's service on the Challenger investigation committee:


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## Monica of NY (Jun 3, 2009)

The space program was fascinating to my family, yet my father always maintained that we could not get to the moon.  In 1969 I was attending a summer program away from home and on July 20th my family came to visit me.  We watched, along with many of the other students, the lunar landing.  It became eerily quiet in the room as people were shushed in order to better hear the sound from the black and white television.  Everyone was transfixed.  Then the cheering...  I was cheering the event and the fact that my dad got to witness it.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

About 20 years ago, I went on a tour of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Seeing the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) in real life is amazing. I never fully appreciated just how big the rockets and space ships were. They had a Saturn V rocket on display (they built duplicates of everything, so this one was never used) and just seeing all the wires...and realizing someone (well, 400,000 people) had enough brains to build this thing -- I have a hard time getting my mind around it, actually.

And then remembering that they didn't have computers like we have now. Lots of the calculations were probably done on slide rules. In fact, isn't there a scene in Apollo 13 (the movie) where all the engineers whip out their slide rules to figure something out?

The VAB:










L


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

Leslie said:


> That is sad. I was only 2 so I don't remember Sputnik, but I do remember Alan Shepard being the first US astronaut in space on May 5, 1961. My memory is that they brought a TV into our classroom at school and we watched the liftoff.
> 
> Apparently this book has lots of details on the early days of the space program.


I have the same memory of Alan Shepard orbiting the earth. My whole school went in the hallway to watch it on a little Black and white TV.
I have a vivid memory of this but only a vague memory of where I was for the lunar landing. Maybe it was because I was 16 when that happened and I was into boys, clothes, and myself at the time!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

A couple of things: My husband was as impressed with the construction of the VAB as the rockets. . . .I mean, that's a really big building with a lot of open space and the roof doesn't fall in! (What can I say, he's a Construction Engineer.)

As to the landing, when I first heard a couple of weeks ago that this year was 40 years I thought "that can't be, I was only like 10. . . . . oh. . . . .wait. . . . ."

There was a cardboard model of the lunar lander on the back of some cereal box that my dad put together and it hung below the kitchen light until the light had to be replaced. . .we're talking probably 20 years. . . We'd have put it back up when the light _was_ replaced, but it was pretty greasy/dusty/buggy by then and the kitchen was newly painted and clean and shiny!  I believe we watched the landing at my aunt's house because she had a color TV and dad hadn't sprung for one yet. . . .or maybe that was the year he did finally get one. . . . I should ask my brother who would have been 12. . .he might remember better. . . . .


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

I don't recall whether we had a color TV at the time or not, but wouldn't the flag have been about the only thing that showed up any different? I mean, the moon is gray rock, and the suits are white, and the sky's black...  it really wouldn't have made all that much difference!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> I don't recall whether we had a color TV at the time or not, but wouldn't the flag have been about the only thing that showed up any different? I mean, the moon is gray rock, and the suits are white, and the sky's black... it really wouldn't have made all that much difference!


Well, in between showing us the black and white pictures of the astronauts, they'd show us mission control, and that would be in color. All those engineers, sitting there, smoking like chimneys! That's something that has changed in 40 years.

L


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## egh34 (Jan 11, 2009)

I remember being called in while riding the neighbors ponies. I didn't want to come in to watch some weird thing on t.v, whether it was historically important or not. I was 5.


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## kjn33 (Dec 8, 2008)

I wasn't alive yet, but my mother has talked about it a lot. My husband is one of theose "crazy people" who have watched the shows where they say it didn't happen......  he's just crazy enough to think _maybe_ it's true. When he told my mother that, she almost fell off the kitchen chair.......oh yeah, he believes in aliens too.  (other than that, he's a nice, normal guy)

Kristie


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

LOL!  It's what makes life interesting!!



Betsy


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

It's sad that Walter Cronkite died yesterday, just shy of the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, since he was one of those instrumental in covering it on TV.  Only being 4 at the time I didn't watch the coverage, so I mostly remember what they showed of him in the Apollo 13 movie, being somewhat overcome at the history and the marvel of the moment.

RIP, Mr. Cronkite.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks for that, Betsy! That little bit of him taking off his glasses and kinda wiping his nose is just what's in the movie at the beginning.

I was just watching Apollo 13 again, after posting about Walter Cronkite above. I had forgotten this -- at the end, when they're on the Navy ship after landing in the sea, the ship's captain that Tom Hanks salutes and then shakes hands and chats with?  That's actually Jim Lovell. I'd forgotten he did that bit part.

Now I'm going to watch In the Shadow of the Moon from The Discovery Channel's showing (not as good as DVD or the theater, but oh well, it's on the Tivo...).


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

I do believe we were allowed to watch this I can remember a poor quality black and white screen on our the T.V. Normally the TV was off limits and then sold after one too many arguments so the TV culture I missed out on in grade school and jr hi. I can remember talking about all the possibilities when there was a person on the moon. I really have no strong memory untill a teacher died trying to go into space.
sylvia


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I remember watching the moon landing on our B&W TV. My father was into anything scientific and we caught his enthusiasm and had to watch. Of course I also remember the first US space launch, watching it in my classroom. And in respose to mlewis78's earlier query, my dad was a ham radio junkie in the fifties and I remember him tuning in to that beep, beep, beep...


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## Sailor (Nov 1, 2008)

I can't play, I wasn't born yet, nor do I remember any of it from past years.

And anyways, the man in the moon says it's made of cheese - so there probably is only mice on it.


Sailor


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

As to the drop off in public interest in the space program, I think NASA has to take much of the blame, even before the Challenger explosion. They tried to make people believe that with the shuttle, going into space would be not much more difficult than a car trip. They took away the exitement and attempted to leave us with the idea of it being nothing more than hauling a semi load into space. Then the shock that you could die doing this pretty much finished off support. Of course, it was always very dangerous, but the heads of the space program wanted to minimize this, feeling that was the way to go. So now we find ourselves in the present situation.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

ak rain said:


> I do believe we were allowed to watch this I can remember a poor quality black and white screen on our the T.V. Normally the TV was off limits and then sold after one too many arguments so the TV culture I missed out on in grade school and jr hi. I can remember talking about all the possibilities when there was a person on the moon. I really have no strong memory untill a teacher died trying to go into space.
> sylvia


That would be Christa McAuliffe, in the Challenger. I was teaching at the University of New Hampshire at the time and many of my students had had her as a teacher in high school. It was a really rough experience for them to live through. Me too.

L


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

Leslie said:


> That would be Christa McAuliffe, in the Challenger. I was teaching at the University of New Hampshire at the time and many of my students had had her as a teacher in high school. It was a really rough experience for them to live through. Me too.
> 
> L


both my parents were teachers so the impact was at our house too.
Sylvia


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I actually had a cousin that worked on all of the Apollo shots, they lived where his wife could step out their back door and watch the launches.

I have a very good friend who now works for NASA in Houston and some of the pictures he sends me are absolutely incredibly beautiful.  I used to work sorta with satellites and I can't believe we actually can do that   much less land on the moon, or Mars, or


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Steph H said:


> Thanks for that, Betsy! That little bit of him taking off his glasses and kinda wiping his nose is just what's in the movie at the beginning.
> 
> I was just watching Apollo 13 again, after posting about Walter Cronkite above. I had forgotten this -- at the end, when they're on the Navy ship after landing in the sea, the ship's captain that Tom Hanks salutes and then shakes hands and chats with? That's actually Jim Lovell. I'd forgotten he did that bit part.


We met Fred Haise (the astronaut who got sick during the Apollo 13 mission) back in the 90's, right around the time the movie came out (which would've made it 1995 according to imdb). He said the movie was a pretty accurate depiction of the mission, except for the language. Said they'd gone back & listened to the tapes and they didn't actually use any 4-letter words (which is pretty amazing having spent 24 years listening to pilots & their "colorful" language!). And he said he was sick, but quite as sick as the movie made him out to be.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

I was 3 for the 1st one, but I do remember watching one of the other launches when I was 6.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Gosh, I remember the lunar landing, I was fourteen years old. We watched it on our black and white TV set, but I remember the picture being a little fuzzy. I remember my dad being in the living room watching it with me and we kind of looked at each other in awe. He said "that's something, eh?". It was one of the last moments we shared before my parents split up and he moved 1,000 miles away.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

For those who get CSpan, Buzz Aldrin will be on next discussing his book... (it's 8AM EDT as I write this)

Betsy


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Interesting Op/Ed piece in the New York Times today.

July 19, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
*One Giant Leap to Nowhere*
By TOM WOLFE

WELL, let's see now ... That was a small step for Neil Armstrong, a giant leap for mankind and a real knee in the groin for NASA.

The American space program, the greatest, grandest, most Promethean - O.K. if I add "godlike"? - quest in the history of the world, died in infancy at 10:56 p.m. New York time on July 20, 1969, the moment the foot of Apollo 11's Commander Armstrong touched the surface of the Moon.

It was no ordinary dead-and-be-done-with-it death. It was full-blown purgatory, purgatory being the holding pen for recently deceased but still restless souls awaiting judgment by a Higher Authority.

Like many another youngster at that time, or maybe retro-youngster in my case, I was fascinated by the astronauts after Apollo 11. I even dared to dream of writing a book about them someday. If anyone had told me in July 1969 that the sound of Neil Armstrong's small step plus mankind's big one was the shuffle of pallbearers at graveside, I would have averted my eyes and shaken my head in pity. Poor guy's bucket's got a hole in it.

Why, putting a man on the Moon was just the beginning, the prelude, the prologue! The Moon was nothing but a little satellite of Earth. The great adventure was going to be the exploration of the planets ... Mars first, then Venus, then Pluto. Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus? NASA would figure out their slots in the schedule in due course. In any case, we Americans wouldn't stop until we had explored the entire solar system. And after that ... the galaxies beyond.

NASA had long since been all set to send men to Mars, starting with manned fly-bys of the planet in 1975. Wernher von Braun, the German rocket scientist who had come over to our side in 1945, had been designing a manned Mars project from the moment he arrived. In 1952 he published his Mars Project as a series of graphic articles called "Man Will Conquer Space Soon" in Collier's magazine. It created a sensation. He was front and center in 1961 when NASA undertook Project Empire, which resulted in working plans for a manned Mars mission. Given the epic, the saga, the triumph of Project Apollo, Mars would naturally come next. All NASA and von Braun needed was the president's and Congress's blessings and the great adventure was a Go. Why would they so much as blink before saying the word?

Three months after the landing, however, in October 1969, I began to wonder ... I was in Florida, at Cape Kennedy, the space program's launching facility, aboard a NASA tour bus. The bus's Spielmeister was a tall-fair-and-handsome man in his late 30s ... and a real piece of lumber when it came to telling tourists on a tour bus what they were looking at. He was so bad, I couldn't resist striking up a conversation at the end of the tour.

Sure enough, it turned out he had not been put on Earth for this job. He was an engineer who until recently had been a NASA heat-shield specialist. A baffling wave of layoffs had begun, and his job was eliminated. It was so bad he was lucky to have gotten this stand-up Spielmeister gig on a tour bus. Neil Armstrong and his two crew mates, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins, were still on their triumphal world tour ... while back home, NASA's irreplaceable team of highly motivated space scientists - irreplaceable! - there were no others! ...anywhere! ... You couldn't just run an ad saying, "Help Wanted: Experienced heat-shield expert" ... the irreplaceable team was breaking up, scattering in nobody knows how many hopeless directions.

to read the whole thing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/opinion/19wolfe.html?pagewanted=1


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## Buttercup (Oct 28, 2008)

The lunar landing happened the year before I was born but for a long time I've been interested in the various big missions. I LOVE the movie Apollo 13 and watch it several times a year, I was a sophomore in HS when the Challenger disaster happened and wrote a paper about it.

A friend of mine on FB posted a link to http://wechoosethemoon.org/ the other day, I spent all day listening to the mission in real time 40 years later, pretty darn cool.

I'm going to have to check out some of these books.

Oh, and I do remember watching some of the From the Earth to the Moon series years ago, I don't think I ever finished it though. I'll have to netflix that, it was facinating.


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## SusieQ (Feb 18, 2009)

Feeling a bit nostalgic lately and this whole thread only adds to it! It seems like forever ago that this event took place, and despite the enormity of it, it now seems like things were so much simpler then. I was 9, and my parents owned and operated a small neighborhood bar & grill (think "Cheers" but not as fancy). The same bunch of guys, the regulars, were there as we all watched it on the bar-room TV. Everyone was in awe, spellbound, almost. I remember hearing cheering from outside and a few left over 4th of July firecrackers going off! It was an amazing moment in history, too short-lived, and looking back, a kind of end to innocence and awe and amazement. 3 weeks later, the Manson family stole the headlines (though we didn't know it was them yet). The following year, the Beatles broke-up. Followed by Watergate, Elvis dying, Lennon's murder...the list goes on and on. To me, that day in July 40 years ago that was the beginning of so much, was also an ending to so much more.  

Susie

PS-please excuse my melancholy mood, just not a good day for me!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

As far as the "death" of the manned space flight program, much of that is simply physics combined with economics.

It has taken many years, dozens of shuttle flights and even more rockets from Russia and the European Space Agency at a cost estimated anywhere from 35 billion to 100 billion dollars to get the International Space Station up to full capacity (the ESA estimates a total of 100,000,000,000 Euros over 30 years for the project).

This has (finally) resulted in putting 6 people in orbit 250 miles above earth at a maximum of 6 month per person. The moon is _1000 times farther away_. At its closest Mars is just under 50,000,000 miles from earth (and nearly triple that at its furthest), or 200-600 times as far as the moon.

If it costs 100 billion dollars to get rotating shifts of 6 people in a space station barely above the atmosphere of earth, it's easily going to cost trillions to get any sort of Lunar station operating, and anyone who gives an estimate on the cost of putting people on Mars (even if just for a short duration) is probably purely speculating at this point, but I think it's save to say that $10,000,000,000,000 would not be enough (assuming we want to give the astronauts a reasonably good chance of making it back to Earth alive).

One of the problems is that for the cost of getting one person to the Moon or to Mars, you can get tons of robotic landers and orbiters to the same locations without risk of human life. (Robots don't need food, oxygen, water, or nearly as much radiation protection; plus they don't care if it takes months or years to get to their destination.) But the manned programs are the "glory" projects, and factions within NASA like to push them for the publicity and the hopes of some day moving people into space. However, that means huge amounts of funds have been redirected into these manned programs that to date have produced a very limited amount of science compared to the robotic programs (other than studying how humans adapt to space--and how imposing the problems of living in space are).

Frankly, I'd rather we concentrate whatever funds we can afford to spend on space exploration on unmanned flights until space flight technology improves (i.e. becomes cheaper and quicker) and the overall international political, social, and economic situations stabilize to the point where a coordinated international effort can afford to spend money on such manned projects.


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## quiltlvr (Oct 28, 2008)

I haven't signed in here in months, but I stop in from time to time to see how the Outlander book club is doing (don't want to fall behind!). 
A contest! Cool,

I don't remember a whole lot specifically, except that our whole family was glued to the tv listening for every bit of news about it.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I still need to catch up with today's messages on this thread.  Just want to say that Buzz Aldrin was interviewed on C-Span today and I'm watching a re-run of it now.

Marti


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Buzz Aldrin's Twitter link:

http://twitter.com/therealBuzz


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## F1Wild (Jun 15, 2009)

My entry:

I remember it happened not long after first grade got out for the summer - and the possibility of landing on the moon was all the talk during the Spring & Summer of '69.  We all wanted to be astronauts, eat "space food" and drink Tang.  It was a magical time in my life - when anything and everything seemed possible.  We were either glued to our TVs at home or in school whenever there was a televised launch and followed the progress our the missions with such interest, pride and patriotism.  We sat collectively, held our breath and screamed with joy when the Apollo 11 mission began - the 3 astronauts, Armstrong, Collins & Aldrin, waving goodbye, the amazing launch, entering lunar orbit, module touching down on the Sea of Tranquility.  And then when Armstrong made his famous first step and spoke with such pride and dignity, we knew in our hearts it truly was "...one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  It was one of the first times in my life I was allowed to stay up so late (very late Sunday night) and not really understanding why my parents had tears in their eyes.  We felt a surge of national strength, not just for us, but for all of humanity.

Since then I've followed every mission.  And then when I met my husband for the first time I found that he is an even bigger supporter/fan of NASA and all space exploration/colonization.  We became engaged at Biosphere 2 (he arranged for us to be the only public citizens staying there for the weekend), know everything there is to know about the ISS, follow every single launch, watch "flight day highlights" during each mission and even named our last member to join our family, Kibou, in honor of the ISS's Japanese module!!

Long live space exploration - fund it!!!


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## sheltiemom (Dec 28, 2008)

I was living in Austin about to start my sophomore year at UT.  My family met at my brother's house in Lufkin to watch the lunar landing.


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## SusieQ (Feb 18, 2009)

Just an addendum: the History Channel will be showing some specials tonight starting at 8 or 8:30 PM, EDT.

Susie


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

We'd have been living in the San Diego area -- Dad would have been station on a Repair Ship out of 32nd Street.

I can remember spending the night on the living room floor the night before and getting to eat in the living room because I refused to leave for fear I might miss something.....


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Not sure if anyone has posted this link to NASA. It has some good features:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/40th/index.html

I'm listening to the wechoosethemoon.org audio after the landing. Missed the landing because I was listening to internet radio and had the audio for wechoosethemoon off and didn't check it often enough.

Marti


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

Sailor said:


> I can't play, I wasn't born yet, nor do I remember any of it from past years.
> 
> Sailor


I have to ditto what Sailor says. I wasn't born yet.


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## Marie (Dec 29, 2008)

I was 18 during the lunar landing.  What I remember most was the fact that my Dad watched it with us.  He loved anything to do with science, and he actually took time off from work to watch.  For my entire life he had worked two jobs and we would only see him briefly at dinner each evening and for half of the weekend.  He felt it was worth missing work for and that made it all the more exciting for us!


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I was almost 3 years old at the time.  I have a very vague memory of being at my grandmothers house and everyone crowded around the television and not paying any attention to me.  I remember being very upset that no one was playing with me.  I had no idea that history was being made.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

That's a lot of vivid memories from 40 years ago.

We've randomly drawn one of your names, and our $40 gift certificate goes to... *Cindy416*.

Congratulations, Cindy! Please PM me to confirm which email address you'd like the gift cert to be sent to.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your lunar landing memories!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Congratulations, Cindy!

I was reading a news article yesterday...do people remember, when they landed on the moon, there was time for the astronauts to take a four hour nap? I remember that and thinking it was absolutely ridiculous. Who in their right mind, after landing on the moon, would feel like sleeping? Apparently, I was right. The four hours was built in in case anything malfunctioned or needed to be repaired. Since everything was going perfectly, they didn't need the four hours and ended up walking on the moon much sooner than expected.

Also, do folks remember, when the astronauts got home, they were quarantined for ages afterwards (28 days, maybe?) in case they brought home any rare space viruses. That also seemed ridiculous to me. In the vacuum of space, a virus was going to survive?

L


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Darn!  I didn't win?  

Congratulations, Cindy!

Betsy


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

Congrats Cindy!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Thank you all very much. What a surprise! I remember the lunar landing as if it happened yesterday, so that makes this extra special.


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

Congratulations Cindy!!


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

Congrats Cindy416!


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I was glad to see someone win who actually was born then and remembers the landing


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> I was glad to see someone win who actually was born then and remembers the landing


Thanks, Anju. I guess it pays to be a Baby Boomer!


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Congrats, Cindy!

BTW, Leslie...



> Leslie said:
> 
> 
> > (Did you see *Deception?* Sorry, I digress.). I love *The Dish*...what a great movie.
> ...


Deception is back on HBO On-Demand until August 18th, so I'll definitely be watching it at some point.  Is it really great?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

CS said:


> Congrats, Cindy!
> 
> BTW, Leslie...
> 
> Deception is back on HBO On-Demand until August 18th, so I'll definitely be watching it at some point.  Is it really great?


Actually, no, it's not really great. In fact, I contributed quite heavily to the "100 Things I Learned From Watching Deception" thread at IMDb and we had some pretty good laughs over it.

But...it does have Hugh Jackman. 'Nuff said.  And for the guys, Michelle Williams is quite fetching (unless the guys like HJ).

L


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Actually, no, it's not really great. In fact, I contributed quite heavily to the "100 Things I Learned From Watching Deception" thread at IMDb and we had some pretty good laughs over it.
> 
> But...it does have Hugh Jackman. 'Nuff said.  And for the guys, Michelle Williams is quite fetching (unless the guys like HJ).
> 
> L


That's good enough for me, Leslie. I'd pay to watch/listen to him read a phone book. 

Did you ever find a copy of "Paperback Hero?" I used to have an extra one that I bought off of Ebay, but it appeared to be pirated, so I didn't keep it. I had to keep looking until I could find a legitimate copy.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Deception was 2/4 stars for me, mostly because Hugh is in it AND was very good as the bad guy.  I like Ewan MacGregor, too, and he's the other star...the script was not good, however...

Betsy


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## F1Wild (Jun 15, 2009)

Congrats, Cindy!  It was fun reading all of those posts from the ones who remember the big event!


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