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38 years ago today...

SteveL

By SteveL
in The Astro Lounge

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SteveL

SteveL

Posted
Posted

surpised it hasnt been mentioned already, but 38 years ago today (or so i believe), mankind landed on the moon.... 38 years! sheesh... and the first steps on the moon were on the 21st.

Discuss... or not... dont care :D

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legion48

legion48

Posted
Posted

surpised it hasnt been mentioned already, but 38 years ago today (or so i believe), mankind landed on the moon.... 38 years! sheesh... and the first steps on the moon were on the 21st.

Discuss... or not... dont care :D

Well, so they claim, but show me the evidence........

Just jokin'. :lol: 38 years :shock: I remember listening to it live on the radio at school - I lived in New Zealand then.

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barkis

barkis

Posted
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Well I don't know if it will be a long discussion Steve, but it is good that you brought the subject up. I would hate to think, that we are getting blas`e, and too wrapped up in other things, and let what was a tremendous acvievement, fade away to nothing.

The moon landing to me personally, was such an exciting event, and I was glued to the TV drinking in every ghostly image as they moved over the moons surface like acolytes. That night is etched in by brain forever. I think I am the only person who has asked the local library to dig out the old Apollo videos from the archives, as they no longer have them on the shelves for general borrowing.

Great times, and very courageous people. It would be a crime to forget.

Ron. :D

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Cloudwatcher

Cloudwatcher

Posted
Posted

I remember seeing the action on TV, monochrome and very grainy but very exciting.

The first men on the Moon!.........Well,apart from the press corp who went ahead to film that 'Small step for man'. They never forgave poor old Neil for 'fluffing ' his lines you know!

CW

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beamish

beamish

Posted
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Ron, visit the NASA archives oooooh it's like an Aladin's cave of footage,photos transcripts of the actual log entries plus some audio of the "roger bleep" transmissions. PLUS digitised lunar panoramas....... you'll have so much fun.

I agree with you re the enormity of the event, will it ever fade away ? .....naaa. The older I get, the more I read about it, the more I admire the huge team of people and their ingenuity ,their skill and courage, at the very cutting edge of technology, accepting the fact that they had a better chance of floating an eternity in space then returning home to tell the tale.

Will they ever go back ? Yes, but, be not under any illusion that it'll be any easier. I personally think it will still test mankind's abilities to the nth degree especially with (not joking here) the huge importance being placed on safety protocols. These guys that went were mainly from military stock who were already used to putting their lives on the line in the mind-numbingly scary occupation of test-piloting. They were chosen and prepared to become heroes for their country dead or alive (preferably the latter of course).

Sorry, didn't mean to go on but I am fascinated with this subject.

Karlo

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mikkey99

mikkey99

Posted
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It was the greatest achievement of mankind, bar none.

A great achievement,yes but not I think the greatest.

Without the invention of writing and the wheel it would not have been possible.

CW

Well lets just agree on the greatest acheivemebt of the modern era ok guys

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Kenny_10_Bellys

Kenny_10_Bellys

Posted
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I think our first steps on another planet certainly rank right up there with the wheel in terms of momentous occasions. All the more amazing when you see the technology they had at the time, particularly their electrics and electronics. I'd be afraid to use a lightswitch or radio with braided wiring in it, much less go to the moon on the back of it.

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beamish

beamish

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I think our first steps on another planet certainly rank right up there with the wheel in terms of momentous occasions. All the more amazing when you see the technology they had at the time, particularly their electrics and electronics. I'd be afraid to use a lightswitch or radio with braided wiring in it, much less go to the moon on the back of it.

Agreed ,I think most of their equipment would be considered sub-std and dangerous by todays standards, may I suggest that if people are interested in the subject Andrew Chaikin's book " A Man on the Moon" as a start. You've more processing power in your mobile phone then was available to them in the module or LM. Seriously can you imagine the rush, sitting on the top of a Saturn 5 for a few minutes accelerating to 25,000 mph!!! WOOOOhooooooo!!!

Remember to try and save weight the LM's walls were barely thicker than turkey Bakofoil !! :shock:

Karlo

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Vega

Vega

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I sure wish I was around back then... I've watched the archive movies but to watch it (almost) live on TV... awsome. I think it is still humankinds greatest achievement to date.

Vega

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Astroman

Astroman

Posted
Posted

It was the greatest achievement of mankind, bar none.

A great achievement,yes but not I think the greatest.

Without the invention of writing and the wheel it would not have been possible.

CW

Well sir, I disagree. From another point of view, saying that the invention of a tool is an achievment in itself is inaccurate. It's what you do with the tool that allows you to achieve that is important. You may as well go back to fire, since we couldn't have got there without that, either. :lol:

If you've heard the final descent of Apollo 11, you hear a point where Neil Armstrong calls out an error code from his computer and goes to manual. Mission Control was an instant away from aborting the landing, but Neil would have none of it. The computer was overloaded and crashed, (yes, even before Windows :D), but he went on with it anyway. Your car, your microwave oven, your digital wristwatch and probably your treadmill have more computing power than Apollo. Amazing.

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Macavity

Macavity

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I can't remember - but I must have watched the first landing. I DO remember a later one though - Got "apprehended" by the headmaster, attempting to walk out of school to watch it on a mate's parents colour(?) TV. :D

Brave men, and some great human stories! I seem to remeber one where, while shuffling around the Lunar module, one of them broke off a switch, which was part of the ascent engine firing mechanism. Apparently, at the critical moment, they stuck a biro pen into the "hole"... and it worked. :lol:

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