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Post by gwiz on Nov 14, 2009 10:55:22 GMT -4
Today is the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 12, the second manned moon landing mission. Highlights include the launch vehicle surviving a lightning strike, a precision landing close to the earlier Surveyor 3 probe, two lunar surface EVAs and the deployment of an array of scientific instruments that returned data for eight years. However, the crew did not endear themselves to the media as they managed to point the TV camera at the sun early in the first EVA.
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Post by laurel on Dec 21, 2009 15:18:43 GMT -4
Today is the anniversary of the launch of Apollo 8. Michael Collins was the first CapCom to tell a crew that they were "Go for TLI" but he didn't really like that phrase because he thought it should be more dramatic. history.nasa.gov/ap08fj/02earth_orbit_tli.htm
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Post by gwiz on Apr 11, 2010 5:48:40 GMT -4
Forty years today from the launch of Apollo 13, intended to be the third manned lunar landing. Due to a combination of design and assembly problems, an SM oxygen tank exploded on the way to the moon, depriving the CSM of oxygen, electrical power and manoeuvre capability. In an extraordinary demonstration of the competence of both the crew and the ground support team, the LM was used as a lifeboat, with consumables eked out to sustain the crew, carry out the necessary manoeuvres to return to earth and power up the CM for a successful reentry. During a fly-by of the Moon on 15 Apr the crew set an (unofficial) absolute human altitude record of just over 400,000 km that still stands.
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Post by laurel on Apr 11, 2010 14:41:43 GMT -4
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Post by clipperride on Apr 11, 2010 17:50:01 GMT -4
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Post by laurel on Apr 11, 2010 23:30:30 GMT -4
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Post by clipperride on Apr 12, 2010 10:04:52 GMT -4
The original footage recorded by the BBC of the return of Apollo 13 was included on last months "Sky at Night Magazine" coverdisc. It really highlights the tension in the studio as the commentators (including Sir Patrick Moore and James Burke) wait to hear from the CM after radio black-out. I'm not sure if the following link will work outside the UK, but the BBC has collected several programs concerning the Moon and Apollo landings here; www.bbc.co.uk/archive/moonlandings/index.shtmlThe collection includes some Sky at Night episodes from the early 1960s, and the excellent "A Night to Remember" which includes a tour of the padded bunker under the launch tower which I hadn't seen before. The archive includes both short clips and full programs from the 1960s up to 2009. Well worth a visit if available. Regards Mark.
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Post by scooter on Apr 12, 2010 22:23:18 GMT -4
Somewhere, I saw a shot of a shuttle launch taken from the vicinity of the bunker entrance. I guess the shuttle crews now evacuate the area via APCs vs going into the bunker at the bottom of the slidewires. Anyway, it showed a couple of fire rescue types standing in the hatches of the APC as the vehicle is lifting off, seeming pretty relaxed...no earcovers or fire hoods.(maybe ear plugs?)
Seemed very peculiar considering the proximity...
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Post by banjomd on Apr 13, 2010 7:10:13 GMT -4
"Not available in your area." Drat
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Post by clipperride on Apr 14, 2010 5:03:56 GMT -4
"Not available in your area." Drat I was afraid that might be the case. As you probably know, the BBC is funded by a TV Licence fee so there is pressure to keep costs down. There may also be copyright problems with showing these clips outside the UK. However, the bunker footage is part of "Apollo 11 - A Night to Remember" which is available on DVD. Sadly, another cost cutting measure saw the BBC re-used the video tapes that contained the original studio coverage of the Apollo 11 (close to a criminal act if you ask me!!!). As part of the 40th Anniversary of the first landing the BBC released "Apollo 11 - A Night to Remember". Along with the familiar footage from launch, LM checkout and the landing & EVA, the DVD contains all the surviving pre-recorded footage that was used during the original broadcasts. This includes James Burke showing the viewer round the emergency bunker, as well as inside a CM. He also tries on the various elements of the EVA suit and takes a flight on the zero-G "vomit comet". The program also features Sir Patrick Moore (presenter of "Sky at Night" for more that 50 years) introducing the various clips and taking the viewer through the time line of the flight. There is also an episode of "Sky at Night" from 1960 which looks at the method of measuring the height of the crater walls as well as the pictures returned by the Russian probe that first photographed the far-side of the Moon. It is interesting to hear the various theories that could not, at that time, be tested. In the UK (Amazon - DVD Region 2) the DVD is currently listed at £4.99 which is great value for a 120 minute program. I would recommend looking out for a copy if you can get hold of it through BBC Worldwide. Regards Mark P.S. If you search for this DVD, don't get confused with the 1958 film, "A Night to Remember" about the sinking of the Titanic!!! ;D
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Post by PhantomWolf on Apr 11, 2011 23:02:41 GMT -4
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Post by echnaton on May 5, 2011 19:56:22 GMT -4
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