Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Aug 13, 2007 12:16:27 GMT -4
This is by way of a slightly unusual request - at least, I haven't yet seen anything on the same subject anywhere else. As well as having interests in science, (astronomy in particular) and aviation, I am a big fan of flight simulation. I have raced up 360 hours of airline simulation with FS 2004 for an outfit called British Airways Virtual, flying 747s, 757s, 767s, 737s, and some smaller stuff too.
I know that Just Flight have recently released a spectacular-looking package that does a space shuttle simulation - from orbit to landing, no lift-off and up to orbit, or anything meaningful once in orbit (yet...) but I've not seen anything I can recall about simulating Apollo hardware/missions. I did come across a Lunar Module simulator once but can't seem to find it again, unless my Googling is not as good as it should be.
Can anyone point me in the drection of any interesting simulation packages?
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Aug 11, 2007 10:12:20 GMT -4
Many thanks, folks, for the quick and comprehensive responses! Looks like I've got my work cut out for me for a while. The Spacecraft News site looks interesting - being a modeller with a 1/72nd scale LM to build it may be very useful.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Aug 11, 2007 5:10:45 GMT -4
I'm a new joiner, just had my account validated. However, I've been a lurker for a while, finding the discussions very interesting indeed. I've just finished wading through the thread with Rocky et al on the Lunar Rover footage being shot on Earth... phew, heavy going at times but Jay, Sts60 and the others I thought did a really good job keeping their cool under fire. It's intersting to note Rocky never did manage to answer the questions posed... nothing new there, then! My apologies if this request has been made before, but I've not had time to go through all this particular area "The reality of Apollo". I'm looking for recommendations for good boks/DVDs on the technology and science behind the Apollo missions. I've long been interested in Astronomy and Space, with a general interest in most of the sciences, mainly Physics. I did Physics and Maths to A level, which I would reckon equates to High School level in the US. I wanted to go on to do Astronomy at University but my grades weren't good enough , so ended up doing Computing Science instead. However, I still read widely in Physics, Astrophysics and related subjects. So, back to my query - good books on the Apollo missions that talk about the science of how things worked, the basis behind design decisions, the engineering involved in the building of the hardware. Sorry if that's a bit of a tall order. In the meantime I will try and catch up with the info in the various threads.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Feb 27, 2008 4:36:54 GMT -4
No doubt you've heard of the Orbiter Space Flight simulator, I've got a copy on my hard drive which I use to run simulated Apollo Missions (I still haven't left Earth orbit yet ). I have managed to get to the moon and make a very rough landing - but using the Delta Flyer and the Eagle from Space:1999. With Apollo, I've got as far as the TLI burn, then retrieving the LM from the adapter. Very tricky manoeuvre that is too!
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Feb 23, 2008 7:29:57 GMT -4
About the Armstrong pictures... I seem to recall it being mentioned somewhere that Buzz wasn't that good with the camera - that of the two of them, Neil seemed to manage things better. Does that ring true?
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Feb 15, 2008 18:14:02 GMT -4
I have just found the NGC Moon Conspiracy videos on YouTube. I'd not heard of the before. A nice job, I thought, but it's a shame that the hard-core HBs will not be convinced. It's become an article of faith to them, unsupported by actual evidence, as faith usually is. Might make a few fence-sitters think again, though, which I suppose is all to the good.
Nice work, Jay, by the way.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Feb 22, 2008 7:45:35 GMT -4
I have to agree with the above posts. As soon as anyone starts using text language, upper case and lots of exclamation or question marks, my eyes start to glaze over (even more than normal) and I skip to the next message. Don't turn off your potential audience - the first thing I learned in how to make presentations.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Nov 28, 2007 6:38:11 GMT -4
If there's no legitimate question, then what's the purpose of this forum? The purpose of this forum is to counter the works of those who insist that there is a legitimate question, and to try and minimise the number of people taken in by the fraudsters and liars out to make a quick buck by rubbishing the achievements of others. I do not use the term 'fraudsters and liars' lightly either. I have personal experience of some of these people that makes it inescapable that they are liars. Contrary to the oversimplifications of those who wish to read some subversive meaning into the existence of such forums as these, Apollo is not intuitively obvious to everyone. It was a highly technical project in a field not everyone out there is au fait with. Many people do not immediately understand that dark sky does not equate to night-time in space; that stars are intrinsically much dimmer than they seem to be; that seeing a photographing are two very different problems; that orbital mechanics is so couterintuitive that you have to slow down to speed up; that radiation exists in different types and these require different shielding techniques; that the outer skin of the LM that looks so flimsy is not the pressure vessel of the craft; that dust behaves very differently in a vacuum than might be expected at first glance; and so on. The truth of Apollo is categorically NOT a common sense problem with an obvious answer unless you have some knowledge of the science and technology involved. If everyone had that, NASA wouldn't need to assemble a team of specialists and anyone could go to the Moon. Forums such as this exist to provide that knowledge to those who don't have it so they may better understand the ignorant claims of conspiracy theorists. Jason, well said!
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Nov 13, 2007 17:31:30 GMT -4
I'm going to go back to the start of this topic and mention the site that Ginnie mentioned. I went ot have a look and something intrigued me about the video that was being discussed. I thought I'd post my question here as I'd probably get a better answer.
In the Apollo 15 video linked (from YouTube but it'll do) the flag is indeed seen to move as the astronaut passes. At the start of the clip, the flag is set up and is seen to move, but the movement gradually dies away. Then the astronaut passes left to right, between the camera and flag, and the flag is seen to move as he passes. Now, given the lack of depth info, apart from the fact the the astronaut is betwixt camera and flag, it's difficult to tell, but is it possible that he actually brushed the end of the flag with his suit as he passed? The motion seen is in the same direction as he moves, which would be correct. Thoughts?
I'd also like to add my appreciation to the armed forces whose sacrifice ensured we have the reedom to have these debates here.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Oct 19, 2007 14:34:25 GMT -4
I have been lurking for a long time, watching the various debates. One that seems to come up regularly is the idea of parallel or non-parallel lines, be they shadows or whatever. I have been watching the televised snooker and tennis programs on Eurosport today, both of which show very clearly indeed convergence of parallel lines due to perspective. Perhaps the next time some HB'er starts agruing about shadows that should be parallel, we should just point them at some video of the Wimbledon championships
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Nov 1, 2007 8:23:29 GMT -4
Shatner was inwented in Russia. By a little old lady in Leningrad. Whose children build nuclear wessels...
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Aug 28, 2007 12:23:53 GMT -4
(shakes head slowly in disbelief) How can you possibly follow that? And people take this guy seriously?
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Nov 1, 2007 7:23:58 GMT -4
Just to add a bit of more up-to-date info to this thread... I've just been reading an update (on the BBC Science website) about the LBT, or Large Binocular Telescope. The combination of the two mirrors and adaptive optics will enable it to have the seeing power of a telescope with a 22.8m mirror. That's outstanding. Not enough to image the Apollo leftovers on the Moon but pretty impressive nonetheless. i look forward to seeing the first images of deep-sky objects from it.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Aug 13, 2007 6:03:09 GMT -4
I've been lurking and viewing for a whgile, and just registered myself so thought I'd add my two penn-orth.
Yes, I believe we went to the Moon. I was born in 1960, was just about ood enough to understand what was going on in the Apollo flights, and remember some of the later Gemini flights. Space fascinated me from a very early age, and Astronomy is an ongoing hobby of mine (serious enough to start studying and taking exams in my spare time). The mountain of evidence that Apollo happened as advertised is overwhelming.
I, too, find the attitudes of the HB'ers astounding. But, unfortunately, we are dealing with faith rather than reason. Faith cannot be shaken by any application of external pressure, it has to be changed from within. Someone with deep faith will ignore or twist facts that tend to contravene their faith no matter how watertight those facts might be. In a way, a discussion with a HB'er is a waste of space (no pun intended) but, as has been mentioned before, the discussion may just convince the undecided lurkers to think seriously. We can but try.
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Ian Pearse
Mars
Apollo (and space) enthusiast
Posts: 308
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Post by Ian Pearse on Aug 15, 2007 14:04:58 GMT -4
I have yet to be called that. In fact, I'm surprised I haven't, given that I'm former navy. Know anyone else here that is former military? I spent a couple of months in the Air Training Corps at 16 - does that count? Had to give it up as exams loomed... good fun it was while it lasted though.
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