

The Apollo 11 Journey in Photographs - andyjohnson0
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/the-apollo-11-journey-in-photographs/260125/

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rogerbinns
There is a wonderful HD video showing the first 30 seconds of launch from a
high speed camera, taking 8 minutes. It is incredible the details just for
that part of the mission. <http://vimeo.com/4366695>

I recall reading somewhere that the walls of the lunar lander were so thin
that if you stabbed them with a pencil it would go right through.

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laserDinosaur
I think there is a quote of one of them saying that they were scared that if
they dropped a screwdriver it would go right through the floor.

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matt_e
I highly recommend the book 'Full Moon' compiled by photographer Michael
Light. He's gone through the archives and reproduced many of the old medium
format photographs taken by the astronauts on the Apollo Missions. I find the
shots from the astronauts on board the craft at least as fascinating as the
moon landscapes, seeing them up there strapped into technology (apparent from
design, typography, etc) that's so clearly from an era that from today's POV
looks so archaic. It really gives an appreciation for how badass those guys
were, trapped in a little glass and metal bubble way out in the middle of
nowhere, so far from any kind of life support.

<http://www.michaellight.net/workFullMoon.html>

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goatforce5
> so clearly from an era that from today's POV looks so archaic

I managed to get maybe 45 minutes at the Smithsonian on a quick visit to DC
15+ years ago. Being able to go right up next to the actual capsules that some
of the early astronauts had used and seeing the rivets didn't always exactly
line up, or bundles of cables tied together with bits of string... It all
looked a bit rickety.

Those guys had giant balls to be strapped in to those rockets and hope for the
best.

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cjoh
This isn't a dig but just a note: every human being in all of these
photographs is white. Even the parade picture at the end is, from what I can
gather, all white. Makes you think about the real exclusion happening then,
and how much progress we've made today, where its almost unsettling to see
pictures of major events with political figures containing all whites, and
where the president we have today apparently wouldn't have been allowed
anywhere near these events.

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jordanb
Gil Scott-heron (of "the Revolution will not be Televised") wrote a beat poem
on that very topic:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtBy_ppG4hY>

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js2
I cannot recommend "A Man on the Moon" by Andrew Chaikin highly enough. It's
an incredible read. Go find it and read it.

The HBO mini-series, From the Earth to the Moon, largely based on that book is
also quite excellent. Go find it and watch it. --
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon_(TV_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon_\(TV_miniseries\))

If you're still looking for more material after that, I'd go read "Failure is
Not an Option" by Gene Kranz.

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andyjohnson0
Chaikin's book is excellent. Two books on Apollo that I'd recommend:

1\. How Apollo Flew to the Moon, by W David Woods. Don't be put off by the
cheesy cover, this book goes into a lot of technical detail and does a pretty
good job of explaining things.

2\. Digital Apollo by David A. Mindell. A detailed look at the use of digital
technology in Apollo, particularly for guidance. Lots of chewy technical
detail.

These books would definitely appeal to many HN readers with an interest in
spaceflight.

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dm8
I feel mission control crew are under-represented in all the pictures. Without
taking any glory from astronauts as they were men on the front, mission
control were the brains of this mission. I guess History channel had wonderful
documentary on role of mission control and how they were organized.
Engineering management at it finest with the inspiration leaders throughout
the ranks.

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ommunist
It is unusual how many people still believe in this hoax. Dudes, this never
happened. Only the Soviet robots did really something on the Moon. Check the
regolite story, check the Stormwind icebreaker mission story. No, you do not
want to see the truth, you just like to please yourself with that warm and
fuzzy feeling of being proud.

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ColinWright
Fascinating. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions:

* How did they fake the video of the astronauts on the Moon? Please be careful to pay attention to explaining the arc of the dust they kick up.

* How did they fake the open-loop back on the recordings where the delay exactly matches the orbit of the Moon, and in an apparently unanticipated analysis 40 years later it was possible to deduce from the recordings alone the date of the recording?

Thanks.

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ommunist
For the second one - there was an agreement with the USSR government about the
Moon, so 'Luna-10' station could be used for that, or the earlier robot. With
regard to the 1st one, I should check the available fx tech of that time. How
shall you explain the founding of the intact Apollo housing (supposed to be
burned) in the Atlantic ocean? Check this photo.
<http://www.warandpeace.ru/ru/reports/view/70866/> \- illustration 17.

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sharkweek
I don't mean to go all Carl Sagan on everyone, but these photos are such a
great reminder of how stunning of a universe we have left to explore. And
while I know the money doesn't exist in exploration funding to really push the
space frontier yet, I really hope I eventually see the day where it becomes a
priority again.

