Apollo XI 50th Anniversary
Apollo 11 and man's first steps on the Moon were the climax of the project driven by President John F. Kennedy's speech on 12 September 1962 at Rice Stadium
"<Quote>
We choose to go to the moon.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too..
<End Quote>."
I am still in awe of the men and women involved in this undertaking who were heroes to me when I was young and still absolute heroes to me now.
Just how they managed to achieve what they did with less computing power on board than a modern day smart phone I cannot even imagine, but I put it down to great minds, massive commitment, plain drive and continually pushing the envelope and thinking outside the box.
If you have a spare 3 hours or so, here is an interesting link to NASA's website and a re-broadcast of the historic first steps on the moon.
<Click here>
The Apollo Project had the lot...
- Disaster on Apollo 1
- Awe-inspiration with the photo of Earth from Apollo 8
- Anticipation as Apollo 8 went around the dark side
- "The Eagle has landed..." and "One small step..." on Apollo 11
- "Houston, we have a problem..." and joy of avoiding near-disaster on Apollo 13
- Amusement at the coolness of the lunar rover in Apollo 15 onwards
- Shock that Apollo 17 would be the last
The last in the above list saddened me at the time and still does.
Just how a tricky and exacting mission to the Moon could become "routine" and un-news worthy, I cannot comprehend.
I understand that this sort of exploration is ridiculously expensive and can be called a money-pit, but I think that mankind needs to look up to the skies rather than down at the ground or at their smart phone.
Personally, I find that looking up leads thoughts towards hope and anticipation, which in my view has to be a good thing.
As I have said before, together with Mission Control and the backroom staff, the Apollo astronauts are my heroes - here is a roll...
Walked on the Moon :
Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)
Pete Conrad (Apollo 12) Alan Bean (Apollo 12)
Alan Shepard (Apollo 14) Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14)
David Scott (Apollo 15) James Irwin (Apollo 15)
John Young (Apollo 16) Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
Gene Cernan (Apollo 17) Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)
Flew to the Moon without landing :
William Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell (Apollo 8)
Gene Cernan, Thomas Stafford and John Young (Apollo 10)
Michael Collins (Apollo 11)
Dick Gordon (Apollo 12)
Fred Haise, Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert (Apollo 13)
Stuart Roosa (Apollo 14)
Al Worden (Apollo 15)
Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16)
Ronald Evans (Apollo 17)
Just how a tricky and exacting mission to the Moon could become "routine" and un-news worthy, I cannot comprehend.
I understand that this sort of exploration is ridiculously expensive and can be called a money-pit, but I think that mankind needs to look up to the skies rather than down at the ground or at their smart phone.
Personally, I find that looking up leads thoughts towards hope and anticipation, which in my view has to be a good thing.
As I have said before, together with Mission Control and the backroom staff, the Apollo astronauts are my heroes - here is a roll...
Walked on the Moon :
Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)
Pete Conrad (Apollo 12) Alan Bean (Apollo 12)
Alan Shepard (Apollo 14) Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14)
David Scott (Apollo 15) James Irwin (Apollo 15)
John Young (Apollo 16) Charles Duke (Apollo 16)
Gene Cernan (Apollo 17) Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)
Flew to the Moon without landing :
William Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell (Apollo 8)
Gene Cernan, Thomas Stafford and John Young (Apollo 10)
Michael Collins (Apollo 11)
Dick Gordon (Apollo 12)
Fred Haise, Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert (Apollo 13)
Stuart Roosa (Apollo 14)
Al Worden (Apollo 15)
Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16)
Ronald Evans (Apollo 17)
Note regarding the pictures:
These are from the NASA Photo Archive.
I claim no ownership to the images
(2019)
These are from the NASA Photo Archive.
I claim no ownership to the images
(2019)