Its hard not to overstate the effect the Moonshot has had on me, the events of fifty years ago on my 7 year old psyche are still felt today. My life consisted of all things space, food, tv, school, books, clothes, toys - I embraced it completely.
The wealth of tv programmes covering the mission this month is gratifying and the previously unseen and unheard records of the communications has been very revealing. Its well documented as to how Armstrong took control of the Eagle in the last minute of landing, but its only listening to the transcripts of the radio chatter that the full import is made plain. Two computer failures almost brought an abrup end to the mission and the preferred landing site was only deemed unsuitable at the last minute. According to the background info, it took Mission control 23 seconds to diagnose the computer fault and transmit the OK back to the falling module, which had only 30 seconds of fuel left.
Its hard for me to appreciate too, the incredulity of the millenial generation who seem to insist that the moon landings never took place and the whole thing was a propaganda exercise. Ridiculous when you can see the huge Saturn V witnessed by millions, rake itself skyward and even now, you can see the artefacts and landers on the moon with a powerful telescope.
Looking forward to the partial lunar eclipse tonight too, what a way to mark the event!
Yep. Baby boomers like us lived and breathed the space race and the moon landing. We are perhaps the last such generation Bill until a new space race emerges. The moon landing was like a glorious full stop on the Sixties allowing a new chapter to start. A chapter entitled The Future!
ReplyDeleteIn 1969, it must have been well past my bedtime when the lunar landing took place as I have no recollection of watching it live. However the operation as a whole must have had an impact on my little self, as it has given a direction to everything that was to follow.
ReplyDeleteAs if to make up for the lost experience, I had a wonderful opportunity today to relive the whole lunar journey as Todd Douglas Miller's brand new documentary Apollo 11 was previewed for the press. Compiled purely of archival footage, original communications and music, this is a no-nonsense, all fact recount of the flight from countdown to return. On the big screen the digitally mastered footage is genuinely breathtaking. The grand vista of the Moon surface is like being there yourself! A definite must-see.
I had special dispensation to stay up and watch the event, as my mum realised it was a monumental event. I recall being gutted that it was fuzzy monochrome though. Ill look out for that Arto, sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting recollections. Being slightly older than you, the moon landing came at the end of my enthusiasm for all thing space, rather than the beginning. I had been more excited by the build-up over the years.
ReplyDeleteI cant' believe many millenials are as stupid as to deny the moon landing happened, even if they increasingly depend on the internet for information, rather than books.