The Apollo 11 Journey in Photographs | Hacker News Reader

The Apollo 11 Journey in Photographs

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52 pointsandyjohnson016 comments

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.

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.

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

> 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.

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.

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

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_...

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

I haven't read either of the books you mentioned, but "Apollo" by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox is also excellent. From the looks of it, the paperback is hard to find ($125 on Amazon!), but the Kindle edition is only $8.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I get the feeling that the moon landing fakers are starting to wind down. With all the independent photography and research being done that clearly shows evidence of the moon landing, the ambiguity in which these hoaxers peddled their books and movies has gotten smaller and smaller. 10 years ago I used to run into at least one person a month who would bring this up. Now (as the comment by ColinWright shows) people are now MORE surpised to hear people once thought the moon landing was a hoax than the moon was a hoax =)

Some people will be more convinced that they are correct when you present more information to challenge their views.

It's a tricky problem - how do you convince someone that something is a useful, valid, thing to do if they think you're trying to harm them?

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.

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