Who says there aren’t any old, bold pilots?
January 20, 2022 4:47 PM Subscribe
You forgot "30 Rock alum."
Happy Birthday rocket man!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 5:03 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
Happy Birthday rocket man!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 5:03 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
One of four still alive (the others are David Scott, Charles Duke and Harrison Schmitt, all three in mid-to-late 80s).
posted by pipeski at 5:08 PM on January 20, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 5:08 PM on January 20, 2022 [7 favorites]
I will never get tired of that video of him being harassed by that guy claiming the Moon landing was faked and that he was a coward... and punching that guy's lights out.
posted by Schmucko at 5:29 PM on January 20, 2022 [23 favorites]
posted by Schmucko at 5:29 PM on January 20, 2022 [23 favorites]
And if you watch this, Schmucko, you’ll be satisfied (only version of it I saw on the tubes). Dude walked on the Moon. Not many humans have been on another celestial body, those guys had balls of steel. What a life he’s had. Deeply inspiring.
posted by dbiedny at 5:39 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by dbiedny at 5:39 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
I have never seen the Aldrin/Moron confrontation. When I saw Aldrin plant his feet and drop his arms, I thought "Oh! Oh! This isn't good.
What a solid punch. Full meat and bone.
Didn't have the greatest of reputations. So what....Good on you, Buzz. And you were great in 30 Rock
posted by goalyeehah at 5:54 PM on January 20, 2022
What a solid punch. Full meat and bone.
Didn't have the greatest of reputations. So what....Good on you, Buzz. And you were great in 30 Rock
posted by goalyeehah at 5:54 PM on January 20, 2022
TIL that guy from 30 Rock went to the moon one time.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:13 PM on January 20, 2022
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:13 PM on January 20, 2022
Actually no. I’ve been following Aldrin for the better part of a decade on social media. He’s a great cheerleader for getting people to Mars.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:15 PM on January 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:15 PM on January 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best part is the police (or local prosecutor) declined to file charges on Aldrin
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:15 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:15 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Aldrin had a rep for being THAT person at meetings, the one asking endless questions about various details of missions. Most Apollo commanders hated that, so Armstrong was offered the choice of someone else as his Lunar Module Pilot. But Neil said (paraphrasing): “Nah he asks good questions, it’s not a problem “
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:34 PM on January 20, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:34 PM on January 20, 2022 [12 favorites]
After being briefed on Luna 15, Buzz later asked for an update
".01 08 53 58 LMP Roger. What's the latest on Luna 15?
01 08 54 02 CC Stand by. I'll get the straight story for you.
01 09 37 44 CC Hello, Apollo 11. Houston. Over.
01 09 37 48 CMP Go ahead, Charlie.
01 09 37 50 CC Roger. Latest on Luna 15 - TASS reported this morning that the spacecraft was placed in orbit close to the lunar surface, and everything seems to be functioning normally on the vehicle. Sir Bernard Lovell said the craft appears to be in an orbit of about 62 nautical miles. Over."
posted by clavdivs at 6:37 PM on January 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
".01 08 53 58 LMP Roger. What's the latest on Luna 15?
01 08 54 02 CC Stand by. I'll get the straight story for you.
01 09 37 44 CC Hello, Apollo 11. Houston. Over.
01 09 37 48 CMP Go ahead, Charlie.
01 09 37 50 CC Roger. Latest on Luna 15 - TASS reported this morning that the spacecraft was placed in orbit close to the lunar surface, and everything seems to be functioning normally on the vehicle. Sir Bernard Lovell said the craft appears to be in an orbit of about 62 nautical miles. Over."
posted by clavdivs at 6:37 PM on January 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
Buzz was also the known person to pee on the Moon.
Neil was silent about shit like that.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:43 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Neil was silent about shit like that.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:43 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Wikipedia: Buzz Lightyear's name was in honor of Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second person to walk on the Moon. According to Pixar producers, the character was provisionally named Lunar Larry, but it sounded "too wacky", so while trying to rechristen him "we went through some space terms and the word light-year came up, and the coolest astronaut name was Buzz Aldrin." Aldrin acknowledged the tribute when he pulled a Buzz Lightyear toy out during a speech at NASA, to rapturous cheers…
posted by cenoxo at 7:48 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by cenoxo at 7:48 PM on January 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
Thanks dbiedny, I enjoyed that 3 minute punch on repeat. The full version is still there on youtube, you just have to search a little deeper: here's the full context of Buzz punching the Moron.
posted by Schmucko at 9:42 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Schmucko at 9:42 PM on January 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Stepping on the moon Buzz, joined Neil and looked across the void to Planet Earth for a moment. Neil said “for all humanity’s, differences from up here consider how similar they are….” Buzz replied, “I know, to me they look the same, a bunch of losers who have never walked on the moon.”
posted by interogative mood at 10:23 PM on January 20, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 10:23 PM on January 20, 2022 [5 favorites]
There are still four people alive who walked on the Moon. The others are David Scott, Harrison Schmitt and Charles Duke.
It’s mindblowing to me that no one has walked on the Moon in my four decades of life on this planet.
My hope is that it won’t be mindblowing to my kids that anyone walked on the Moon at all.
posted by Kattullus at 10:27 PM on January 20, 2022 [6 favorites]
It’s mindblowing to me that no one has walked on the Moon in my four decades of life on this planet.
My hope is that it won’t be mindblowing to my kids that anyone walked on the Moon at all.
posted by Kattullus at 10:27 PM on January 20, 2022 [6 favorites]
With the way things are going, I fully expect that the scene in Interstellar will accurately reflect what is taught in school regarding the Moon landings before I die. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see it required by law in Florida by this time next year. After all, if a kid were to realize that our engineering capability has declined over the past 50 years it might make them uncomfortable, and there's a bill in the legislature right now that would outlaw teaching anything that makes kids uncomfortable.
posted by wierdo at 4:11 AM on January 21, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by wierdo at 4:11 AM on January 21, 2022 [4 favorites]
(For anyone else who needed a reminder about the scene being referred to above:
posted by quinndexter at 4:36 AM on January 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
...despite watching their future literally close in around them, humans aren’t too keen about going into space. How do we know that? Because they deny that the moon landing ever happened.https://www.tor.com/2014/10/30/interstellar-moon-landing-history/)
As you’ll see in the clip, McConaughey’s daughter’s teacher sits down with him to talk about how his kid shouldn’t be bringing in old textbooks showing the Apollo landings. Instead, schools teach that the Apollo missions were faked in order to bankrupt the Soviet Union. Because that makes so much sense.
posted by quinndexter at 4:36 AM on January 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Astronomy Picture of the Day, 2021 September 27
Unwrapped: Five Decade Old Lunar Selfie
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong; Processing: Michael Ranger:
posted by cenoxo at 4:37 AM on January 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Unwrapped: Five Decade Old Lunar Selfie
Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong; Processing: Michael Ranger:
Here is one of the most famous pictures from the Moon -- but digitally reversed. Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969 and soon thereafter many pictures were taken, including an iconic picture of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong. The original image captured not only the magnificent desolation of an unfamiliar world, but Armstrong himself reflected in Aldrin's curved visor. Enter modern digital technology. In the featured image, the spherical distortion from Aldrin's helmet has been reversed. The result is the famous picture -- but now featuring Armstrong himself from Aldrin's perspective. Even so, since Armstrong took the picture, the image is effectively a five-decade old lunar selfie. The original visor reflection is shown on the left, while Earth hangs in the lunar sky on the upper right. A foil-wrapped leg of the Eagle lander is prominently visible.Preparations to return humans to the Moon in the next few years include the Artemis program, an international collaboration led by NASA.
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posted by cenoxo at 4:37 AM on January 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
Apollo 11 landing site from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [large image], The Planetary Society, Bruce Murray Space Image Library:
The Apollo 11 landing site, as seen from a height of 24 kilometers by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The remnants of Armstrong and Aldrin's historic first steps on the surface are seen as dark paths around the Lunar Module (LM), Lunar Ranging RetroReflector (LRRR) and Passive Seismic Experiment Package (PSEP), as well as leading to and from Little West crater.posted by cenoxo at 5:02 AM on January 21, 2022
After all, if a kid were to realize that our engineering capability has declined over the past 50 years it might make them uncomfortable, and there's a bill in the legislature right now that would outlaw teaching anything that makes kids uncomfortable.
Our engineering capability hasn't declined at all. We don't go to the moon anymore because no one profits from it.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:21 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Our engineering capability hasn't declined at all. We don't go to the moon anymore because no one profits from it.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:21 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's been almost twenty years since GWB decided we should go back to the moon. We're on the third mostly vaporware rocket that still hasn't launched, and that rocket is so expensive NASA can't actually afford to launch it. Maybe it's construction and not engineering. I'd argue that part of engineering is designing things that can actually be built and used, though.
Regardless of the whys and wherefores, it would give a schoolkid a sad to learn that we can't go to the moon any more, so we can't teach said kid that it actually happened. So say Florida Republicans, anyway.
posted by wierdo at 5:44 AM on January 21, 2022
Regardless of the whys and wherefores, it would give a schoolkid a sad to learn that we can't go to the moon any more, so we can't teach said kid that it actually happened. So say Florida Republicans, anyway.
posted by wierdo at 5:44 AM on January 21, 2022
Maybe someone has some insight into this: a few weeks ago the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast mentioned that there are nine hammocks on the moon. They explained that Neil and Buzz found it difficult to sleep in their chairs in the LM while Eagle was on the surface, so subsequent Apollo missions sent along hammocks to string up diagonally across the interior so astronauts could snooze in those. And like everything else not crucial to bring back, these got left behind to save fuel.
I have no reason to doubt the rationale of bringing hammocks or the reason to leave them there. But more than once the figure of nine was cited, and none of the other three cohosts challenged this.
Apollo 12-14-15-16-17, two astronauts on the surface each time. I assume that it was a research failure to say nine and not ten. Unless maybe one was brought back for whatever reason, or perhaps Eugene Cernan didn’t get one. Any thoughts?
Looking into this further at the time, I started by looking at the Wikipedia page on Apollo 11. One sentence startled me at the very end of the section on Collins' role in Columbia while Aldrin and Armstrong were on the surface:
"While the flight plan called for Eagle to meet up with Columbia, Collins was prepared for a contingency in which he would fly Columbia down to meet Eagle.[171]"
I had honestly never heard of any such contingency (beyond the Safire speech, of course, for an even more serious problem). Further reading elsewhere and talking with friends who are more up on the mechanics of this than I suggested this was to bring it to a lower orbit, as of course the CSM was not designed in any way for surface landing.
The idea, I gather, was that they might get a partial burn from the LM ascent engine and end up in low orbit or a parabolic arc with lithobraking at the far end. “The latter would have been particularly hair-raising,” as one friend noted. To match velocities the CSM would have to go into the same arc and then fire its engines quickly after retrieving the LM and crew to get back into something more stable.
It sounds like NASA had sort of said, "Well, I guess if all else fails, we could try this...". It's nice that they thought of all the contingencies, even if the plan for most of them was "... and then everybody dies.”
I would note that the very next bit on Wikipedia right after that is kind of startling as well: "Eagle rendezvoused with Columbia at 21:24 UTC on July 21, and the two docked at 21:35. Eagle's ascent stage was jettisoned into lunar orbit at 23:41.[7] Just before the Apollo 12 flight, it was noted that Eagle was still likely to be orbiting the Moon. Later NASA reports mentioned that Eagle's orbit had decayed, resulting in it impacting in an "uncertain location" on the lunar surface.[172] In 2021 however, some calculations show that lander may still be in orbit.[173]" (Emphasis mine.)
I had really never though much about the disposition of the LM but the idea of it still orbiting the moon is a little surprising, somehow. I think a lot of us would be shocked if some 2042 unmanned probe landing failed and it turned out it had collided in its descent with Apollo 11. Unlikely, I grant, but if no one knows what the orbit it is (if indeed it is still in orbit)... well, it’s got to be somewhere.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:56 AM on January 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
I have no reason to doubt the rationale of bringing hammocks or the reason to leave them there. But more than once the figure of nine was cited, and none of the other three cohosts challenged this.
Apollo 12-14-15-16-17, two astronauts on the surface each time. I assume that it was a research failure to say nine and not ten. Unless maybe one was brought back for whatever reason, or perhaps Eugene Cernan didn’t get one. Any thoughts?
Looking into this further at the time, I started by looking at the Wikipedia page on Apollo 11. One sentence startled me at the very end of the section on Collins' role in Columbia while Aldrin and Armstrong were on the surface:
"While the flight plan called for Eagle to meet up with Columbia, Collins was prepared for a contingency in which he would fly Columbia down to meet Eagle.[171]"
I had honestly never heard of any such contingency (beyond the Safire speech, of course, for an even more serious problem). Further reading elsewhere and talking with friends who are more up on the mechanics of this than I suggested this was to bring it to a lower orbit, as of course the CSM was not designed in any way for surface landing.
The idea, I gather, was that they might get a partial burn from the LM ascent engine and end up in low orbit or a parabolic arc with lithobraking at the far end. “The latter would have been particularly hair-raising,” as one friend noted. To match velocities the CSM would have to go into the same arc and then fire its engines quickly after retrieving the LM and crew to get back into something more stable.
It sounds like NASA had sort of said, "Well, I guess if all else fails, we could try this...". It's nice that they thought of all the contingencies, even if the plan for most of them was "... and then everybody dies.”
I would note that the very next bit on Wikipedia right after that is kind of startling as well: "Eagle rendezvoused with Columbia at 21:24 UTC on July 21, and the two docked at 21:35. Eagle's ascent stage was jettisoned into lunar orbit at 23:41.[7] Just before the Apollo 12 flight, it was noted that Eagle was still likely to be orbiting the Moon. Later NASA reports mentioned that Eagle's orbit had decayed, resulting in it impacting in an "uncertain location" on the lunar surface.[172] In 2021 however, some calculations show that lander may still be in orbit.[173]" (Emphasis mine.)
I had really never though much about the disposition of the LM but the idea of it still orbiting the moon is a little surprising, somehow. I think a lot of us would be shocked if some 2042 unmanned probe landing failed and it turned out it had collided in its descent with Apollo 11. Unlikely, I grant, but if no one knows what the orbit it is (if indeed it is still in orbit)... well, it’s got to be somewhere.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:56 AM on January 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
It’s mindblowing to me that no one has walked on the Moon in my four decades of life on this planet.
Nixon hated Kennedy so much he disassembled NASA. They took a Saturn V that was ready to go and laid it down for an exhibit. Then we spent a decade fucking around in LEO with the space shuttle, which was sold as a space truck that could make monthly trips. We should have had the solar power satellites in GEO by 1985.
posted by mikelieman at 7:00 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Nixon hated Kennedy so much he disassembled NASA. They took a Saturn V that was ready to go and laid it down for an exhibit. Then we spent a decade fucking around in LEO with the space shuttle, which was sold as a space truck that could make monthly trips. We should have had the solar power satellites in GEO by 1985.
posted by mikelieman at 7:00 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Aldrin came to a local science fiction convention back in the early 90's. I think they even got him to sit in on a panel or two. I found him to be gracious and still have his autograph. I think he's the only celebrity I've ever met that I was in utter awe of. I mean, go outside tonight, look up at that glowing disk. This guy stood up there.
>Our engineering capability hasn't declined at all. We don't go to the moon anymore because no one profits from it.
We'll be seeing robotic exploration of the moon this decade. (I know someone currently working on it.) I'm not sure when, if ever, we'll send people again.
posted by Catblack at 7:06 AM on January 21, 2022
>Our engineering capability hasn't declined at all. We don't go to the moon anymore because no one profits from it.
We'll be seeing robotic exploration of the moon this decade. (I know someone currently working on it.) I'm not sure when, if ever, we'll send people again.
posted by Catblack at 7:06 AM on January 21, 2022
Oh man, now I get to share my Buzz Aldrin story. I have so few celebrity stories, so it's exciting for me. Some number of mumbledy years ago, I was a wee intern on the Hill, doing intern things like answering the phones. 99% of the calls that come into a congressional office are people (sometimes even constituents) with an opinion on Bill or Issue XYZ, and so you get into kind of a phone-answering pattern of NOT putting people through to the Congressman, because mostly you just need to get their name and address and note down the issue they were calling about so it could be tallied up and they could get a letter back. It's mostly just using interns as phone defense to protect the staff and member so they can do the rest of their jobs.
Well, our office represented Houston. So one day BUZZ ALDRIN calls, because he was regularly working to support more funding for NASA and the space center, but all of the people I've spoken to on the phone so far have been lobbyists trying to get patched through to specific staff, or constituents who usually aren't going to get patched through to anyone right away, and so I start doing the taking info and trying to get this guy off the phone thing because muscle memory. And the office manager overhears me and figures out what's going on and starts jumping up and down in front of me and waving her arms and scream-whispering, "IT'S BUZZ ALDRIN PUT HIM THROUGH TO THE CONGRESSMAN RIGHT NOW OMG". He was extremely nice about the whole thing.
And that's the story of the time I almost accidentally blew off Buzz Aldrin! The NASA people also brought in the best swag to the office. I had a little foam squeezy astronaut they gave me until very recently; I think it finally got lost in my last move.
posted by bowtiesarecool at 7:47 AM on January 21, 2022 [4 favorites]
Well, our office represented Houston. So one day BUZZ ALDRIN calls, because he was regularly working to support more funding for NASA and the space center, but all of the people I've spoken to on the phone so far have been lobbyists trying to get patched through to specific staff, or constituents who usually aren't going to get patched through to anyone right away, and so I start doing the taking info and trying to get this guy off the phone thing because muscle memory. And the office manager overhears me and figures out what's going on and starts jumping up and down in front of me and waving her arms and scream-whispering, "IT'S BUZZ ALDRIN PUT HIM THROUGH TO THE CONGRESSMAN RIGHT NOW OMG". He was extremely nice about the whole thing.
And that's the story of the time I almost accidentally blew off Buzz Aldrin! The NASA people also brought in the best swag to the office. I had a little foam squeezy astronaut they gave me until very recently; I think it finally got lost in my last move.
posted by bowtiesarecool at 7:47 AM on January 21, 2022 [4 favorites]
…if no one knows what the orbit it is (if indeed it is still in orbit)... well, it’s got to be somewhere.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum > Spacecraft & Vehicles > Location of Apollo Lunar Modules:
posted by cenoxo at 8:01 AM on January 21, 2022
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum > Spacecraft & Vehicles > Location of Apollo Lunar Modules:
5. Apollo 11 "Eagle"Apollo: Where are they now? Current locations of the Apollo Command Module Capsules (and Lunar Module crash sites):
Ascent stage: jettisoned from the Command Module on July 21, 1969 at 23:41 UT (7:41 PM EDT). Impact site unknown.
Apollo 11The implication is that the Eagle ascent stage did impact the Moon, but the site is unknown/undetected.
Command Module "Columbia"
The National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
Lunar Module "Eagle"
Jettisoned from the Command Module on 21 July 1969 at 23:41 UT (7:41 PM EDT)
Impact site unknown
posted by cenoxo at 8:01 AM on January 21, 2022
Hear Buzz Aldrin tell the story of the first Moon landing (YouTube), London Science Museum, February 2019.
posted by cenoxo at 8:10 AM on January 21, 2022
posted by cenoxo at 8:10 AM on January 21, 2022
Buzz Aldrin is an inspiration: it's true that anybody can become an astronaut.
(I'm glad he exists. He's fun and funny guy. Often a great spokesman for important things. But, I also have deep admiration for those who've struggled to keep him pointed in a useful direction.)
posted by eotvos at 8:33 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
(I'm glad he exists. He's fun and funny guy. Often a great spokesman for important things. But, I also have deep admiration for those who've struggled to keep him pointed in a useful direction.)
posted by eotvos at 8:33 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
OTOH, New Evidence Suggests Apollo 11's Lunar Ascent Module Could Still Be Orbiting the Moon – NASA assumed the Eagle module eventually crashed into the Moon. Now a new analysis suggests it is still up there and might even be detectable from Earth., Discover, The Physics arXiv Blog, Jul 28, 2021.
posted by cenoxo at 8:36 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cenoxo at 8:36 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Eponysterical: bowtiesarecool > Buzz Aldrin w/bow tie.
posted by cenoxo at 8:51 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cenoxo at 8:51 AM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
I love this man, and I'm glad he's still around.
He's slowed down in recent years, but it wasn't all that long ago that his social media feed showed him doing crazy things that not even young adventurers did.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:38 AM on January 21, 2022
He's slowed down in recent years, but it wasn't all that long ago that his social media feed showed him doing crazy things that not even young adventurers did.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:38 AM on January 21, 2022
I think he's the only celebrity I've ever met that I was in utter awe of
I've (sadly) never had the opportunity to meet Mr. Aldrin, but my "in awe of" celebrity is in the same cohort - meeting General Chuck Yeager at a Smithsonian meet-and-greet almost 30 years ago.
I'm glad Buzz is still with us, and maybe I'll get to shake his hand one day, too.
posted by hanov3r at 2:21 PM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've (sadly) never had the opportunity to meet Mr. Aldrin, but my "in awe of" celebrity is in the same cohort - meeting General Chuck Yeager at a Smithsonian meet-and-greet almost 30 years ago.
I'm glad Buzz is still with us, and maybe I'll get to shake his hand one day, too.
posted by hanov3r at 2:21 PM on January 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
One of my favorite stories is that all of the photos of an astronaut from the Moon Landing are of Buzz Aldin because he was pissed that Neil Armstrong got to go first that Buzz left his camera behind so all the pictures had to be of him.
It's probably not factual, but it's true.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:08 PM on January 21, 2022
It's probably not factual, but it's true.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:08 PM on January 21, 2022
Nah, according to his biography, there was only one camera, Neil was holding it. They were supposed to swap, but the call from the President went over time, so rather than waste time transferring camera, Neil kept it and continued photographing.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:30 AM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:30 AM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
According to Armstrong’s biography.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:14 AM on January 22, 2022
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:14 AM on January 22, 2022
Apollo 12-14-15-16-17, two astronauts on the surface each time. I assume that it was a research failure to say nine and not ten. Unless maybe one was brought back for whatever reason, or perhaps Eugene Cernan didn’t get one. Any thoughts?
99% sure that the show that said there are nine hammocks on the moon are wrong. This article mentions how each crew that had hammocks handled things and there's no indication that every later flight didn't have the required two hammocks.
In 2021 however, some calculations show that lander may still be in orbit.[173]"
To be clear, just the Ascent Module of Apollo 11 would still be in orbit, not the Descent Module, which would still be on the surface.
Fun trivia: The Apollo 11 Ascent module purposefully had all its electronics and life support systems on when it was jettisoned, to see how long the batteries would last. This information helped out a lot in figuring out how long the astronauts could last in Apollo 13 Lunar Module on battery power alone.
More fun trivia: The Apollo 10 Ascent Module is in solar orbit. But before the astronauts jettisoned it, they filled it with trash, which included plastic bags containing poop. Those bags were in an environment that supported life. What evil alien horrors have grown and mutated in that capsule in the past 60 years?! Is there someone in Hollywood doing a movie on that?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:00 AM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
99% sure that the show that said there are nine hammocks on the moon are wrong. This article mentions how each crew that had hammocks handled things and there's no indication that every later flight didn't have the required two hammocks.
In 2021 however, some calculations show that lander may still be in orbit.[173]"
To be clear, just the Ascent Module of Apollo 11 would still be in orbit, not the Descent Module, which would still be on the surface.
Fun trivia: The Apollo 11 Ascent module purposefully had all its electronics and life support systems on when it was jettisoned, to see how long the batteries would last. This information helped out a lot in figuring out how long the astronauts could last in Apollo 13 Lunar Module on battery power alone.
More fun trivia: The Apollo 10 Ascent Module is in solar orbit. But before the astronauts jettisoned it, they filled it with trash, which included plastic bags containing poop. Those bags were in an environment that supported life. What evil alien horrors have grown and mutated in that capsule in the past 60 years?! Is there someone in Hollywood doing a movie on that?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:00 AM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
That movie is absolute trash and the only I went to a movie theater to see it was for the interior views of the Lunar Module.
Don't kink shame me.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:48 PM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Don't kink shame me.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:48 PM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Houston, I'll be in my bunk.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:38 AM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:38 AM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
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