You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
50 years ago today the astronauts of Apollo 8 set off on their mission to fly around the moon and return to the Earth. I’m doing so they became the first humans to leave Earth orbit and enter deep space. They were also the first people to ever see the far side of the moon with their own eyes. During the mission they captured the famous “Earth rise” picture after being distracted by the beauty of their home planet hanging in the void of space while they were supposed to be capturing survey shots of the lunar surface.
If you manage to catch a break in the cloud tonight, take a look up at the near full moon and raise a mug of mulled wine to astronauts Borman, Lovell and Anders.
And while doing so, listen to Public Service Broadcasting "Race For Space".
^ This. I'm a soppy sod anyway but as the radio comes back into view on 'The Other Side' my eyes inexplicably start to water.
I know there’s still a lot of people who would say it was all a waste of time, but looking back on it now, I really believe going to the moon was one of humankind’s greatest achievements. All the more so when you consider the largely analogue technology of the time. Just a massive, massive team effort to achieve a goal. I just don’t think it could be done these days, there is too much disunity to achieve something like this. Remarkable...
Can't even begin to imagine how much fear they must've had, and how well they did to keep it in check and focus on the mission.
Must have been mind blowing to have been around when it happened.
As a bit of an Apollo geek, I've seen a lot of Apollo stuff up close. The single most astounding thing about the entire programme to my mind is that no-one ever took one look at it and went, "you can **** right off with that, are you high?" NASA basically went, "well, we've got this ICBM, and..."
I once saw a mock-up of the lunar lander. It look like something Blue Peter would have knocked up in an afternoon, all Bacofoil and sticky-backed plastic for speed. Turned out, when Apollo 11 went to the moon they built two landers, LM-1 and LM-2. LM-1 was the primary module, if they found a problem with it they intended to switch out the entire thing with LM-2. They didn't, LM-1 went to the moon (and of course, half of it is still there). I was standing looking at LM-2. OMG.
I suspect training plays a big part of it. With sufficient training you stop thinking and just do. Years ago I had a dalliance with skydiving; on my first jump the instructor shouted "go!" and every fibre in my being screamed "NOOOOOO!!!" but it was too late, muscle-memory had kicked in and I'd already gone.
(Addendum after Googling: it was LM-5 that went to the moon, not LM-1. Point stands though, I was looking at the real thing.
According to curator Robert Craddock, “The only real differences between LM-2 and [the Apollo 11 module] LM-5 are a few panels that were made of different materials, and thus have a different color to them. Also missing from LM-2 are the calibration marks on the commander’s window used for navigation during the descent to the lunar surface, the optical alignment telescope, and the flight computer.”)
I remember this mission, seemed like Sci Fi come true, I love all the space stuff and have been lucky enough to visit the Johnson Space Centre, in Houston, Texas twice.
The first time I saw the original 'Mission Control' room, as seen in Apollo mission coverage, on the second visit it had been updated.
looking at all the 'Moon Shot' equipment it struck me how small the modules were for three men to spend all that time in, very different from most of the fictional depictions we see on film and TV?
... and the Apollo capsules are huge compared to the Mercury / Gemini ones.
The control systems are the thing that amaze me - the shear power of the Appolo rockets and the journey they flew on but with so little in the way of computing power.
I watched enthralled everything from Gemini onwards. It was astonishing what was being achieved at a time when the phone box down the street still had A and B buttons.
I love the 'rope' memory used in the computer. Would take weeks to re-saw it if try found a bug.
sce2aux
I approve of this username 😉
In some ways I find Apollo 8 more fascinating than Apollo 11 (which was beyond incredible as well) because it really was going into the unknown.
The more I read about the guys involved the more I think they didn't feel fear: many of them were test pilots who spent their entire careers living at the edge of what was possible. A place that had no room for fear.
A special breed, indeed.
Some of the bravest and most skilled individuals who have ever lived in my opinion.
There was a great piece on the apollo 8 mission right at the end of Friday PM. They had excerpt from the Genesis reading with Lovell talking about it. Last five mins if you want to listen on iplayer
My daughter is going to NASA for a week next month with her school and they are scuba diving in spacesuits in the nasa tank as well as all sorts of stem experience with the nasa experts...beats my school trip to the isle of wight!
Seen a fair bit of the Apollo modules in the Smithsonian and at San Diego Air and Space Muaeum nothing short of astounding. The capsule is incredibly small. The analogue technology incomprehensible to today’s younger generation. But the courage. Letters written for when you are left behind for example.
An amazing adventure, and an astounding feat of engineering, science and maths.
The PSB track already mentioned is one of my favourites.
Basically they landed on the moon in a metal shed.
I find this sad.
