NASA’s Aries rocket launch from Wednesday.
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NASA’s Aries rocket launch from Wednesday.
The Big Picture remembers Apollo 11 on its 40th anniversary with some stunning photography.
I like this one of Buzz Aldrin, this one showing the VAB’s massive size, and of course, the Earthrise.
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In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, this site is staging a “re-enactment” (or what to call it) of the events in real time (seemingly), only 40 years later and utilizing 2009 web technology. Both Houston Control and Apollo 11 have their own Twitters (!), for example. Not a whole lot going on at the moment, but it’s still T-minus 63 hours until “launch”.
This is either really cool or really cheesy (probably both), but I’ll certainly be watching. I’ll give them a standing ovation of they have the balls to do this in real time too, what with this 15 millisecond attention-span world we now inhabit.
A satellite image of Amsterdam Island making waves in the passing clouds.
Taken by NASA’s Terra satellite in 2005.
(via)
I just finished watching In the Shadow of the Moon, a documentary about the Apollo program’s moon missions. Definitely a must-watch for anyone with even a small interest in space and the space program. The film is especially interesting because all of the dialogue/narration is provided through interviews with the men that actually traveled to the moon.
Neil Armstrong is the one notable exception, since he declined to be included in the film. He’s apparently a pretty reclusive guy and feels like his name and likeness have been exploited for questionable purposes over the years. His omission from the movie, however, makes it almost more interesting, because you get to hear the other astronauts’ deep reverence and respect for him as a fellow astronaut and human being.
This movie reminded me of the several books I read a few years ago (when I was on a space history kick), and how much of a different era it was back then. Back when our government and citizens were so much more willing to participate in something meaningful. Nowadays it seems like the public has automatic disdain for anything educational or cool.
