50 years ago Apollo 11 launched.

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
I wasn't around then.

But I'm trying to think about that undertaking. My earliest memories the first TV we had was black and white and had a turn dial for 13 (most of them static) channels plus UHF. Rotary phones were the norm. Cars will ALL standard shift, center console or on the tree. Computers only existed in a few remote LARGE rooms around the country and their screens were either all black, or green text.. And all of this was 10 years AFTER America pulled together to try to send 2 afoot onto another celestial object, AND bring them back, safely.

My phone probably has more computing power than all the computers used to pull of this historic feat.

I can't imagine watching the images of the launch, 3 days later, and the return.

I'm not sure mankind has done anything since that holds a candle to that incredible achievement (risk) which was successful.

'MURICA!!!!!
 
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woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Yeap,,,watched it - was a huge space exploration fan as a kid (along with many a youngin)
 

UpATree

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I was 11. I could tell you the names of every astronaut, the height and thrust of the rocket, how all the docking maneuvers worked, and endless hours of details that surely bored everyone around me. These guys were my heroes. I know exactly where I was that night and remember it like yesterday.

If it was today we'd have them arguing over whether the first steps would be taken by the lesbian genuine-slave-blood astronaut, the disabled transgender Muslim or the Hispanic single mother who risked her life to ferry her children across the Rio Grande. They would have to put out the flags of the UN and several Communist countries first, then the American flag on the shortest mast while apologizing for American's sins. Then she'd turn and face Mecca and recite the Koran, sprinkle some soil from Ghandi's home town, and perform a Native American dance that portrayed the White Devil's persecution of the Indians. A little happy talk about girls in STEM classes, then off they'd go looking for some rocks.

But the harmony would soon be broken as the transgender was trying to figure out whether to stand or squat to pee, and the disabled one was angry because there was no ADA accessible parking spot for their little rover. The Muslim got triggered and tried to drive the rover into the space ship and blow it up. Fortunately this was thwarted by the wise Latina who said it was "time for tacos" but everyone else thought she said "time to go" and they all headed back up the ladder.
 

agreenchicken

Ten Pointer
I was 11. I could tell you the names of every astronaut, the height and thrust of the rocket, how all the docking maneuvers worked, and endless hours of details that surely bored everyone around me. These guys were my heroes. I know exactly where I was that night and remember it like yesterday.

If it was today we'd have them arguing over whether the first steps would be taken by the lesbian genuine-slave-blood astronaut, the disabled transgender Muslim or the Hispanic single mother who risked her life to ferry her children across the Rio Grande. They would have to put out the flags of the UN and several Communist countries first, then the American flag on the shortest mast while apologizing for American's sins. Then she'd turn and face Mecca and recite the Koran, sprinkle some soil from Ghandi's home town, and perform a Native American dance that portrayed the White Devil's persecution of the Indians. A little happy talk about girls in STEM classes, then off they'd go looking for some rocks.

But the harmony would soon be broken as the transgender was trying to figure out whether to stand or squat to pee, and the disabled one was angry because there was no ADA accessible parking spot for their little rover. The Muslim got triggered and tried to drive the rover into the space ship and blow it up. Fortunately this was thwarted by the wise Latina who said it was "time for tacos" but everyone else thought she said "time to go" and they all headed back up the ladder.
No that’s a true post. Hahaha
 
The first space exploration I watched was the shuttle Challenger blowing up. Maybe it ruined my view about space travel but I dont think tax payer money should be used. If a private company wants to do it or pay for it go for it. There is too much we could use the money for here on Earth.
 
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aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I was 11 at the time, and even as a young boy you knew that this was one of "those moments" that only occur a few times in a lifetime.

And keep in mind this was 1969; we had just experienced two assassinations, Vietnam and all the associated protests were at their height, and the country & culture were in a state of turmoil not equalled even by today's standards.

The Apollo missions brought the nation (and the world) together in one purpose & one goal: sending a man outside of the bounds of Earth to land on another celestial body. It will always be one of the strongest memories of my life, standing outside of my home the evening of the landing on the moon, looking up and realizing that men were standing up there and looking back at earth.......
 

downeastnc

Old Mossy Horns
I wasn't around then.

But I'm trying to think about that undertaking. My earliest memories the first TV we had was black and white and had a turn dial for 13 (most of them static) channels plus UHF. Rotary phones were the norm. Cars will ALL standard shift, center console or on the tree. Computers only existed in a few remote LARGE rooms around the country and their screens were either all black, or green text.. And all of this was 10 years AFTER America pulled together to try to send 2 afoot onto another celestial object, AND bring them back, safely.

My phone probably has more computing power than all the computers used to pull of this historic feat.

I can't imagine watching the images of the launch, 3 days later, and the return.

I'm not sure mankind has done anything since that holds a candle to that incredible achievement (risk) which was successful.

'MURICA!!!!!

The standard smartphone is literally 120 million times faster than the computers used on Apollo 11.....still they plotted the course and timing and delta v burns etc to fly from the Earth to the moon and back...and not only did they do it they did it multiple times and I would love for them to go back to the moon and or to Mars sometime in the next 20-25 years.

Its amazing to think about the first stage of the Saturn V burning 15 TONS of fuel every SECOND for 2.5 mins generating 7.8 million lbs of thrust..it was so massive the rocket had burned 5% of it fuel by the time it cleared the tower.....

It still blows me away that there were men on the moon 50 years ago......
 

Uwharrieman

Ten Pointer
The world seemed to stop during that few days. Everyone watched.
I have a signed letter I got from the late Col. Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom
when I was 11-12 years old. Needless to say he became my favorite
astronaut.
I was on the living room floor watching TV when the news report came across that
Grissom, Young and Chaffee were killed in that Apollo capsule while training.
 

Downeast

Twelve Pointer
As a kid watching that historic event I remember thinking that when I get old (like now!) that mankind would be living on the Moon and perhaps even Mars. I thought I was gonna have this place to myself. :giggle: Sadly, manned exploration beyond our planet ended 50 years ago. Since then we have wasted trillions of dollars trying to kill each other off. Imagine what we could have done if we had spent that money wisely. We would be living on Mars and our planet would be so much better off in terms of living standards and technology, for all of us!
 

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The world seemed to stop during that few days. Everyone watched.
I have a signed letter I got from the late Col. Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom
when I was 11-12 years old. Needless to say he became my favorite
astronaut.
I was on the living room floor watching TV when the news report came across that
Grissom, Young and Chaffee were killed in that Apollo capsule while training.

You bet everyone was watching; back in those days, if you wanted to see something on tv you'd better be there in front of the tv when it happened, no recording it on a DVR, and most folks watched it in black and white.

Astronauts were like sports & movie stars then, they even had baseball cards for them, if I remember right.

I remember being on the living room floor when the news flash came on about the Apollo 1 fire also, it was a Friday night.
 
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BarSinister

Old Mossy Horns
I remember it like it was yesterday. Only 50 years ago. Actually I have some recollection as I was only 4, although I had the maturity of a 6 or 7 year old.
 

Uwharrieman

Ten Pointer
As a kid watching that historic event I remember thinking that when I get old (like now!) that mankind would be living on the Moon and perhaps even Mars. I thought I was gonna have this place to myself. :giggle: Sadly, manned exploration beyond our planet ended 50 years ago. Since then we have wasted trillions of dollars trying to kill each other off. Imagine what we could have done if we had spent that money wisely. We would be living on Mars and our planet would be so much better off in terms of living standards and technology, for all of us!
We were told all that by our teachers in Jr & Sr high, flying cars and such.
My G-moth would ask just what are they teaching you kids in school today?
I actually believed it, then.
 

Uwharrieman

Ten Pointer
Beat me to it
I wasn't going to bring it up, especially after watching the space station fly over last night,but.
I watched a show a year or two ago and NASA scientists and engineers were talking about the
next manned flight to the moon. After listening to what one of the women engineers said it got
my attention. Don't know if she even knew what she let out, but I won't get that started now.
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
The first space exploration I watched was the shuttle Challenger blowing up. Maybe it ruined my view about space travel but I dont think tax payer money should be used. If a private company wants to do it or pay for it go for it. There is too much we could use the money for here on Earth.
If we hadn't … we may not have an internet or the advanced electronics we're using today. But nobody really knows for sure. The military and space exploration surely gave those industries a shot in the arm.
 
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