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Apollo Discussions => The Reality of Apollo => Topic started by: LunarOrbit on August 25, 2012, 03:31:00 PM

Title: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: LunarOrbit on August 25, 2012, 03:31:00 PM
Sad to hear that Mr. Armstrong has died. :(

Neil Armstrong, first human on the moon, dies at 83 (http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2012/08/neil-armstrong-first-human-on-the-moon-dies-at-83/)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Al Johnston on August 25, 2012, 03:31:28 PM
Very sad :-(

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19381098
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: RedneckR0nin on August 25, 2012, 03:41:53 PM
As soon as I heard I came here. Truly a sad day but only in selfish desire. We in this community I'm sure feel the loss harder than most. Most of us here have become very intimate defending and explaining this mans glorious feats. To mourn this man however is only self serving.
Let us celebrate what he had accomplished and in knowing his name and voice will echo on for generations to come. He got to experience something that I'm sure anyone here dreams of doing. He was a hero and pioneer and stepped foot onto that foreign and hostile environment and simultaneously stepping into the history books of man.

Thank you Neil, your a part of what makes me proud to be human. Rest in peace brother...you lived the life and in it a humble and selfless one. Truly were one that deserved to make that small step for all humanity that day.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on August 25, 2012, 03:51:26 PM
Erm er yeah. Really not sure what to say. It only reminds us of the mortality of the living memory of Apollo.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: RedneckR0nin on August 25, 2012, 03:53:35 PM
Still a huge iconic figure in my life.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ginnie on August 25, 2012, 03:57:03 PM
Well, what can I say. A true man of greatness.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Chew on August 25, 2012, 04:02:55 PM
If I were a religious man I would say, "Have a good THI, Neil."

THI being Trans-Heaven Injection, of course.


Thank you, Neil.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: LunarOrbit on August 25, 2012, 04:04:39 PM
I'm not good with words, especially at times like this, but here are some of my thoughts:

After celebrities like Justin Beiber are long forgotten, Neil Armstrong will be talked about for centuries to come just like Columbus and Magellan. His footprints will be on the surface of the Moon forever. His participation in NASA etc. helped shape our civilization. But while some men would have used Apollo 11 for fame and fortune, Mr. Armstrong was humble and shunned celebrity status. He saw himself as just one person out of the thousands that made it possible to go to the Moon. I admire Mr. Armstrong for more reasons than I can put into words.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gillianren on August 25, 2012, 04:08:12 PM
I posted on Facebook that we are better as a species for having had him.  And you can tell how important he is to me because I'm posting in this section.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Echnaton on August 25, 2012, 04:56:09 PM
A life well lived.  RIP Neil Armstrong.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Inanimate Carbon Rod on August 25, 2012, 05:59:29 PM
I feel like I lost a friend. Rest in peace, First Man.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Inanimate Carbon Rod on August 25, 2012, 06:12:50 PM
I have a strange feeling this sad news will bring an influx of conspiritards to these parts  :(
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: LunarOrbit on August 25, 2012, 06:26:30 PM
Neil Armstrong was such an amazing person. He was an air combat veteran, X-15 test pilot, and the commander of Gemini 8. Any one of those achievements alone would be impressive, and yet they are rarely mentioned when people talk about Mr. Armstrong because they almost seem insignificant compared to Apollo 11.

Someone once asked me why I like astronauts. I told him its because of their skills, dedication, and their ability to remain calm under pressure. I said they are the best of the best, a combination of scientist, soldier, and Olympic athlete.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Tedward on August 25, 2012, 06:29:04 PM
Sad day, what a life. Cannot add anything else.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on August 25, 2012, 06:33:06 PM
The significance of Gemini 8 is much lost. The first ever docking in space. Arguably a more significant moment since it affects what we do still today.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: raven on August 25, 2012, 08:00:32 PM
Every journey begins with a single step, and his first step showed us that we could fly.
Vaya con Dios, Mr. Armstrong.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: BertL on August 25, 2012, 08:11:56 PM
Let us not forget that Neil Armstrong never considered himself to be anything "special" or above other people because he walked on the Moon. He thought it as something he just happened to be the first to do, and nothing else. He truly was a very humble man, and that made him such a great "first".

Rest in Peace, mr. Armstrong.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Obviousman on August 25, 2012, 08:33:30 PM
Vale.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Count Zero on August 25, 2012, 09:02:39 PM
*Sigh*

http://xkcd.com/893/ (http://xkcd.com/893/)

Be sure to mouse over the picture to read the rollover text.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Noldi400 on August 25, 2012, 09:12:12 PM
 
Requiem
 
UNDER the wide and starry sky   
  Dig the grave and let me lie:   
Glad did I live and gladly die,   
  And I laid me down with a will.   
 
This be the verse you 'grave for me:
  Here he lies where he long'd to be;   
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,   
  And the hunter home from the hill.
   

-R. L. Stevenson
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: raven on August 25, 2012, 09:39:07 PM
For some reason this topic is listed in the forum as 'locked' when it evidently is not. :o
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: LunarOrbit on August 25, 2012, 09:47:32 PM
I've pinned it to the top of the forum. Does it show a padlock for you?
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gtvc on August 25, 2012, 09:50:32 PM
Descansa en paz Neil Armstrong  :(   http://danielmarin.blogspot.com/2012/08/neil-armstrong-1930-2012.html#comment-form (http://danielmarin.blogspot.com/2012/08/neil-armstrong-1930-2012.html#comment-form)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Sticks on August 26, 2012, 01:30:02 AM
It seems it has all been said

Neil was one of the greats who did not choose to follow the path of fame and celebratory but instead walked a humble path educating students in aerospace engineering after he left NASA and the space industry.

Farewell old friend
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: raven on August 26, 2012, 03:26:50 AM
I've pinned it to the top of the forum. Does it show a padlock for you?
Oops, my mistake. :-[
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on August 26, 2012, 04:00:08 AM
The significance of Gemini 8 is much lost. The first ever docking in space. Arguably a more significant moment since it affects what we do still today.
Not only was it the first-ever docking in space, it was the first really serious emergency in space. And Armstrong handled it with the same coolness with which he later handled his bailout from the malfunctioning LLTV and the final phase of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Armstrong was so cool under pressure that you almost wondered if the man even knew what the word meant. Fortunately, the telltale plot of his heart rate in the mission report reassured everybody that he was perfectly human. Yet he did something that few other humans could do: he overcame it, did what he was supposed to do, and brushed it all off later as no big deal. And that's what made him such a big deal.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: dwight on August 26, 2012, 12:01:34 PM
Vale Mr Armstong
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Sticks on August 26, 2012, 02:25:51 PM
Today in honour of Neil, I watched my DVD copy of the 2000 film, The Dish.

When the film finished and I switch back to the TV, it was a news station talking about Neil
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: HeadLikeARock on August 26, 2012, 02:50:37 PM
So sad to hear of his loss, which seemed so unexpected despite his age and recent cardio procedure. Feels like the end of an era.

(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/418575_478943142116669_731011117_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: dwight on August 26, 2012, 04:41:42 PM
If there is any consolation to the news it is the huge amount of tributes worldwide. Today all we talked about was the small step.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: JayUtah on August 27, 2012, 12:32:00 PM
Contrary to my characteristic verbosity, I find it difficult to add to anything said by The Economist.  http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/08/obituary
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Laurel on August 27, 2012, 12:53:09 PM
I'm late to the thread (I've been out of town since Thursday), but I thought this picture should be included here because Neil Armstrong considered his X-15 flights to be the high point of his career.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pilot_Neil_Armstrong_and_X-15_-1_-_GPN-2000-000121.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pilot_Neil_Armstrong_and_X-15_-1_-_GPN-2000-000121.jpg)

Rest in peace.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: bobdude11 on August 28, 2012, 01:34:12 PM
 Why do I feel like I lost a family member ...  :'(
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ipearse on August 28, 2012, 03:29:24 PM
He saw himself as just one person out of the thousands that made it possible to go to the Moon.

It strikes me that that attitude is a spin-off of his engineering background - engineers work in groups/teams to achieve the things they do, and I guess he saw the Apollo Project as another, albeit much larger, engineering project, with him being just one of the team. I very much admire that idea.

The world would be a far worse place without such people.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Obviousman on August 29, 2012, 04:28:15 AM
With his death, the myth that he was chosen to be the first man to walk on the lunar surface because he was a civilian has once more come about. I have to point out what an insult to uniformed astronauts that would be, explain crew rotation and Apollo 8, and the facts about the LM hatch design.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Inanimate Carbon Rod on August 29, 2012, 02:10:42 PM
With his death, the myth that he was chosen to be the first man to walk on the lunar surface because he was a civilian has once more come about. I have to point out what an insult to uniformed astronauts that would be, explain crew rotation and Apollo 8, and the facts about the LM hatch design.

Not to mention, he was arguably one of the best astronauts for the job as evidenced by his handling of Gemini 8.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on August 29, 2012, 03:20:57 PM
Regarding crew rotation, the backup crew for Apollo 8 is listed as Armstrong (CDR), Aldrin (CMP, sic) and Haise (LMP). Given the standard crew rotation schedule that would seem to settle the issue of how Armstrong became CDR of Apollo 11, but I know occasional changes were made as missions (including Apollo 8 ) were shuffled and repurposed and individual crew members (e.g., Collins) were taken out and reinstated for medical reasons. So can it still be said that Armstrong's position as backup CDR for Apollo 8 definitely put him in position to be CDR of Apollo 11?

Another argument that Armstrong could not have been picked very far in advance to be the first man on the moon is that he was assigned to command Apollo 11 well before Apollo 10 (and probably Apollo 9, if not 8 ) had been successful. If an earlier flight had failed a major objective, Apollo 11 would probably have been another test flight and Pete Conrad or even Jim Lovell would have become the first man on the moon.

It's interesting that Aldrin was backup CMP on Apollo 8 but became prime LMP on Apollo 11. I wonder why. All the astronauts were given an area of Apollo systems in which to specialize, and Collins' was pressure suits. That would seem to make him a candidate for LMP. On the other hand, Aldrin had done an exceptional job in preparing for his EVA on Gemini XII, and as Dr. Rendezvous he was an obvious choice for a LM crew. Does anyone know for sure how Aldrin moved from the CMP role to LMP? And does his earlier position as backup Apollo 8 CMP explain why he rode in the center seat during the Apollo 11 launch?

Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on August 29, 2012, 03:37:19 PM
Not to mention, he was arguably one of the best astronauts for the job as evidenced by his handling of Gemini 8.
As good a pilot as Armstrong was, and as deserved as his place in history may be, in fairness to the other commanders I think any of them could have successfully commanded Apollo 11.

Gemini VIII may have come close to disaster, but so did Apollos 12 and 13. Sometimes I'm still amazed that Pete Conrad didn't abort Apollo 12 during launch; his cool head was a major factor (but not the only reason) he didn't. And while the Apollo 13 emergency didn't require the kind of instant response Armstrong made during Gemini VIII, it certainly pushed all three of the crew past any reasonable endurance limits yet they all remained calm and did their jobs well.

Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Echnaton on August 29, 2012, 07:24:53 PM
Armstrong and Aldrin were great choices for their respective positions.   Mr. Cool and Dr. Rendezvous.  It is certainly easy to see in them the characteristics that made Armstrong and Aldrin the best choice, but it is mostly just reading our respect for the men into a situation where they were selected for multiple reasons and had a bit of luck.

OTOH imagine if flamboyant and foul mouthed Conrad had been the first to step on the moon, as almost was the case, what an embarrassment for the NASA brass. 
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on August 29, 2012, 08:54:35 PM
He behaved himself when he got there. And of course he had the cool line, "That may have been a small one for Neil but that's a long one for me."
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Echnaton on August 29, 2012, 09:50:59 PM
But could he have kept it together for the whirlwind tour to follow and all the other times he would have been called upon to represent all mankind?   The PR guys must have been nervous sending Conrad out.  But he had nerves of steel.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Peter B on August 29, 2012, 10:55:06 PM
Contrary to my characteristic verbosity, I find it difficult to add to anything said by The Economist.  http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/08/obituary

Sadly, the most recent comment on that article is from a conspiratard. Almost as sadly, further down, one of the commenters wishes that The Economist had published the photo they described in the last paragraph of the article, apparently not realising it's the photo at the top of the article...

I heard the news by chance, turning the radio on in the car for less than 10 seconds before my older son grumbled about wanting music instead. I was choked up for a couple of minutes, and had to turn my mind to other thoughts to regain my composure.

Yes, he was an old man and such things should not be unexpected. And yes, his achievement was merely the tip of the iceberg of the work of hundreds of thousands of others. But he was the person who was first to walk in a place that wasn't humanity's cradle, and he handled the resulting fame with absolute class.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on August 30, 2012, 09:37:42 PM
OTOH imagine if flamboyant and foul mouthed Conrad had been the first to step on the moon, as almost was the case, what an embarrassment for the NASA brass.
Conrad lobbied long and hard for some sort of tape delay to edit out any salty language that he might let slip. NASA PR was adamant that there would be no such thing, and Conrad would simply have to watch himself.

And watch himself he did, even when they got more caution and warning alarms during launch than they'd ever seen in the simulator. It's not like he'd forgotten his Navy vocabulary; there's plenty of colorful language on the Apollo 12 intercom recordings, but none of it went over the air to a listening world.

I don't know about anyone else, but all the astronauts seem far more human after you read those intercom logs. There's a lot of good stuff in there.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Laurel on August 31, 2012, 09:44:08 AM
A children's health fund is being launched in Armstrong's memory. That seems fitting since he sadly lost his daughter Karen to brain cancer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/private-service-planned-for-hero-astronaut-armstrong-in-ohio-memorial-fund-to-be-launched/2012/08/31/009ecc36-f337-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/private-service-planned-for-hero-astronaut-armstrong-in-ohio-memorial-fund-to-be-launched/2012/08/31/009ecc36-f337-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Count Zero on August 31, 2012, 01:56:43 PM
...and the facts about the LM hatch design.

Who went out the door on Apollo 9 - CMP or LMP?
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Inanimate Carbon Rod on August 31, 2012, 06:11:51 PM
It's not like he'd forgotten his Navy vocabulary; there's plenty of colorful language on the Apollo 12 intercom recordings, but none of it went over the air to a listening world.

I found an article about bad language on Apollo

http://amyshirateitel.com/2012/01/06/vintage-space-fun-fact-how-to-not-swear-on-the-moon/ (http://amyshirateitel.com/2012/01/06/vintage-space-fun-fact-how-to-not-swear-on-the-moon/)


Quote
At one point, Stafford recognized a landmark crater, Censorinus A. He was momentarily distracted by the dramatic shadows and giant boulders surrounding the crater. “I’ve got Censorinus A right here,” he said out loud to the world, “bigger than shit!”

And concerning Pete:

Quote
The story goes that in preparing for his mission, NASA had the astronaut hypnotized. Rather than curse, a psychiatrist put the idea in his head that he would rather hum when his mind wandered.  The hypnotized astronaut is rarely named, but only one man can be heard humming as he skipps across the lunar surface. Transmissions from Commander Pete Conrad are punctuated with “dum de dum dum dum” and “dum do do do, do do” making him the likliest candidate.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Laurel on August 31, 2012, 09:08:48 PM
The veracity of that article is questionable, though.
http://apollohoax.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=apollo&action=display&thread=3319 (http://apollohoax.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=apollo&action=display&thread=3319)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on September 01, 2012, 04:09:22 AM
He actually had a bet with Bob Gilruth that for involved him paying him money for everytime he used a bad word.

He also used the euphemism "good Godfrey".
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: RAF on September 01, 2012, 11:32:46 AM
FYI...tonight, the discovery/Science Channel will be presenting Neil Armstrong legacy night starting with a showing of In the Shadow of the Moon, and followed by a new biography of Neil titled One Giant Leap: A Neil Armstrong tribute.

More info here (http://press.discovery.com/us/dsc/press-releases/2012/discovery-channel-and-science-celebrate-epic--2040/).
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Count Zero on September 01, 2012, 02:54:27 PM
Thanks for the heads-up.  On my cable (Verizon FioS), Discovery channel is showing "When We Left Earth", followed by "One Giant Leap".  Meanwhile, on the Science channel, "In the Shadow of the Moon" comes on at the same time as "One Giant Leap".   ::)  Good luck if you don't have a recorder.

I have the DVD of "In the Shadow...", which I highly recommend because it has more than an hour of more wonderful interview footage.  Essentially, it's a whole 'nother movie:  Same topic, different details.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Obviousman on September 01, 2012, 11:49:34 PM
Hmm. In Australia, the History Channel is showing "Apollo 11 - The Untold Story" (which is a bit of a beat up / sensationalisation); Discovery and Discovery Science don't have anything. Local TV is showing "In the Shadow of the Moon".
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gillianren on September 02, 2012, 01:49:17 AM
We haven't had cable in almost a year, so I have no idea what's playing here.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: RAF on September 02, 2012, 10:00:07 AM
We haven't had cable in almost a year, so I have no idea what's playing here.


Well, you didn't miss much.

It wasn't so much a "tribute" to Armstrong as it was a tribute to Lunar exploration. They talked about Armstrong, sure...but they spent way too much time talking about the Clementine mission, how the footage was restored, even the future of Lunar exploration.

Out of the hour, maybe 15 minutes were devoted to talking about Armstrong.

...and for some reason, Discovery felt the need to have not just one, but two "hosts" for the program. They added nothing.

It almost felt like they "used" Armstrong's death as a reason to air this show.

What a disappointment. I do not recommend.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gtvc on September 02, 2012, 12:32:51 PM
Today the newspaper "el Espectador" from my country Colombia has an article about Neil Armstrong he came with John Glenn to the Colombian jungles in the frontier with Panama to do survival training he ate snake meat and drank water from the leaves of the trees in the picture he is with Glenn and he has a machete and he is sleeping in "Choco Hilton"Nasa chose Colombian jungles as a part of the astronauts extreme survival training at the beginning of the sixties. http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/actualidad/articulo-371769-cuando-armstrong-piso-colombia (http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/actualidad/articulo-371769-cuando-armstrong-piso-colombia)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Echnaton on September 02, 2012, 11:54:41 PM
We haven't had cable in almost a year, so I have no idea what's playing here.
Neither have we.  I got tiered of paying $100 per month for 500 channels of nothing to watch.  Although I am sure I would have enjoyed seeing some of the Armstrong tribute shows. 
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gillianren on September 03, 2012, 12:59:38 AM
I miss having cable, but Graham doesn't.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Obviousman on September 03, 2012, 03:51:08 AM
I'm sorely disappointed with History and Discovery channels: poor quality programming IMO.  BBC Knowledge is better but not great.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Echnaton on September 03, 2012, 08:58:59 AM
If TV shows actually discussed history and discovery, I might still have cable.  I have instead, started getting audio books from my library and its online lending site. 
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Obviousman on September 05, 2012, 05:07:27 AM
I don't believe it!

http://jimromenesko.com/2012/09/04/all-astronauts-look-alike/

Actually, I do. Journalism doesn't seem to involve facts these days.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Trebor on September 05, 2012, 12:05:14 PM
I don't even have a TV these days... don't miss it.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on September 07, 2012, 08:26:32 PM
Far too many people seem to think (or at least talk) as if (or almost as if) Neil Armstrong was the only person to walk on the moon.

Even Jamie Hynemann of the Mythbusters kept referring to Armstrong that way in their otherwise excellent hoax-busting episode. He should have known better than to reinforce that misconception.

Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on September 10, 2012, 02:52:17 PM
Enjoyed Colbert's tribute. That Armstrong, what a pinko.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on September 19, 2012, 04:13:35 AM
Looking at the LRO images of the Apollo 11 landing site again, does anyone else think Neil's footpath to Little West Crater looks a little more poignant now?

It has now outlived the person who made it, and it'll probably far outlive the rest of us too.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Rob260259 on September 29, 2012, 06:20:03 AM
Looking at the LRO images of the Apollo 11 landing site again, does anyone else think Neil's footpath to Little West Crater looks a little more poignant now?

It has now outlived the person who made it, and it'll probably far outlive the rest of us too.

That's exactly what I was thinking on August 25th, hearing the sad news, in my vacation. Many decades from now these footpaths from Armstrong, Aldrin, Bean, Conrad, Mitchell, Shepard, Scott, Irwin, Duke, Young, Cernan and Schmitt will remain as monuments on our bright white satellite.
I honestly believe that some day some country will land some machine there again and returns a confirmation of these monuments.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Philthy on September 29, 2012, 07:23:46 AM
It's been done. While the LRO didn't land, it did send pictures back to Earth that proves the hardware left behind is still there.

Phil
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Rob260259 on September 29, 2012, 09:43:52 AM
It's been done. While the LRO didn't land, it did send pictures back to Earth that proves the hardware left behind is still there.

Phil

Yep. Of course. But I would love to see some kind of 'Japanese Curiosity' doing that. And I would love even more a few Chinese taikonauts making hi-res photographs of all the stuff left behind.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: smartcooky on September 29, 2012, 04:13:20 PM
Yep. Of course. But I would love to see some kind of 'Japanese Curiosity' doing that. And I would love even more a few Chinese taikonauts making hi-res photographs of all the stuff left behind.

While third party evidence from something like a Chinese or Russian lunar orbiter would just about seal the deal for most people ,the "dyed in the wool" conspiracy nut-jobs could still come up with any number of reasons why they still believe the original 1969-72 moon landings were faked.

1. The US paid the Russians/Chinese off with a massive amount of money and economic concessions (I'm sure some will be able to link the Chinese economic rise in the last 10-15 years directly into the conspiracy).
 
2. The US didn't really go there during the Apollo programme because they realised it was technologically beyond them so they faked it all, and then went later, say in the mid 1990's, in secret Lunar missions.

3. All the Apollo hardware has been put in place recently, with the tracks all made by robotic rover type vehicles.

It cannot be proven with 100% certainly that any given conspiracy doesn't exist, or more correctly put

► When a given conspiracy DOES exist, it IS possible to prove that it exists!
► When a given conspiracy DOES NOT exist, it is NOT possible to prove that it does not exist!

This is the dilemma facing the debunker; the conspiracy theorist will always have the advantage because for all practical purposes, proving a negative is impossible. We live in a world where there are people who actually believe that successive US presidents have been shape changing reptilian aliens from a planet orbiting a star in the constellation Draco, so when we encounter people who, no matter how great the weight of hard, physical evidence, will always believe the moon landings were faked, how can we expect anything else? 
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Not Myself on September 30, 2012, 01:19:59 AM
► When a given conspiracy DOES NOT exist, it is NOT possible to prove that it does not exist!

It's often possible to disprove specific conspiracies, which just illustrates the importance of keeping your conspiracies vague and generic.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Rob260259 on September 30, 2012, 02:39:34 AM
Yep. Of course. But I would love to see some kind of 'Japanese Curiosity' doing that. And I would love even more a few Chinese taikonauts making hi-res photographs of all the stuff left behind.


...... We live in a world where there are people who actually believe that successive US presidents have been shape changing reptilian aliens from a planet orbiting a star in the constellation Draco, so when we encounter people who, no matter how great the weight of hard, physical evidence, will always believe the moon landings were faked, how can we expect anything else?


I'm afraid you're right.

"But he had to speed it up because everyone knows that NASA slowed down the video from the moon to make it look like it was on the moon because it was really filmed on a sound stage at Area 51 by Stanley Kubrick under orders from the Grey aliens and hidden by the Bavarian Illuminati, and kept secret using the Orbital Mind Control Lasers!"

This kinda nonsense...
Title: Re: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on September 30, 2012, 07:44:01 AM
► When a given conspiracy DOES NOT exist, it is NOT possible to prove that it does not exist!

It's often possible to disprove specific conspiracies, which just illustrates the importance of keeping your conspiracies vague and generic.

But remember, the conspiracy theory of the Apollohoax has a premise and nothing more. Conspiracy theorists will often switch between versions mid-sentence. Ther
Title: Re: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Not Myself on September 30, 2012, 10:29:46 AM
But remember, the conspiracy theory of the Apollohoax has a premise and nothing more.

Very wise of the conspiracists, it places everyone else in the dilemma smartcooky describes.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gtvc on October 07, 2012, 12:44:18 AM
I found this video in youtube Neil Armstrong with Bob Hope entertaining the troops in Viet Nam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Inanimate Carbon Rod on October 11, 2012, 07:35:03 PM
I found this video in youtube Neil Armstrong with Bob Hope entertaining the troops in Viet Nam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg)

There's a gem of a question from two cute girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg&feature=player_detailpage#t=820s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg&feature=player_detailpage#t=820s)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Noldi400 on November 07, 2012, 04:01:18 AM
Quote
It's interesting that Aldrin was backup CMP on Apollo 8 but became prime LMP on Apollo 11. I wonder why. All the astronauts were given an area of Apollo systems in which to specialize, and Collins' was pressure suits. That would seem to make him a candidate for LMP. On the other hand, Aldrin had done an exceptional job in preparing for his EVA on Gemini XII, and as Dr. Rendezvous he was an obvious choice for a LM crew. Does anyone know for sure how Aldrin moved from the CMP role to LMP? And does his earlier position as backup Apollo 8 CMP explain why he rode in the center seat during the Apollo 11 launch?

The way Mike Collins tells it, Deke Slayton moved in mysterious ways. The shuffling of crew assignments got a little complicated, for sure.

Collins was originally assigned as backup LMP (with CDR Frank Borman and CMP Tom Stafford) for a flight that never happened - it would have been the next flight after Grissom's and would essentially be a repeat of the first flight.

NASA management decided to cancel that flight because they saw no need for a duplicate flight; remember the time pressure they were under. So the prime and backup crews were broken up and reassigned. Collins ended up "promoted" to CMP on Apollo 8 with CDR Borman and LMP Bill Anders. He was made CMP because Anders had never been up and Deke had an ironclad rule at that time that CMPs must have flown before.

So, from 1966 on, Collins became a specialist in CM systems - as he put it, "all the things I was least interested in doing".  Then in July, 1968 - 5 months before AS-8 was to fly - Mike had to have neck surgery and was, of course, dropped from the crew.

Now. The backup crew for Apollo 8 was Armstrong (CDR), Lovell (CMP), and Aldrin (LMP).  When Collins had to drop out, Lovell moved up to the prime crew CMP spot. Deke made the decision to move Aldrin to CMP and bring Fred Haise in as backup LMP.  Buzz, presumably, promptly began cramming like a madman for the CMP role.

So, when it came time to assign a crew for AS-11 (Collins was back on full flight status by then), Slayton assigned Armstrong as CDR, put Buzz back in the LMP slot (which he had originally trained for), and Collins as CMP.

And, yes, Buzz rode the center seat during the 11 launch because he was more recently trained up on that slot and Collins knew the CM so well he could pretty much handle any position (necessary, since he might have to fly home alone).

SOURCES: Carrying The Fire, plus Wiki for some dates and details.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on November 07, 2012, 04:16:55 AM
He [Collins] was made CMP because Anders had never been up and Deke had an ironclad rule at that time that CMPs must have flown before.
Was that true even for the non-LM Apollo flights (7 and 8 )?

I can certainly see Deke's reasoning for the Apollo flights with LMs (i.e., starting with Apollo 9 as flown) as the CMP would be flying the CM alone for a time, and especially for those involving lunar landings as there was a finite chance the CMP would have to come home alone, but it makes less sense for flights without a LM.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Al Johnston on November 07, 2012, 05:21:47 AM
He [Collins] was made CMP because Anders had never been up and Deke had an ironclad rule at that time that CMPs must have flown before.
Was that true even for the non-LM Apollo flights (7 and 8 )?

I can certainly see Deke's reasoning for the Apollo flights with LMs (i.e., starting with Apollo 9 as flown) as the CMP would be flying the CM alone for a time, and especially for those involving lunar landings as there was a finite chance the CMP would have to come home alone, but it makes less sense for flights without a LM.


It didn't hold for Apollo 7 - that was Don Eisele's only flight (Walter Cunningham's too)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Inanimate Carbon Rod on November 07, 2012, 09:25:44 AM
It didn't hold for Apollo 7 - that was Don Eisele's only flight (Walter Cunningham's too)

The Apollo 7 all developed bad headcolds and became quite grouchy with ground control, and this ended their careers, I believe. 7 was Schirra's last flight as he resigned shortly afterwards.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Echnaton on November 07, 2012, 02:57:38 PM
My recollection was that the blow to Cuningham's and Eisels's careers was that they followed Schirra's lead in refusing to wear his helmet during reentry.  Schirra had already announced his retirement plans and had nothing to loose.   
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Noldi400 on November 07, 2012, 05:34:35 PM
Quote
Was that true even for the non-LM Apollo flights (7 and 8 )?

No, that was me being lazy because it was late and my post was running a little long. The rule did indeed refer to flights with an active LM.

Of course, that rule quickly fell by the wayside when Jack Swigert flew AS-13, followed by Roosa on "The Flight Of The Rookies".
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Peter B on November 07, 2012, 08:38:18 PM
I found this video in youtube Neil Armstrong with Bob Hope entertaining the troops in Viet Nam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UDZ5mQnvBg)
Thanks for finding that. I didn't realise he (they?) went to South Vietnam after Apollo 11.

I assume Armstrong's lines in the 1983 show were written for him (but no less funny for that), but I'm pretty sure he was speaking off the cuff in South Vietnam, and showed a sly wit. The line about deductions from his pay obviously struck a chord with the soldiers.

But the other thing that struck me was what Bob Hope said from 18:00 onwards in the clip - he showed himself to be a genuine fan of science and engineering, and encouraged children to study them. I wonder what he'd think of the state of science education in the USA today...probably make some appropriate joke.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on November 09, 2012, 01:54:15 AM
The Apollo 7 all developed bad headcolds and became quite grouchy with ground control,
In The Shadow Of The Moon (the book version) disputes this; Eisele caught Schirra's cold, but Cunningham never got sick.

The consensus among those active at the time is that Apollo 7 exposed a latent problem: the relative authority of the spacecraft commander and flight director were never really hammered out in advance. Schirra was Navy, and because ships tend to be isolated and self-contained, captains are traditionally given a lot of autonomy over their internal operations. Even when an Admiral is on board, he can only make suggestions about the operation of the ship because the captain is still responsible for it.

(Ironically, the very same guys on the ground who sparred with Schirra, especially Chris Kraft, insisted on a very similar rule for themselves. After some unpleasant instances during Gemini in which higher management tried to overrule a flight decision in real time, the flight directors insisted on having the last say, and the only way management could overrule one is to fire him on the spot.)

Apollo 7 was an initial shakedown flight that was expected to reveal problems to be fixed before committing to a much more dangerous flight to the moon. It just wasn't expected to reveal human organizational problems.

In Schirra's defense, the ground threw the first punch. He'd gotten a mission rule that they would not launch if the winds could blow the CM back onto land after an abort. Their CM had the Block I couches that could not withstand a land landing, and one could seriously injure or even kill the crew. The ground broke that agreement, and Schirra was furious. It went downhill from there during the flight.

I've noticed that in later Apollo flights, at least, the Capcoms invariably use language like "We recommend yawing right 10 degrees..." when the message sounds much more like a command than a recommendation. Were the Capcoms always this polite, or was it one of the subtle reactions to Apollo 7?



Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Commander Cody on November 12, 2012, 12:06:42 AM
Did you know that Armstrong actually doesn't want anyone to just think of him beng the first man on the moon, but he also wants people to know the rest of his life, and how he served the U.S army for example.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on November 12, 2012, 12:08:54 AM
Yes. He was known to ask when people were going to stop thinking of him as the 'space' man. I guess that was never going to happen.

Armstrong was also acutely aware that he was just the highly visible tip of the iceberg to the public, and he constantly gave credit to all the people on the ground who made Apollo happen.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Laurel on November 12, 2012, 11:51:39 AM
It was the US Navy, actually.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gtvc on November 12, 2012, 02:01:31 PM
but at the end he worried about the space program and he was interested in a return to the moon to continue the exploration of the solar system  http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/25/13478643-astronaut-neil-armstrong-first-man-to-walk-on-moon-dies-at-age-82?lite (http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/25/13478643-astronaut-neil-armstrong-first-man-to-walk-on-moon-dies-at-age-82?lite)
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Noldi400 on November 18, 2012, 12:55:07 AM
Quote
I assume Armstrong's lines in the 1983 show were written for him (but no less funny for that), but I'm pretty sure he was speaking off the cuff in South Vietnam, and showed a sly wit. The line about deductions from his pay obviously struck a chord with the soldiers.

Oh, Neil absolutely had a quick wit when needed. Remember his response to Bart Sibrel's request that he swear on a Bible?  "Knowing you, Mr. Sibrel, that probably isn't a real Bible."

Ow.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ka9q on November 19, 2012, 08:45:17 AM
Ow? I laughed my head off at that line! Perfect.

Armstrong always seemed profoundly uncomfortable giving a prepared speech in public. So much so that he'd make me feel uncomfortable just watching.

His relative ease (and evident glee) at speaking that line to Sibrel proved he could be much better when given an opportunity to think on his feet.

Edited to add: It occurs to me that the ability to think on one's feet is very useful for an Apollo LM commander, no?

Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Kiwi on November 21, 2012, 03:34:13 AM
Oh, Neil absolutely had a quick wit when needed....

From the Apollo 11 Flight Journal:
http://history.nasa.gov/ap11fj/09day3-entering-eagle.htm
Quote
056:37:24 Armstrong: The traverse from the bottom of the LM to the aft bulkhead of the Command Module must be about 16, 20 feet. It's not a disorienting one at all, but it's most interesting to contemplate just pushing off from one and bounding on into the other vehicle all the way through the tunnel.

056:37:44 Duke: Roger. Must be some experience. Is Collins going to go in and look around? [Pause.]

056:37:56 Armstrong: We're willing to let him go but he hasn't come up with the price of the ticket yet.

056:38:01 Duke: Roger. I'd advise him to keep his hands off the switches.

056:38:08 Armstrong: If I can get him to keep his hands off my DSKY, it'd be a fair swap.

One book published in 1970 attributes the last line to Mike Collins, but following immediately in the AFJ:

Quote
056:38:13 Duke: Roger.

056:38:18 Collins: That's why I've been eating so much today. I haven't had anything to do. He won't let me touch it any more.

056:38:23 Duke: Rog. [Long pause.]
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Rob260259 on November 21, 2012, 12:58:21 PM
Quote
"Knowing you, Mr. Sibrel, that probably isn't a real Bible."


One of my favorites. Awesome, really.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Noldi400 on November 22, 2012, 08:36:55 PM
Quote
From the Apollo 11 Flight Journal:
http://history.nasa.gov/ap11fj/09day3-entering-eagle.htm


Quote

056:37:24 Armstrong: The traverse from the bottom of the LM to the aft bulkhead of the Command Module must be about 16, 20 feet. It's not a disorienting one at all, but it's most interesting to contemplate just pushing off from one and bounding on into the other vehicle all the way through the tunnel.

056:37:44 Duke: Roger. Must be some experience. Is Collins going to go in and look around? [Pause.]

056:37:56 Armstrong: We're willing to let him go but he hasn't come up with the price of the ticket yet.

056:38:01 Duke: Roger. I'd advise him to keep his hands off the switches.

056:38:08 Armstrong: If I can get him to keep his hands off my DSKY, it'd be a fair swap.



One book published in 1970 attributes the last line to Mike Collins, but following immediately in the AFJ:



Quote

056:38:13 Duke: Roger.

056:38:18 Collins: That's why I've been eating so much today. I haven't had anything to do. He won't let me touch it any more.

056:38:23 Duke: Rog. [Long pause.]

Actually, the AFJ credits the 'eating' line to Collins, which would make more sense...

The day before, Aldrin had (correctly) entered a program change into the CM DSKY. Mission Control presently figured out that it had caused the PTC deadband to collapse (not an immediate problem because Auto RCS was turned off).

Then, a couple of hours before the ticket comment, Houston was telling the crew the results of an oatmeal-eating competition in England, which set off the following exchange:

Collins: I'd like to enter Aldrin in the oatmeal eating contest next time.

CapCom: Is he pretty good at that?

Collins: He's doing his share up here.

Aldrin: I'm still eating.
. . .
Collins: He's on his - He's on his 19th bowl.


So the most likely interpretation is that Collins made the comment about "hands off my DSKY" and Aldrin responded with the "why I've been eating so much" line, referring back to the oatmeal conversation.

 


Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gtvc on November 25, 2012, 07:19:40 PM
Neil also visited troops in Afghanistan with Lovell and Cernan, August 17th 2011 you can check here
Title: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: LunarOrbit on November 25, 2012, 07:53:37 PM
Thanks for posting that video, gtvc.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Chew on November 25, 2012, 08:12:22 PM
Neil also visited troops in Afghanistan with Lovell and Cernan, August 17th 2011 you can check here

"Golly! What the heck happened?"


"Or words to that effect."

Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: ipearse on December 31, 2012, 09:40:42 AM
On BBC2 yesterday, they showed an hour-long documentary called Neil Armstrong - First Man on the Moon. It looks like it was a collaborative feature, as NOVA/WGBH was listed in the credits. If you haven't seen it yet, and get the chance to do so, watch it. It's a wonderful programme, very moving in places, with input from family and friends, lots of newsreel and other bits of film thrown in, and very well narrated.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Rob260259 on June 26, 2013, 03:57:39 PM
An interview with Neil Armstrong that I didn't know about:



Awesome, really!


Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Allan F on June 26, 2013, 07:41:44 PM
What a charming and humoristic man he was.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: sts60 on July 20, 2013, 03:29:19 PM
44 years ago today.  "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Laurel on July 20, 2013, 05:32:48 PM
I'm going to watch In The Shadow Of The Moon for the anniversary.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: raven on September 30, 2013, 07:52:56 PM
I hope I live to see the beginning of the next step, the next giant leap, that takes us from camping in space to being a true spacefaring species.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Glom on October 01, 2013, 05:24:57 AM
I hope I live to see the beginning of the next step, the next giant leap, that takes us from camping in space to being a true spacefaring species.

If not that, what else do you hope?
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: raven on October 01, 2013, 04:43:31 PM
I hope I live to see the beginning of the next step, the next giant leap, that takes us from camping in space to being a true spacefaring species.

If not that, what else do you hope?
Humans learn how to be a technological species without messing up the planet.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Kiwi on October 29, 2013, 07:13:32 AM
What a charming and humoristic man he was.

This delightful bit of Neil Armstrong's dry humour back in 1969-70 seemed to deserve recycling.  It's from "First on the Moon — A Voyage with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr", written with Gene Farmer and Dora Jane Hamblin, epilogue by Arthur C. Clarke. Michael Joseph Ltd, London (1970), pages 123-125

Following some comments about rhetoric and gobbledygook, the writers ask, "Had the language of space acquired, in ten years, its own protective patois? Neil Armstrong sometimes was inclined to think that it had..."
Quote
The language of engineering has always been a very precise language. Though a lot of technical words were used, a great effort was usually made to define them clearly so that the audience or the reader should be aware of precisely what had been meant by the statement or by the sentence. We used to make a lot of fun about those other professions which were less careful with their phraseology and terminology — particularly the Madison Avenue approach to speech and writing. However I guess that in recent years we have tried to out-Madison Madison Avenue. If we can't find a word to misuse properly, we'll make one up. An example of misuse is our use of the word 'nominal,' which most of the English-speaking world interprets as meaning small, minimal — and we usually use it in the sense of being average or normal, for reference value. I think that most of the English-speaking world would say that a nominal tab for dinner would be a dollar or less. To a space scientist a nominal tab would be maybe six or seven dollars. The difference is that most people think of nominal as being small, and we tend to use it as average.

We can degrade further the usefulness of a word like 'nominal' by adding modifiers — for example, 'nominalize,' which might be translated into 'make standard' or 'make normal.' And 'denominalize' might mean make abnormal, or make unusual. This kind of chicanery, when carried to the extreme, might produce such useful words in the English language as 'denominalizationmanshipwise.' We have even become a bit careless in our use of technical terms — for instance the word 'perigee,' which comes from the Greek, means the closest point to the earth in a trajectory. But it is frequently used as the lowest point in an orbit about any body — for example, the lowest point to the moon might be called a perigee even though it is more correctly called 'perilune.' I think the astronomers who originated these terms are perhaps turning over in their graves because of our flippant use of their very carefully determined words.

Then there are those abbreviations. Like CSM for command and service module, LM for lunar module, MCC for mission control center, RCS for reaction control system, ECS for environmental control system — and so on. NASA encourages, in fact practically demands, that such abbreviations be used throughout the system. This has led to literally thousands of phrases and groups of initials, insuring that the newcomer and the layman are going to be confused by the use of abbreviations and acronyms scattered liberally throughout the sentences spoken or written by anyone who is attempting to explain what's going on.

From a talking point of view these abbreviations probably do not help much. CMC, which means command module computer, takes up three syllables. The word computer itself also takes only three syllables, so you don't save much time in speech. It is true that you save some time, or some space, in writing and printing, particularly with respect to written notes back and forth between people at the working level. The problem is that this shorthand is used so much, and so frequently, that it becomes a crutch, and it is difficult to make any point without leaning on it. The computer people are reaching the absolute epitome of short-cut technical English. Of course they must speak in machine language when they are talking with the machines, but they carry over that kind of phraseology into their daily conversation.

And into their writing. In 1968 I received a copy of a memorandum which said in part: 'A small (but interesting) change in the interpreter makes it possible to call from interpretive, using RTB, in general any basic subroutine which may be called using BANKCALL: in particular any basic subroutine which (1) ends with a TC Q, or a TC K if it stores Q in K, (2) does not clobber BUF2 or BUF 2 + 1, (3) does not clobber interpreter temporaries LOC, BANKSET, EDOP, and of course such erasables as FIXLOC and PUSHLOC and PRIORITY with which no one should trifle. A TC Q from such a routine leads through SWRETURN to DANZIG. This amounts to a quantum jump in the sexiness of the RTB op-code; this change merges the RTB op-code with the larger set of basic subroutines callable using BANKCALL... This immediately opens a large virgin territory to interpreter users; and as TCF DANZIG routines are converted to TC Q subroutines a significant area may be opened to users of basic... [Some] subroutines which have required interpretive interface routines can now do without; for instance the SGNAGREE interface for TPAGREE can be dispensed with... Note that... Q points to SWERETURN: BUF2 to a TCF DANZIG.'

Understand?

No wonder that when they put a little cupboard in the wall of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to hold between-meals snacks they wound up calling it 'the smorgasbord mode.'

Doubtless Robert Benchley could make something of all this if he were alive. So could W. C. Fields.

Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Allan F on October 29, 2013, 08:41:02 AM


Part of an interview with Neil Armstrong.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: Peter B on July 27, 2014, 11:12:58 AM
I happened to catch this program tonight: Neil Armstrong, The Enigma Explained.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/303738435760/Neil-Armstrong-The-Enigma-Explained

It told his life story, with the obvious focus on Apollo 11, using interviews with friends, colleagues and family, including his sister, brother, both his wives, and his sons, as well as recordings from an interview in (IIRC) 2001.

I enjoyed it, for all that it had a slightly sombre tone (it was made in 2012), but also featured some thoroughly enjoyable bits:

- Some audio from Gemini 8 as they docked with the Agena, with both Armstrong and Scott sounding pretty pleased with themselves.

- Armstrong talking to a 2004 Star Trek convention, saying something along the lines of, "The method we used to get to the Moon...[pause]...worked [audience laughter], but it would have been a lot easier if we could've beamed down." On the way to the podium he stopped briefly to talk to a wheelchair-bound James "Scotty" Doohan.

- Armstrong singing and playing the piano at his 80th birthday party.

All in all a wonderful and respectful tribute.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: BazBear on July 28, 2014, 02:27:28 AM
I happened to catch this program tonight: Neil Armstrong, The Enigma Explained.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/303738435760/Neil-Armstrong-The-Enigma-Explained

It told his life story, with the obvious focus on Apollo 11, using interviews with friends, colleagues and family, including his sister, brother, both his wives, and his sons, as well as recordings from an interview in (IIRC) 2001.

I enjoyed it, for all that it had a slightly sombre tone (it was made in 2012), but also featured some thoroughly enjoyable bits:

- Some audio from Gemini 8 as they docked with the Agena, with both Armstrong and Scott sounding pretty pleased with themselves.

- Armstrong talking to a 2004 Star Trek convention, saying something along the lines of, "The method we used to get to the Moon...[pause]...worked [audience laughter], but it would have been a lot easier if we could've beamed down." On the way to the podium he stopped briefly to talk to a wheelchair-bound James "Scotty" Doohan.

- Armstrong singing and playing the piano at his 80th birthday party.

All in all a wonderful and respectful tribute.
Your link will only work in Oz, but I believe this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-OcW3Qhjg) is the same documentary, albeit with a different title for the UK.
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: bknight on July 31, 2015, 09:11:10 PM
I happened to catch this program tonight: Neil Armstrong, The Enigma Explained.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/303738435760/Neil-Armstrong-The-Enigma-Explained

It told his life story, with the obvious focus on Apollo 11, using interviews with friends, colleagues and family, including his sister, brother, both his wives, and his sons, as well as recordings from an interview in (IIRC) 2001.

I enjoyed it, for all that it had a slightly sombre tone (it was made in 2012), but also featured some thoroughly enjoyable bits:

- Some audio from Gemini 8 as they docked with the Agena, with both Armstrong and Scott sounding pretty pleased with themselves.

- Armstrong talking to a 2004 Star Trek convention, saying something along the lines of, "The method we used to get to the Moon...[pause]...worked [audience laughter], but it would have been a lot easier if we could've beamed down." On the way to the podium he stopped briefly to talk to a wheelchair-bound James "Scotty" Doohan.

- Armstrong singing and playing the piano at his 80th birthday party.

All in all a wonderful and respectful tribute.
Your link will only work in Oz, but I believe this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-OcW3Qhjg) is the same documentary, albeit with a different title for the UK.
Thank you for the link, I hadn't viewed it.  It brought tears to my eyes towards the last few minutes, remembering the mission and its meaning. 
Title: Re: Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Post by: gwiz on July 21, 2016, 10:08:21 AM
Have just had a series of e-mails from the Economist saying that some of my posts in the discussion of the Armstrong obit have been deleted, not for any fault of mine but because the post I was replying to violated their terms. 

Looks like they've finally caught up with Dr Socks.