Houston, Tranquility Base here..: 40 Years Later

[Drillbit Taylor]

So today marks 40 years since man stepped foot on the moon. While we have only gone back to the moon a few times to date, the impact that it had on history is huge.

So here is to all the Brave men who went before them to space and all the ones after who will and have gone to the moon.

[erisi236]

[BRV]

Well then I'll say it here, too.

Suck it, Soviet Union!

[El Hijo del Havoc]

I'm surprised by the lack of posts this thread has
I think this was the greatest achievement in science of the 20th century

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Picked up a copy of the book Rocket Men today, which is all about the space program to get men to the moon. Have read a few other space program related books before, one about Gemini 8 and Lost Moon, which is what Apollo 13 was based off.

Also have the entire collection of From the Earth to the Moon on VHS and DVD.

The whole thing is really fasincating to me..how they did it, I'll never know.

Fun little snippet from the Rocket Men book. NASA neglected to put a handle on the outside of the Eagle door, so Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had to keep the door open during their moonwalk.

[r.]

it's a shame this great moment has been sullied by conspiracy theorists.

[deadmanlfc]

Can't believe this thread has been virtually no-sold. I think the moon landing is the greatest scientific achievement of all the times.

The Lunar Pioneers are heroes in every sense of the word, and I would be a proud man today if I were American, as it shows that your country can achieve the impossible when it is truly United.

Here's a funny fact, one of the astronauts broke the switch that started the Eagle's ascent stage. They had to close the circuit with a felt tip pen, in order to launch from the lunar surface, otherwise they would have been stranded. So the Inanimate Carbon Rod from The Simpsons has a real life predessesor.

[teamjd]

I'm a little young to fully appreciate this

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Jul 21, 2009 2:21:01 GMT -5 r. said:

it's a shame this great moment has been sullied by conspiracy theorists.

"Don't feed the beast."

[Matt Rogers]

Jul 21, 2009 2:21:01 GMT -5 r. said:

it's a shame this great moment has been sullied by conspiracy theorists.

Fortunately Buzz Aldrin knows how to deal with them.

[mattperiolat]

Any moon nut has to check out Andrew Chaikin's book Man on the Moon. From the Earth to the Moon was based largely on it and it's really excellent.

I've really been lucky, I had the chance to meet Pete Conrad, commander of Apollo 12 and the third man on the Moon at a comic convention back in 1993. Very nice guy who honestly was there promoting a book and there was, without any exaggeration, NO ONE IN LINE to meet the guy. Felt so badly for him. Wish I'd known more about him at the time because as cool as Apollo 12 was, pales in comparision to his last mission, the first flight to Skylab where they basically had to save the station when one of the solar panels was ripped off at launch and not all of the protective covering was shed. Virtually ignored and very high risk.

Conrad passed away some years ago, so Chaikin's book, the Beyond the Moon doc by the History Channel and talking with Al Bean and Dick Gordon, fellow Apollo 12 astronauts and like Conrad, Navy men, are the only ways to get the stories now.