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Apollo 11's 35th Anniversary
colonist writes "35 years ago, on July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 began to achieve the goal set by the late President Kennedy: '...before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth'. On July 20, Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module Columbia while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface in the lunar module Eagle. The descent engine was halfway through its final 12-minute burn when a yellow caution light lit up on the display of the lunar module computer. [ARMSTRONG: Program Alarm... It's a 1202. ALDRIN: 1202. (Pause) ARMSTRONG: (To Buzz) What is it? Let's incorporate (the landing radar data). (To Houston) Give us a reading on the 1202 Program Alarm.] Buzz Aldrin's recollection: 'Back in Houston, not to mention on board the Eagle, hearts shot up into throats while we waited to learn what would happen. We had received two of the caution lights when Steve Bales the flight controller responsible for LM computer activity, told us to proceed... We received three or four more warnings but kept on going. When Mike, Neil, and I were presented with Medals of Freedom by President Nixon, Steve also received one. He certainly deserved it, because without him we might not have landed.' Fred Martin describes the incidents, and Peter Adler looks at the design of the system."
Personally, I prefer The Onion's coverage of the event. Fair and balanced, you might say.
(Impressive how I can keep typing while on fire, isn't it? Now where was I? Oh yeah.)
Aaaghhhhh!!!!!!! Help ME!!!!
You had to join the military
AND You had to get more degrees than a thermometer
2. How many of you think that "Apollo" is only a character on "Battlestar Gallactica"
Although he claimed that he wasn't bitter about being left in the command module, Michael Collins spent his time alone by replacing Neil Armstrong's Tang with Metamucil and reversing the direction on the toilet hose.
During their training, the Apollo 11 astronauts were taught to identify over 1200 varieties of cheese, "just in case..."
Buzz Aldrin's capsule record of 72 zero-G somersaults before puking has never been broker.
Mission Control was commanded to whisper while Buzz Aldrin was hitting a golf ball.
The following conversation occurred during one of the lunar rover expiditions, but was quickly hushed up:
Buzz Aldrin stated that his biggest regret was that he 3-putted Mare Imbrium.