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Space Exploration Politics -- and an Explanation of the Apollo Flag 'Mystery' (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the space-exploration-was-nice-while-it-lasted dept.

Meet Tom Moser. And here's another NASA oral history interview with him. And we interviewed him last week ourselves. Tom has been involved, one way or another, as engineer or manager, with every American manned space flight program since 1963. Now, among other things, he's thinking of ways multiple governments and private companies can share their resources to make future space exploration feasible, which may not be engineering -- but in many cases politics can be more important than designing and building the hardware, which is why it's worth learning about.

And thinking of hardware, do you remember the conspiracy people talking about how the U.S. flag on the moon was faked because there's no way it could wave in the breeze without an atmosphere? Moser gives us the inside scoop on that: it was an engineering screwup, and at least partly his fault. Whoops!

15 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. whaddaya mean, "Whops!" ? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

    It's the American Dream to accidentally create one of the world's most enduring conspiracy theories.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    1. Re:whaddaya mean, "Whops!" ? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 3, Informative

      Those of us watching in 1969 were told at the time that the flag 'flew' because of a stiff wire running across the top. The retroactive conspiracy theory that was concocted around the flag was perhaps the lamest of all time.

    2. Re:whaddaya mean, "Whops!" ? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      You're conflating two things. The samurai-style crossbar (clearly visible on the photo) explains why it doesn't just droop down. It doesn't explain the "fluttering".

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    3. Re:whaddaya mean, "Whops!" ? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      I hadn't but what difference does that make?

      Do you know what "waving" means?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  2. Flag Waving on the Moon is Old Hat by nucrash · · Score: 1

    I have seen several cases of conspiracy theorists trying to point to that as evidence. Clearly if they can't see the rod through the top and take in account that gravity will wave a flag as it's being moved around and planted, then you probably shouldn't take the time to explain to them. Stop paying attention to the crazies, that only gives them unneeded attention!

    --
    Place something witty here
    1. Re:Flag Waving on the Moon is Old Hat by Dunbal · · Score: 2

      The problem is that BS seems to be more attractive to people than facts. Facts are boring. People don't want to think, they want a magical explanation to everything. Give them their sky-wizard, or Santa Claus, or dark and complicated "conspiracy theories". Those who want to learn the truth, learn the truth. We who know the truth must guard the well of knowledge and prevent it from being poisoned so that others can learn. But the people who don't want to learn, or who want to "unlearn", nothing can be done about them. Arguing with fools is futile.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    2. Re:Flag Waving on the Moon is Old Hat by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      There are not different shades of truth. Truth is unique. Therefore yes, there are only two possibilities, those who seek and respect facts and those who don't.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  3. Tripod by smooth+wombat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Either get a really cheap tripod when you do these types of interviews or a monopod. Having the image wander back and forth for five minutes is not good.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  4. Mythbusters by jklovanc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Mythbusters debunked the flag theory. It is caused by momentum and lack of air resistance.

  5. politics more important than by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

    >> in many cases politics can be more important than designing and building the hardware, which is why it's worth learning about

    No, it's why we're all pretty much pinning our hopes on private enterprise to figure out the next generation of space. NASA's manned flight program was defanged long ago, as evidenced by the need to drag out guys like Tom Moser, the hunt for prototype moon rovers, and other nostalgic efforts dredging up a period that happened decades before I was born.

  6. Here's one of the fixed URLs to the article by azav · · Score: 1

    http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/histor...

    --
    - Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
  7. Re:I am undecided by crunchygranola · · Score: 1

    China is currently planning to make manned moon landings in the next 10 -15 years.

    --
    Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age
  8. Re:Oh no, space nutter bait. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Sure, as long as you take remedial math, physics, and basic materials science and engineering, and some sort of history of computers too.

    Funny, as a physicist who previously worked on satellite projects including weather and solar weather satellites, I don't think a lack of science background is the reason I think a space program can be useful.

  9. Re:Oh no, space nutter bait. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    A space program? Sure. Drink all the Tang in Low Earth Orbit you want. Bounce all the Ku band you want off satellites. Heck, it's what I do for a living.

    Thinking the species must leave this rock and colonize the universe on 3D printed space elevator private startups, not so much.

    Bringing up all this tiresome shit about how I only have a computer because of Apollo? Blow it out your ass.

    http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the...
    http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the...
    http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the...
    http://www.distancetomars.com/
    http://www.computerhistory.org...

    http://i67.tinypic.com/35c278x...

  10. If it was a fake... by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

    ... then you can be 100 percent sure that there wouldn't be a flag fluttering in the wind. "Hey boss, I checked the film, and the wind is making the flag move". "Don't worry, nobody will notice". Really? What kind of idiot do you have to be to believe that could happen? If there was a flag moving in the wind, the recording would have been repeated.