Space exploration

There was quite a good documentary recently about Apollo 11 using actual audio but with actors, and it struck me once again of what an incredible feat of engineering that Journey was at the time

And I listened to a podcast about the first man in space which was also fascinating, di you know Yuri Gagarin jettisoned his craft on re entry and parachuted down, he landed in a field and had to get some lady to lend him a horse to take him to the nearest village with a telephone
(Also the Russians kept it secret at the time as not returning in the actual craft may have invalidated his Space Journey)

And then out of interest I googled Apollo 12 to see what the second moon landing was like and my favourite facts from that mission are as follows

a)They were struck by lightning twice during launch affecting many systems
b) They took Hammocks, as they spent over thirty hours on the lunar surface compared to Apollo 11's two hours spent outside the craft
c) They did take a colour television camera but some doughnut pointed it at the sun and burnt the sensor

I'm old enough to remember watching the landing on black and white TV.

Recently, I was watching a documentary about WW2 (a new one that i'd never seen)
And it focused on when the Americans captured Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun and all his scientists.
Well, they didn't really capture him. He fled to a Swiss hotel so the Russians didn't get him and lived a life of luxury until he surrendered to some passing soldiers.

The man that designed the deadly V2 rocket was then put to work designing a rocket that could go into space.
Without him, America would probably never have won the space race and probably never gone to the moon.

And you are right Steve, what an almost unbelievable feat of engineering.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd September 2021, 8:59 AM

I'm old enough to remember watching the landing on black and white TV.

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I'm old enough to remember Louis Bleriot landing in England on sepia cine film.

And not long before that you started the prop for the Wright brothers.

Yes, if you watch those early films, you just see me.

Quote: Steve Sunshine @ 31st August 2021, 11:47 PM

And then out of interest I googled Apollo 12 to see what the second moon landing was like and my favourite facts from that mission are as follows

a)They were struck by lightning twice during launch affecting many systems
b) They took Hammocks, as they spent over thirty hours on the lunar surface compared to Apollo 11's two hours spent outside the craft
c) They did take a colour television camera but some doughnut pointed it at the sun and burnt the sensor

View original

I worked for a company founded by Apollo 12 moonwalker Pete Conrad, although he died (Harley accident) a few months before I started working there. His wife allowed us to rummage through his lesser memorabilia, as long as we promised not to sell it on eBay. I have all sorts of stuff: a trophy he was awarded by the city of Philadelphia after a Gemini flight, lots of signed items, and the receipt for the motorcycle that he died while riding.

Apollo 13th would-be astronaut (exposed to measles, played by Gary Sinese in the film, later flew on Apollo 16), T.K. Mattingly, was on our board of directors. Great guy, a fearless pilot, and an incredible engineer.

Those guys were something special.

Fantastic thread - I am very impressed from an education of the masses point of view - as it happens I was directly involved personally in all of those moments and so luckily I didn't actually need it second hand.

I remember collecting the A&BC bubble gum cards in my school days. Starting with Sputnik I and Dog in Sputnik II through to Discovering A New Sun and Life on other planets?

And then there were the Civil War News cards, complete with banknotes of different denominations, and Flags of the World...

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 2nd September 2021, 7:06 PM

I remember collecting the A&BC bubble gum cards in my school days. Starting with Sputnik I and Dog in Sputnik II through to Discovering A New Sun and Life on other planets?

And then there were the Civil War News cards, complete with banknotes of different denominations, and Flags of the World...

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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324407465210?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=7101533165274578&mkcid=2&itemid=324407465210&targetid=4584826055637461&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=412354546&mkgroupid=1299623041023876&rlsatarget=pla-4584826055637461&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779&msclkid=36c57c689dbd1143ac4b1d598b67f05b

Going off-topic a bit (a lot!) here.

I never collected those A&BC cards but I've still got loads. Batman, the Monkees, Football stars, Battle, Man from UNCLE amongst others.

All my bubble gum cards were of a balding Ralph Coates.

I had 27 of them.

Quote: A Horseradish @ 2nd September 2021, 9:29 PM

All my bubble gum cards were of a balding Ralph Coates.

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I had one of a Coated Clare balding.

Quote: Chappers @ 2nd September 2021, 7:26 PM

I never collected those A&BC cards but I've still got loads. Batman, the Monkees, Football stars, Battle, Man from UNCLE amongst others.

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Have quite a lot of fag cards, in their albums, and remember the joy of finding a discarded fag packet with the card still inside or the card was part of the drawer.