Moon landing

[David P Williams]

I was up at 3am watching it live (I was 18) and I seem to remember that the picture of the ladder waiting for Neil Armstrong to descend was initially upside down, and I couldn't work out what I was looking at. Is that my memory, or was it our flaky telly, or was that how it happened?

Clever of the conspirators to build that element in just to make it seem more realistic !

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

Perhaps someone will be interested in this document prepared for President Nixon and in the event of a failure of the mission to the Moon.

''

[J D 8]

One of the great things about the Apollo missions starting with Apollo 7 was that we at home could go with them through the TV, Going to explore somewhere completely new. Something that could not happen in the time of Columbus, Cook or Shackleton when it took weeks, months even years for news to reach home.

By the later Apollo 15/16/17 missions the TV pictures and sound transmitted had improved a lot.

Christmas 1968 will always be a special memory for me as for the first time man had left the earth behind to go to another world.

Apollo 8 crew Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders transmitted their Christmas message while in moon orbit with a moving reading from the book of Genesis.

Many today think the famous "earthrise" photo was taken by Neil or Buzz but it was taken by Bill Anders on Dec 24th 1968.

Today many have been to space but only the 24 Apollo moon men have ever left low earth orbit. [ three went twice ]

[John Bisset]

Posted by David P Williams on 20/07/2019 14:24:25:

I was up at 3am watching it live (I was 18) and I seem to remember that the picture of the ladder waiting for Neil Armstrong to descend was initially upside down, and I couldn't work out what I was looking at. Is that my memory, or was it our flaky telly, or was that how it happened?

Clever of the conspirators to build that element in just to make it seem more realistic !

Yes, that is right, the picture was at first upside down as transmitted, for some reason , possibly to do with the re-transmission from the Australian NASA pick up, if my memory is correct. Mission Control swapped it around after a few minutes. I had the same problem as you - couldn't work out what I was seeing.

Truly magnificent achievement. Interesting that several of the astronauts later admitted how low they had rated their chances of survival, let alone success. Impressive in so many ways.

[Plummet]

Of course the whole thing would have been a lot harder if trees grew on the moon.

Plummet

[Geoff S]

Posted by David P Williams on 20/07/2019 14:24:25:

I was up at 3am watching it live (I was 18) and I seem to remember that the picture of the ladder waiting for Neil Armstrong to descend was initially upside down, and I couldn't work out what I was looking at. Is that my memory, or was it our flaky telly, or was that how it happened?

Clever of the conspirators to build that element in just to make it seem more realistic !

I was 29 at the time but I'd forgotten that the initial pictures were inverted. I was probably too tired to notice

Geoff

[Martin McIntosh]

Some of you will no doubt remember that I put a thread on here a while ago regarding a theory that this was all done in Hollywood. Many hundreds of generally nasty replies from people calling me a lunatic etc.

I have watched most of the recent stuff on TV and was slowly coming round to believing that it actually happened until I saw one of the `take offs` again. A few sparks, no dust, no flame from the rocket and the camera tilted up with the craft, and please don`t tell me again that it was controlled from the Earth. Why did it stop when it did and not follow the craft up further?

Also, on the `landings`, we can hear every word said by the crew with a rocket motor inches below them.

NASA have recently admitted that a Mars mission would not be possible until they found a way to get through Earth`s radiation belt without frying the crew.

I rest my case.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I wonder if this might help restore your faith in NASA by answering some of your questions?

Having been captivated by the Apollo programme as an impressionable young boy, I'd be devastated to find out that it was faked and I can't understand why the USSR wouldn't have pushed hard to expose it should that have been the case.

Noise-wise, with no atmosphere, wouldn't the only sound coming from the rocket motor be vibration transmitted by the framework? It wouldn't be inconceivable that there were some sort of resilient mountings and I would think it entirely possible that throat microphones could have been in use - anyone know?

[Malcolm Fisher]

This week the moon landing has been serialised on Radio Four based on recordings of the transmissions between Houston and Apollo. For my wife and me it was more moving than what we remember of the actual event. Then we only heard what was broadcast on radio as we didn't have a TV. We still live in that state and don't miss having a TV set of any sort - no time to watch - it's easier to get on with things while listening rather than watching.

Malcolm

[Mike Blandford]

Why do you expect to see a "flame" from the rocket motor? Unlike the Saturn V first stage that uses kerosene, the lunar module uses hydrogen and oxygen, flames are mainly caused by glowing carbon.

For the landing, remember the rocket motor was not that powerful, it was only working against 1/6th of earth gravity. It is also mounted on the descent stage, so is a bit further away from the astronauts than you might think.

It appears that: "Apollo flight trajectories bypassed the inner belts completely, passing through the thinner areas of the outer belts"

Mike

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

The duration of the transit was also very short, limiting the radiation exposure. The supposed admission that there were problems getting the Mars mission through the Van Allen belts referred to the effects on modern microelectronics and the longer term effects during the mission.

Dr Van Allen himself calculated the dosage during transit of "his" belts as very much in the safe range for humans.

[Geoff S]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 20/07/2019 19:09:59:

Some of you will no doubt remember that I put a thread on here a while ago regarding a theory that this was all done in Hollywood. Many hundreds of generally nasty replies from people calling me a lunatic etc.

I have watched most of the recent stuff on TV and was slowly coming round to believing that it actually happened until I saw one of the `take offs` again. A few sparks, no dust, no flame from the rocket and the camera tilted up with the craft, and please don`t tell me again that it was controlled from the Earth. Why did it stop when it did and not follow the craft up further?

Also, on the `landings`, we can hear every word said by the crew with a rocket motor inches below them.

NASA have recently admitted that a Mars mission would not be possible until they found a way to get through Earth`s radiation belt without frying the crew.

I rest my case.

Quite apart from any technical matters there's the problem that many 100s (if not 1000s) of people would have needed to be aware of any conspiracy. It would be amazing if not even one of them had thought to betray the fantasy in 50 years. Moreover secrets only remain truly secret the fewer people are involved ... ideally one.

I suspect, Martin, you're a troll in the original sense ie making outrageous assertions and then sitting back to watch the sparks fly

Geoff

[brokenenglish]

While agreeing entirely with Geoff's post, there's another point that always amuses me.

The "doubters" (for want of a better word that would be accepted by the mods) are always only considering a few things that they don't understand from the actual moon sequence...

BUT, what about the preparation, the actual launch, and the flight out and back and the arrival back on earth, which we all followed.
How do our intellectuals think all that was done?
Where did the crew and the vessel just fly around for a week or more, between the launch and the splashdown?

[Gary Manuel]

Posted by brokenenglish on 20/07/2019 21:11:32:

While agreeing entirely with Geoff's post, there's another point that always amuses me.

The "doubters" (for want of a better word that would be accepted by the mods) are always only considering a few things that they don't understand from the actual moon sequence...

BUT, what about the preparation, the actual launch, and the flight out and back and the arrival back on earth, which we all followed.
How do our intellectuals think all that was done?
Where did the crew and the vessel just fly around for a week or more, between the launch and the splashdown?

... and the fact that the Americans fierce competitor - the Russians (plus us at Jodrell Bank) were tracking their every move. I think they may have had something to say if there was any foul play.

[Steve Colman]

I've just watched the film "The First Man" on the tele and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Cliff Bastow]

I can remember to this day being allowed to stay up and watch the landing. It had a profound effect on me and sparked my interest in aviation. I would have loved to get into space. Sadly too late for me now unless I have my ashes shot into space which I believe you can do.

Mankinds greatest achievement to date in my humble opinion.

There was a guy on the Jeremy Vine show the other day who had worked at Jodrell Bank during the 60,s and he stated they had independently tracked the command module and the lander all the way to the moon and back and too his knowledge non of the "doubters"  had ever asked to check the data which still existed.

 

Edited By Cliff Bastow on 20/07/2019 21:42:35

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by brokenenglish on 20/07/2019 21:11:32:

The "doubters" (for want of a better word that would be accepted by the mods) are always only considering a few things that they don't understand

A perfect example being that of a well produced "scientific analysis" video that trumpeted that due to the temperature of the thermosphere being over 2000 degrees C, the various materials used in the Apollo mission would have melted. This "proved" that the moon landings and space exploration could not have occurred. A small amount of research would have revealed that although the air molecules at those altitudes are indeed at those temperatures, they are so few and far between that the heat energy transfer to any object encountering their tiny mass would be negligible. You would most definitely need to take a warm jacket with you...

[Martin McIntosh]

G.S., thanks for calling me a troll. I am only reporting what I saw when it supposedly happened.

M.H.,

That video looked quite good, maybe too good compared with the earlier transmissions. I was referring to the Apollo 11 lift off, not the later ones.

It only goes to confirm my suspicions that this lot was fabricated because they often forgot to put in the 2.5 sec delay between instruction/response/confirmation, especially towards the end when they were actually talking over each other.

I accept that many thousands of people were involved but it would only have taken a handful, suitably paid a few $m each to keep quiet and dupe them, as well as the rest of the world.

Kennedy said that it would happen before the end of the decade. The Yanks would have looked very foolish if they did not come up with something by then.

More brickbats expected!

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Surely that only reinforces the accuracy - you would expect real time answers from mission control where the recordings were made and the only delay being on answers from the remote sources. Don't forget that there were at least 4 parties involved and 2 of them (CapCom and the camera operator were definitely earth based). I very much doubt that they were using a duplex radio link to the lunar module or lander but the recordings were most likely made from multiple sources - hence you would get simultaneous conversation.

Edited By Martin Harris on 21/07/2019 01:08:35

[Tim A]

I wonder if the doubters and conspiracy theorists were born after the Apollo Mission? As one that grew up following the Space Race, I have no doubt that it happened. I can remember JFK's speech in 1963 and from then on followed it avidly through Newspapers, T.V. & film, cutting all the clippings out and pasting them in a scrape book (wish I still had it) Everyone I knew was aghast when the three Astronauts were incinerated on the launch pad. We all held our breath when Apollo 13 was crippled, I sat on the gym floor with my 4th form class and listened to Neil Armstrong step on the Moon. We watched Skylab go over our house from the garden I have been to Houston to mission control seen the Saturn 5 Rocket and others No Sorry it was real alright.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 21/07/2019 00:13:26:

I accept that many thousands of people were involved but it would only have taken a handful, suitably paid a few $m each to keep quiet and dupe them, as well as the rest of the world.

More brickbats expected!

Seriously? There were hundreds if not thousands of highly intelligent and well educated engineers working on the project who would have questioned any abnormalities - surely by now due to conscience, money problems or greed at least one of them with some credibility would have spoken out...maybe even on their "deathbed".

You might think of them as brickbats but I suspect that most of the comments you disagree with are meant as reality checks and not aimed as insults.

Edited By Martin Harris on 21/07/2019 01:25:54

[J D 8]

I wonder if Columbus, Drake or Cook came home to " Now tell the truth. Where have you really been ? "

[Cuban8]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 21/07/2019 00:13:26:

G.S., thanks for calling me a troll. I am only reporting what I saw when it supposedly happened.

 

M.H.,

That video looked quite good, maybe too good compared with the earlier transmissions. I was referring to the Apollo 11 lift off, not the later ones.

It only goes to confirm my suspicions that this lot was fabricated because they often forgot to put in the 2.5 sec delay between instruction/response/confirmation, especially towards the end when they were actually talking over each other.

I accept that many thousands of people were involved but it would only have taken a handful, suitably paid a few $m each to keep quiet and dupe them, as well as the rest of the world.

Kennedy said that it would happen before the end of the decade. The Yanks would have looked very foolish if they did not come up with something by then.

 

More brickbats expected!

Martin.............you are kidding aren't you? Perhaps I'm missing your joke on us?

Edited By Cuban8 on 21/07/2019 10:19:01

[Colin Leighfield]

Oh dear! All of this “fake” nonsense was started by a disgruntled ex NASA employee who realised that he could make a load of money by writing a book, living in his caravan out in the sticks with a load of cats. The sites where the landers returned from and even footprints are visible now from the satellite in low moon orbit, that I think was launched by the Japanese? Bearing in mind that it is now possible to see us from satellites in low earth orbit that’s clearly not a problem. A laser reflecting mirror placed on the surface by one of the expeditions is still returning signals now. End of as far as I’m concerned, this is done history and I am excited by the next step, just a I was in the sixties when I followed the Apollo adventures with fascination. Bring it on.

Edited By Colin Leighfield on 21/07/2019 10:23:36

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]