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Astronomy Picture of the Day 7-20-02
NASA ^ | 7-20-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

Posted on 07/20/2002 2:58:13 AM PDT by petuniasevan

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 July 20
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download
 the highest resolution version available.

Footprints on Another World
Credit: Apollo 11, NASA

Explanation: On July 20th, 1969, humans first set foot on the Moon. Taken from a window of their Apollo 11 lunar module, the Eagle, this picture shows the footprints in the powdery lunar soil made by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. It has been estimated that one billion people on planet Earth watched Armstrong step from the lander onto the surface of another world, making this live transmission one of the highest rated television shows ever. In the foreground at right, a rocket nozzle on the side of the Eagle is seen in silhouette, while beyond an unfurled United States flag is the television camera, remounted on a stand to better view the landing area. The Apollo missions to the Moon have been described as the result of the greatest technological mobilization in history.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: achievement; aldrin; apollo; apollo11; armstrong; astronomy; camera; collins; eagle; flag; footprints; historic; houston; image; landing; lunar; missioncontrol; momentous; moon; orbit; photography; rocket; seaoftranquility; space; spacecraft
Astronomy Fun Fact:

Did you know that once Apollo 11's Eagle module had touched down,
it was over 6 1/2 hours before Armstrong emerged and made history.

estimated that one billion people on planet Earth watched Armstrong step from the lander
onto the surface of another world

How many of you reading this thread remember the momentous occasion? Reruns don't count!

It was my brother's 4th birthday that day; I was about to turn 6.
I saw the landing and stayed up (8 PM!) to see Armstrong's moon walk.
It was the most exciting thing I'd ever seen.

And I just KNOW the tinfoil crowd will point to that flag and say,
"Hey! That flag is WAVING! Proof they filmed this on a studio backlot!"

Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax.

From that web page: The answer is, it isn't waving. It looks like that because of the way the flag was deployed. The flag hangs from a horizontal rod which telescopes out from the vertical one. In Apollo 11, they couldn't get the rod to extend completely, so the flag didn't get stretched fully. It has a ripple in it, like a curtain that is not fully closed. In later flights, the astronauts didn't fully deploy it on purpose because they liked the way it looked. In other words, the flag looks like it is waving because the astronauts wanted it to look that way. Ironically, they did their job too well. It appears to have fooled a lot of people into thinking it waved.

All the rest of the info needed to debunk tinfoil "moon hoax" theories can be found there.

Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy is a website dedicated to correcting misconceptions, demonstrating "bad astronomy" in movies, and generally trying to separate fact from fiction; hard evidence from hearsay.

1 posted on 07/20/2002 2:58:13 AM PDT by petuniasevan
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To: MozartLover; Joan912; NovemberCharlie; snowfox; Dawgsquat; viligantcitizen; theDentist; grlfrnd; ...
APOD PING!
2 posted on 07/20/2002 2:59:32 AM PDT by petuniasevan
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To: petuniasevan
I was getting off of a Southern Airways DC-9 in Dothan, Alabama after being told by my handlers in DC that by accepting a commission from Warrant Officer I would automatically be heading back to Nam as a gunship driver. I digress. By the time I got inside the little terminal, the Captain and FO were already there, looking at a fuzzy black and white screen as Armstrong put his foot on the Moon.
3 posted on 07/20/2002 3:20:00 AM PDT by leadpenny
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To: leadpenny
Thanks for serving LP ... &;-)


4 posted on 07/20/2002 3:48:26 AM PDT by 2Trievers
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To: petuniasevan
To Be at peace with yourself and others

Experience freedom

Be real

Laugh

Learn to love yourself and those around you

Dance in the rain

Smile at the beauties surrounding you

Lift your head up towards the sky, let rays of sunlight glow a blessing upon you

Accept life for what it is

Learn from the past

Grow, change ....That's life

Thanks 'tunia. That's one of my favorite photos. &;-)

5 posted on 07/20/2002 4:16:24 AM PDT by 2Trievers
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To: 2Trievers
Thank you. In all honesty it was not patriotism that drove me; rather, it was something exciting and adventurous to do. As some of my friends and I agree, "we were young, stupid and had no future anyway, so why not?" Back in those days it was sleep, eat and breathe helicopter flying. I always identified with the Moon landings because the astronauts practiced with helicopters and the landings were like very, very steep approaches to a pad. The big differences were micro-jets instead of rotor blades, they were always tight on fuel and, we could usually make a go-around if we got in a bind.
6 posted on 07/20/2002 4:24:55 AM PDT by leadpenny
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To: 2Trievers
I like your priorities, 2T, but being from the Rain Capital of the US...don't forget that (texas floods aside!) standing in the rain is a blessing too!

Brake for rainbows? I Gun IT for Rainbows! Its routine to see traffic jams out here when we get the big double bows when the sun cuts through a rainstorm...Best Daytime Magic...Refraction Distractions!

7 posted on 07/20/2002 4:28:32 AM PDT by sleavelessinseattle
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To: petuniasevan
One small step for man........
One GIANT leap for mankind!

8 posted on 07/20/2002 5:39:51 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
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To: petuniasevan
Sorry, I was 6. Did get to know the guy who made the rocket fuels but I think I've posted that before.
9 posted on 07/20/2002 10:40:21 AM PDT by farmfriend
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To: petuniasevan
Tranquillity Base. The Eagle has landed.

Should anyone try to claim the moon, show them this picture. That's the American flag. Not the Chinese flag, not the Russian flag, not the British flag. Not the UN flag.

10 posted on 07/20/2002 12:19:29 PM PDT by RightWhale
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To: petuniasevan
It was my Daddy's birthday and we were at our fishing camp for the summer and didn't have a TV there. My sister had a party for my Daddy at her house and we celebrated by watching the first 'moon walk' on her TV! It was just SO amazing, and the way Mama and Daddy were affected by it really made an impression on me. They were awed by the idea that man was capable of such a magnificent feat!
11 posted on 07/20/2002 3:35:27 PM PDT by SuziQ
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To: petuniasevan
Here's a link to a zip file containing a wav of the 2 minutes or so preceeding the landing - the astronauts calling distance, Houston calling fuel remaining, and then "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?500000032416

And here's a link to the website that has a large number of Apollo 11 wav files zipped up and ready for download.

http://www.winsite.com/games/sounds/page25.html
12 posted on 07/20/2002 8:16:22 PM PDT by Tennessee_Bob
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To: petuniasevan
WOW
13 posted on 07/20/2002 8:18:43 PM PDT by Radix
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To: petuniasevan
'Had a 30th H.S. reunion picnic today, and many of us were remarking how it didn't seem that 30 years had passed by. It seems coincidentally strange that it's been about 30 years now since man last walked on the moon -- we have a whole generation of Americans who were not around to experience one of the greatest technical achievements of mankind.

I recall being transfixed on the B&W screen in the living room 33 years ago with my dear Dad and uncle as Armstrong took that momentous first step -- something I'll never forget and wonder whether we'll ever see the likes of again.
14 posted on 07/20/2002 9:09:58 PM PDT by mikrofon
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