Tag: NASA

The Sky is Deep Black: RIP Neil Armstrong

first on the moon Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong, the first human to step on the moon, passed away on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82. After having traveled so far, Armstrong died in the same state where he was born, Ohio.

Armstrong accomplished one of the great feats of the twentieth century with Apollo 11 landing on the moon.  The mission also included Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

Choice for Apollo 11 and Famous Words

Although it was not revealed at the time, NASA chose Armstrong for the honor of being the one to take the first human step on the moon that July 20, 1969 because his stoic and ego-less personality would make him a good heroic representative for NASA.

Armstrong later explained that his famous words that accompanied his step off the ladder onto the moon’s surface at 10:56:15 p.m. Eastern time came to him only after he and Aldrin had landed on the moon. To this day there is still some debate about whether he misspoke or whether the transmission omitted a key word.

What the world heard, and what was conveyed by reporters at the time, was, “That’s one small step for man, One giant leap for mankind.” Because “man” can also mean “mankind,” the correct quote would have been “one small step for [a] man.” Subsequent studies of the transmission seem to reveal that the reporters were right that the “a” was missing. Armstrong later explained that he wished history would remember the quote with the “a” in parenthesis.

After Apollo 11

Apollo 11 Insignia For someone with such an achievement, Armstrong lived mostly out of the public eye after the moon landing. After working at NASA for a few more years, he joined the engineering faculty at the University of Cincinnati, later resigning in 1979 to pursue a career in business.

Armstrong did not say much publicly about his thoughts about the historic trip to the moon.  He believed he should not get so much attention when his trip to the moon was such a team effort.

But in this BBC interview from 1970, Armstrong talks about the view from space and from the moon, describing the “deep black” sky.

It this day of modern celebrity where so many people are famous for just being famous, it is amazing that someone with such an accomplishment could walk down the street in his later years without anyone recognizing him or approaching him. Well, unless he happened to be walking down the street next to a Kardashian.

RIP Commander Armstrong.

  • Apollo 11 Lands On the Moon
  • The Scene in “The Right Stuff” That Makes You Love John Glenn
  • Astronauts on Space
  • Mars is Now Streaming Live
  • Hail Atlantis!
  • Carl Sagan on the Pale Blue Dot

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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    Mars is Now Streaming Live

    Now that NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars safely on Monday, you can watch live streams from NASA on the Curiosity Cam. The rover, which is 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall, weighs 2,000 pounds (i.e., 900 kilograms for our readers outside the U.S.).

    Update:  You may no longer watch the Curiosity Cam below through UStream.  But other information is available through NASA’s website.

    You can also follow the rover on Twitter (@MarsCuriosity).

  • The Scene in “The Right Stuff” That Makes You Love John Glenn
  • Apollo 11 Lands On the Moon
  • Astronauts on Space
  • The Sky is Deep Black: RIP Neil Armstrong
  • Hail Atlantis!
  • Carl Sagan on the Pale Blue Dot

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Hail Atlantis!

    This morning at 11:30 a.m. EST, the space shuttle Atlantis successfully launched, marking NASA’s final shuttle mission. Atlantis will be in space for twelve days before returning to earth at Kennedy Space Center.

    Donovan Atlantis

    A previous Chimesfreedom post featured some thoughts about the end of the shuttle program, but watching this final launch online this morning at NASA HD-TV brings back a flood of memories, ranging from the excitement about the program when it was first announced, the thrill of the first test flights when the shuttle rode piggyback on jets, and remembering where I was when we lost the heroes on the Challenger in January 28, 1986 and on the Columbia on February 1, 2003. So today, it is hats off to all of the men and women (as well as some animals) who have contributed to the space program through the years, and here is hoping for future safe adventures.

    The space shuttle is named after a seafaring research ship, following a practice for naming the shuttles after ships. The articles do not say where the research ship got its name, but one may surmise that the name “Atlantis” comes from stories about the lost civilization and the continent that was buried beneath the sea. Tales about Atlantis, whether myth or reality, have circulated for centuries, and Plato wrote about it around 360 B.C.

    A little more recently, in 1969, Donovan released an album featuring the classic song about the lost civilization, “Atlantis.” It is an unusual and unforgettable song, where the singer begins by telling us about the island’s tragedy as an epic story and ends with his sadness over a lost love. The song was originally released in the U.S. as a B-side to the song “To Susan on the West Coast Waiting” because the record company thought U.S. record buyers would not be interested in a song with a long talking introduction. But they were wrong, and “Atlantis” became a much bigger hit than the A-side did.

    Around the Internet, there are rumors that Paul McCartney sings in the background and plays tambourine on “Atlantis,” although he is not listed in the credits for the song. Give it a listen and you will hear the McCartney-like voice near the end. But in a 2008 Goldmine interview, Donovan said that it was not McCartney (although McCartney claps and giggles on Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow“).

    And as you listen to “Atlantis,” send good thoughts to the astronauts on their journey, as well as to “the poet, the physician, the farmer, the scientist,/ The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends.”

    Bonus “Atlantis” song: On Twitter, someone pointed out that The Shadows recorded an instrumental song also called “Atlantis” in the early 1960s. For readers who may not be familiar with the group, as explained on Allmusic.com, The Shadows were a landmark U.K. band in the 1960s and became one of the most popular instrumental groups in the world. Also, they often performed with Cliff Richard. Check them out if you do not know them already. (Thanks to @RetrospaceAndy.)

  • The Scene in “The Right Stuff” That Makes You Love John Glenn
  • Apollo 11 Lands On the Moon
  • Astronauts on Space
  • The Sky is Deep Black: RIP Neil Armstrong
  • Mars is Now Streaming Live
  • Carl Sagan on the Pale Blue Dot

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)