Posted on 07/20/2002 2:58:13 AM PDT by petuniasevan
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.
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.
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.
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. &;-)
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!
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.
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