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One giant blunder for mankind: how NASA lost moon pictures
Sydney Morning Herald ^
| August 5, 2006
| Richard Macey
Posted on 08/05/2006 3:50:29 PM PDT by nnn0jeh
THE heart-stopping moments when Neil Armstrong took his first tentative steps onto another world are defining images of the 20th century: grainy, fuzzy, unforgettable.
But just 37 years after Apollo 11, it is feared the magnetic tapes that recorded the first moon walk - beamed to the world via three tracking stations, including Parkes's famous "Dish" - have gone missing at NASA's Goddard Space Centre in Maryland.
A desperate search has begun amid concerns the tapes will disintegrate to dust before they can be found.
It is not widely known that the Apollo 11 television broadcast from the moon was a high-quality transmission, far sharper than the blurry version relayed instantly to the world on that July day in 1969.
Among those battling to unscramble the mystery is John Sarkissian, a CSIRO scientist stationed at Parkes for a decade. "We are working on the assumption they still exist," Mr Sarkissian told the Herald.
"Your guess is a good as mine as to where they are."
(Excerpt) Read more at smh.com.au ...
TOPICS: Government; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: apollo11; missing; moon; nasa; space
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To: se_ohio_young_conservative
21
posted on
08/05/2006 4:17:46 PM PDT
by
oxcart
(Journalism [Sic])
To: Palmetto; se_ohio_young_conservative
Damn! I was so hoping this was going to turn into a big Moon-landing vs. Moon-hoax throw-down.
Usually these threads blow up faster than kerosene on a candle... or mentioning the word "creationism".
/sarc
22
posted on
08/05/2006 4:19:41 PM PDT
by
Thrusher
("...there is no peace without victory.")
To: nnn0jeh
I'm guessing that the missing film is the private souvenier of somebody on the taxpayer's gravy train.
23
posted on
08/05/2006 4:23:51 PM PDT
by
WorkingClassFilth
(Yeah, I've got an axe to grind...what else would you use on Leftists?)
To: se_ohio_young_conservative
I assume that you're being sarcastic? If you truly believe that, then you lack common sense.
To: Northern Yankee
Simple. They went at night.
25
posted on
08/05/2006 4:43:52 PM PDT
by
Starter
(Goodnight everybody! I'll be here all week! Try the veal!)
To: Don Corleone
He wasn't there first. He just invented the space program.
26
posted on
08/05/2006 4:49:40 PM PDT
by
DoughtyOne
(Bring your press credentials to Qana, for the world's most convincing terrorist street theater.)
To: nnn0jeh
OK.....Where's Sandy Berger?
27
posted on
08/05/2006 4:49:57 PM PDT
by
patriot_wes
(Law of Unintended Consequences; Infant Baptism = an unbelieving, unsaved church.)
To: se_ohio_young_conservative
My grandfather always said that we NEVER landed on the moon. They just staged this on some rock out west. LOL
28
posted on
08/05/2006 4:52:31 PM PDT
by
Phibes
To: patriot_wes
OK.....Where's Sandy Berger?
29
posted on
08/05/2006 4:54:18 PM PDT
by
StoneGiant
(Power without morality is disaster. Morality without power is useless.)
To: nnn0jeh
a CSIRO scientist stationed at Parkes for a decade. "We are working on the assumption they still exist," Mr Sarkissian told the Herald. They made a really good movie about the guys at Parkes, Australia during the moon landing. I think it was called "The Dish".
30
posted on
08/05/2006 4:59:46 PM PDT
by
centexan
(Stay safe 4th ID - come home soon)
To: Northern Yankee
Belief is one thing, true history another. But, they might as well not have sent men to the moon for all the good it has done.
31
posted on
08/05/2006 5:02:07 PM PDT
by
RightWhale
(Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
To: Phibes
That's funny. My grandfather insisted we never launched earth satellites. Even Echo I didn't convince him.
32
posted on
08/05/2006 5:03:43 PM PDT
by
RightWhale
(Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
To: nnn0jeh
Originally stored at Goddard, the tapes were moved in 1970 to the US National Archives. No one knows why, but in 1984 about 700 boxes of space flight tapes there were returned to Goddard.
33
posted on
08/05/2006 5:06:32 PM PDT
by
elli1
To: nnn0jeh
34
posted on
08/05/2006 5:07:58 PM PDT
by
Twinkie
(Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.)
To: nnn0jeh
"It is not widely known that the Apollo 11 television broadcast from the moon was a high-quality transmission, far sharper than the blurry version relayed instantly to the world on that July day in 1969."
That is a great story. 4 years were spent by some of the best minds around building a tv camera to withstand the rigors of space and landing on the moon. What those engineers forgot to take into account was their camera being compatible with the tv transmission technology of 1969. It turns out the moon camera WAS NOT compatible. Live transmissions could not be transmitted over the airwaves into the homes of those watching. It was ONLY realized as those wonderful pictures were being watched at Mission Control. Live television only received static. One of the REAL smart engineers ran down the hall and grabbed a regular tv camera an tripod and set it up in front of the Mission Control monitor screen. That is what we all saw on that July evening in 1969. A picture of a picture!!!
35
posted on
08/05/2006 5:10:07 PM PDT
by
hophead
("Enjoy Every Sandwich")
To: WorkingClassFilth
"I'm guessing that the missing film is the private souvenier of somebody on the taxpayer's gravy train."
I just bid on it on EBAY!
36
posted on
08/05/2006 5:11:01 PM PDT
by
hophead
("Enjoy Every Sandwich")
To: Twinkie
Well, they better stay off the moon, I bought it from some DOT.COM back in early 2000, I got papers people !!
37
posted on
08/05/2006 5:11:57 PM PDT
by
Scythian
To: hophead
I visited the office at RCA where the camera was cobbled together, right after the moon landing. Talked to some of the engineers.
They were walking a foot off the ground.
38
posted on
08/05/2006 5:13:54 PM PDT
by
RightWhale
(Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
To: RightWhale
"I visited the office at RCA where the camera was cobbled together, right after the moon landing. Talked to some of the engineers."
I understand the camera that took those amazing pictures is still there at Tranquility Base. I wonder if it had new batteries if it would still work?
39
posted on
08/05/2006 5:16:05 PM PDT
by
hophead
("Enjoy Every Sandwich")
To: hophead
It might work, but nobody would care to use it. Technology from the Dark Dim Ages.
40
posted on
08/05/2006 5:18:21 PM PDT
by
RightWhale
(Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
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