Vanity - Apollo 13 on History Channel - what's wrong with this country?

History Channel ^ | 8/28/05 | Self

[Phsstpok]

The History Channel is showing the Tom Hanks movie, Apollo 13. How many of you know ANYTHING about the Apollo missions? How many men walked on the Moon? How many circled it? How many have gone twice? How many who have gone are still alive?

When Teddy Kennedy can answer these questions (without a cheat sheet from an aid) I'll listen to him about education policy, particularly regarding "our position in science in the world."

[Phsstpok]

There are only 12 Human beings who have walked on the Moon, as of today.

The first set foot on the Moon July 20, 1969, just more than 36 years ago.

Almost everyone in the world can name that person. How many more can you name? How many of the other men who have been to the Moon, but not walked on it, can you name?

It is important to remember that they are all Americans. 21 of them are still alive today. What would you do to meet one of them? I have met two of them in my lifetime. In all of history there are very few people, relatively, who can make that statement.

Here is a list of the men and the missions:

Apollo 8 - December 21-27, 1968 Commander: Frank Borman LM Pilot: Bill Anders CM Pilot: Jim Lovel

Apollo 10 - May 18-26, 1969 Commander: Tom Stafford LM Pilot: Gene Cernan CM Pilot: John Young

Apollo 11 - July 16-24, 1969 Commander: Neil Armstrong * LM Pilot: Buzz Aldrin * CM Pilot: Mike Collins

Apollo 12 - November 14-24, 1969 Commander: Pete Conrad (1930-1999) * LM Pilot: Al Bean * CM Pilot: Dick Gordon

Apollo 13 - April 11-17, 1970 Commander: Jim Lovell LM Pilot: Fred Haise CM Pilot: Jack Swigert (1931-1982)

Apollo 14 - January 31-February 9, 1971 Commander: Al Shepard (1923-1998) * LM Pilot: Ed Mitchell * CM Pilot: Stu Roosa (1933-1994)

Apollo 15 – July 26-August 7, 1971 Commander: Dave Scott * LM Pilot: Jim Irwin (1930-1991) * CM Pilot: Al Worden

Apollo 16 - April 16-27, 1972 Commander: John Young * LM Pilot: Charlie Duke * CM Pilot: Ken Mattingly

Apollo 17 - December 7-19, 1972 Commander: Gene Cernan * LM Pilot: Jack Schmitt * CM Pilot: Ron Evans (1933-1990)

The names with an asterisk indicate the 12 who walked on the Moon. Of the people who went to the Moon 3 went twice (Cernan, Lovell and Young), meaning a total of 24 men traveled to the Moon, 12 of whom walked on the surface. The others circled around the Moon and returned to Earth.

Five of these men have already died, meaning only 19 human beings are still alive who have walked on the Moon.

Why isn't more made of these men? Why are American students so ignorant of what we have done?

In my lifetime I have met two of these men, Buzz Aldrin and Gene Cernan. Aldrin I met, with my middle son, while he signed a copy of his book during ceremonies for the 20th anniversary of the first Moon landing.. I got to spend about 45 minutes with Gene Cernan during the 30th anniversary of that same event. I have personally seen five more of these men at similar events.

Why aren't American school children being lined up at their door every single day of their lives? What is wrong with our society? What is wrong with our educators?

Ted Kennedy made an impassioned plea for $40 billion more in federal pork for the NEA this weekend. I think you know why I don't believe that money would be well spent.

[the invisib1e hand]

why is entertainment being shown on the "history" channel?

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

What would you do to meet one of them? I have met two of them in my lifetime. In all of history there are very few people, relatively, who can make that statement.

You need to get to Houston more. I sat down once and counted at least eight that I've met.

[Rebelbase]

What problem do you have with the movie, Apollo 13?

[ALOHA RONNIE]

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1st Man to walk on Earth's Moon:

Eagle Scout NEIL ARMSTRONG

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[ExtremeUnction]

Why aren't American school children being lined up at their door every single day of their lives? What is wrong with our society? What is wrong with our educators?

I have always been very interested in current events, but when the first moon landing took place, I was just returning from a 14 month tour as a Marine in Vietnam. For some reason, the events in space were insignificant compared to the life and death events that myself and thousands of our troops were going through everyday. I just tuned the whole space thing out. I remain disinterested to this very day. Sorry.

[isthisnickcool]

If you are ever by the Johnson Center in Houston stop by Carlo's Beer Garden on HWY 3 and Nasa Rd 1 (aka NASA parkway). Sometimes there are several old hound dogs that worked on Apollo and the Shuttle there drinking and telling "war" stories. They did some amazing things and American engineers and whiz kids continue to do amazing things.

When I was a young kid I worked at a clothing store and sold clothes to Chris Kraft. He once told me "get involved in computers, someday you will have one on your own desk and it will even talk to you". Today, I'm glad I listened to him.

[Coyoteman]

Good post. Minor typo: "Five of these men have already died, meaning only 19 human beings are still alive who have walked on the Moon." Number is off somewhere.

I have personally-signed photos taken by two of the walkers, Bean and Shepard.

Now for your quiz: Can you tell us the Shepard's prayer?

[wagglebee]

Five of these men have already died, meaning only 19 human beings are still alive who have walked on the Moon.

Don't you mean 7?

And Lovell didn't actually go to the Moon, he circled it on two different missions.

[Right Wing Assault]

OK, kids don't know diddly about the space program, but I would rather have them learn how spacecraft work, why astronauts feel weightless, how fast they travel, etc. rather than names and who went twice. That looks more like a trivia list. If schools don't teach that, good! Teach the physics behind it and what we have learned about it. Knowing that list will make the kid the hit of the party for about 12 seconds or win a trivia question. Knowing the science behind it will allow the kid to do something useful. Rote memory of lists is fine for some things, but this is not one of them. That is NOT learning.

[Jim Noble]

I am alternately deeply sad and deeply angry over what we have become.

We could not reproduce Apollo today for any amount of money.

Those guys in Mission Control with Kranz no longer exist, at least not in numbers sufficent to engineer and operationalize such a complex feat from a clean sheet of paper in less than ten years.

I know all their names - starting with Shepard and Freedom 7, not with Armstrong.

Ever since I was a little boy, I have been waiting for the first words from Mars - it doesn't matter anymore, because I don't speak Mandarin.

Shame, shame, shame.

[par4]

Lord, please don't let me ---- up.

[Jim Noble]

Can you tell us the Shepard's prayer?

I use it almost every day, LOL.

[satchmodog9]

They show a lot of historical movies. I really don't care for that because there is a degree of license taken with films and it comes across as fact to a lot of dumbshits.

[theDentist]

For the same reason they show Tora Tora Tora, Midway, and other such movies. They tell an historic true story. What's wrong with that?

[Wheens]

Let's not forget these "unsung" heros.
http://www.negrospaceprogram.com/

[cyclotic]

If you read a book called Lost Moon by Jim Lovell, you'll see that Apollo 13 is an extremely accurate portrayal and does deserve to be shown.

[Coyoteman]

Lord, please don't let me ---- up.

No, sorry. BZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTT. That's the abridged version. I didn't ask if you knew the Shepard's prayer, I asked if you could tell me the Shephard's prayer.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

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'The Man Who Predicted 9/11 - RICK RESCORLA'

The History Channel

September 11, 2005, 8pm ET/PT


http://www.RickRescorla.com

http://www.strategyzoneonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24361

.

[cyclotic]

BTW, in my opinion man's greatest technological achievement was the Apollo 13 mission. A spacecraft blows up in space and they had the guts and ingenuity to bring it home safely.