Modern smartphones boast vastly greater computing power than Apollo computers, yet it would be unfair to compare them directly, like comparing F-35 fighter jets with World War 2 Spitfires and Hurricanes. The Apollo computer excelled at one task very effectively. Additionally, it was virtually crashproof compared to smartphones which can occasionally freeze. How Did They…
Todd Douglas Miller’s version of Apollo 11 uses mostly archive footage (including some 65mm footage), to tell an engaging tale. From its crawler transporter at launch pad to Walter Cronkite’s newscast oratory – you are there. This docudrama leaves no one wanting more. Visuals look incredible, particularly the newly discovered 65mm footage. Everything looks clear…
On November 14th 1969, Florida’s Kennedy Space Center saw its front move away and NASA launched Apollo 12 without incident. Commander Pete Conrad and Command Module Pilot Dick Gordon settled into their seats to await the Saturn V rocket’s thrust of energy that would propel their capsule. Two minutes after liftoff, lightning struck twice on…
Most adults are familiar with the Apollo missions, yet this documentary takes viewers behind-the-scenes to witness both triumphs and tragedies associated with them. Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings used 500 hours of footage, 800 hours of audio, and 10,000 photos to piece this narrative together. Poppy Northcutt, a technical engineer from Cleveland who…
As it descended, Eagle encountered issues not anticipated in simulations. Multiple alarms went off due to too many tasks being attempted at once by its computer system. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours 38 minutes on the moon’s surface before returning to Collins in Columbia’s command module, using seismometers and laser reflectors to measure distances…
In 1969, planetary science was still relatively young. One of its most famous moments occurred on July 20, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left Columbia and entered their lunar module, Eagle. Armstrong used Eagle’s reaction control system to guide their landing site in the Sea of Tranquility. Mission Overview Nasa embarked on its most…
Apollo wasn’t always popular among the general public. Following Apollo 1’s tragic accident that claimed astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Edward White’s lives, there was widespread public disbelief regarding both its cost and complexity of sending humans to space. NASA was ultimately successful in fulfilling their goal of landing humans on the Moon,…
On July 24, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin successfully descended to the Moon, taking photographs, collecting specimens from rocks and soil samples, installing a laser-ranging reflector and passive seismograph (a moonquake detector), as well as speaking with President Nixon. But their descent was far from uneventful – during a powered descent an alarm went off that…
In the 1970s, children everywhere dreamed of becoming astronauts. These real-life heroes set an example through personal sacrifice and bravery. One Apollo mission was cancelled, leaving its Saturn rocket sitting idle in a museum in Houston. Apollo 18 sheds light on why, and it wasn’t budget constraints at play. The Story Ben Anderson (Warren Christie),…
