Apollo
From Slackerpedia Galactica
Introduction
VISITORS TO THE MOON
24 humans have traveled to the moon
9 Apollo moon missions, 3 men on each mission 9 x 3 = 27 astronauts.
3 astronauts made the journey two times. 27 – 3 = 24
Jim Lovell traveled twice (8, 13) orbited once (8) swung around once (13)
John Young traveled twice (10, 16) orbited twice (10, 16) landed once (16)
Gene Cernan traveled twice (10, 17) orbited twice (10, 17) landed once (17)
12 men have walked on the moon
Astronaut - Mission - cool fact - other missions
1st words on the lunar surface
Neil Armstrong - 11 - There is only one photo of Neil on the lunar surface - Gemini 8
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Buzz Aldrin - 11 - from Montclair, NJ (my home town) - Gemini 12
“Magnificent desolation”
Pete Conrad - 12 - Made the most accurate moon landing - Gemini 5 & 11, Skylab 1
“Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but it was a long one for me!” (Pete was not tall).
Alan Bean - 12 - Only LM pilot to actually fly the LM (briefly)- Skylab 2 (Commander)
“My, that sun is bright.”
Alan Shepard - 14 - 1st American (second human) in space/1st person to hit a golf ball on the moon - Mercury Freedom7
“Its been a long way, but we’re here”
Ed Mitchell - 14 - 1st person to experiment with ESP in space - none
“That’s great!”
David Scott - 15 - 1st human to drive a car on the moon - Gemini8, Apollo9
”As I stand out here in the wonders of the unknown at Hadley, I realize that there’s a fundamental truth to our nature. Man must explore. And this is exploration at its greatest.”
James Irwin - 15 - 1st person to film a movie on the moon - none
“Boy, that front pad is really loose, isn’t it?”
John Young - 16 - 1st commander of the Space Shuttle - Gemini 3 & 10 (commander), Apollo 10, STS – 1 (commander)
“There you are, mysterious and unknown Descartes Highland Plains, Apollo 16 is gonna change your image.”
Charles Duke - 16 - Capcom for Apollo 11 landing (“we’re breathing again!”) - none
“Hot Dog! This is great!”
Gene Cernan - 17 - 3rd American to spacewalk; last human to leave the moon.- Gemini 11, Apollo 10
“As I step off at the surface of Taurus-Littrow, I’d like to dedicate the 1st step of Apollo 17 to all those who made it possible. Oh my golly! Unbelievable! Unbelievable! But it is bright in the sun!”
Harrison Schmitt - 17 - 1st Scientist in space (PhD geologist); US Senator, New Mexico - none
“You landed in a crater!”
The last words spoken from the surface of the moon (so far) are by Gene Cernan:
“As I take man’s last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I’d like to just say what I believe history will record: that America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.”
The single best source for information on the Apollo program
If you want to know what it was like to walk on the moon, here it is, in fascinating detail, including the orange juice that got all over Charlie Duke’s head inside his spacesuit, John Young complaining about having the farts real bad before they told him his mike was still on, and of course, the famous “I was strolling on the moon one day….” song[1].
Some more cool clips
Harrison Schmidt flailing around trying to pick up some equipment
The only image of an Apollo astronaut in which you can see his face behind the visor
Complete transcripts of every Apollo moon landing and every moon walk. - Illuminating commentary by the astronauts themselves - Hundreds of audio clips directly in context - Thousands of pictures, including many not seen elsewhere, also in their context - Humorous pictures - Detailed explanations of the equipment used on the moon
And, to put the record straight, here is the definitive response from Neil Armstrong himself about whether or not he said “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky”:
During November 1995, a clever (and slightly risqué) story was widely circulated on the Internet concerning a statement Neil is supposed to have made during the Apollo 11 EVA. Neil never said "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky" at any time during the mission. Indeed, on November 28, 1995, Neil wrote, “I understand that the joke is a year old. I first heard it in California delivered by (comedian) Buddy Hackett"
The joke was that little Neil was playing in his backyard when he heard his neighbor’s wife (Mrs. Gorsky) telling her husband: “You pervert! I’ll do THAT for you when the kid next door walks on the moon!”
