49 years ago today...the launch of Apollo 11 and the trip to the moon

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ocdart

ocdart

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I was listening to "60s on 6" on Sirius XM on the way to work this morning when they played a recording of the launch of Apollo 11 from July 16, 1969. 50 years ago today was the launch of mans first trip to the surface of the moon.
I started laughing when I realized I couldn't talk to anyone at work about it.....because none of them were even born yet when it happened!
We'll celebrate the 49th anniversary of the landing and, about 6.5 hours later, the "One Great Leap for Mankind" first steps on the moon on Friday, July 20th.
It's still amazing what our space program was able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time.
 
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ocdart said:
I was listening to "60s on 6" on Sirius XM on the way to work this morning when they played a recording of the launch of Apollo 11 from July 16, 1969. 50 years ago today was the launch of mans first trip to the surface of the moon.
I started laughing when I realized I couldn't talk to anyone at work about it.....because none of them were even born yet when it happened!
We'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landing and, about 6.5 hours later, the "One Great Leap for Mankind" first steps on the moon on Friday, July 20th.
It's still amazing what our space program was able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time.
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50 will be next year .Good memory though .
 
I was totally in to the space race growing up in the late 60's, had the Saturn 5 model etc. etc.

A few years ago I made it to the Kennedy Space Center and saw close up the complete Saturn 5 rocket suspended above the floor and a slightly used Apollo capsule. Totally awesome, but also totally primitive looking like they were built in someone's basement.

The guys that flew those things into space had balls of steel - maybe even more than 1 set.

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I saw it.

Was only 1 year old, but I saw it!

Thanks, mom!
 
Tribute to the men ,who relished the opportunity.
So many more ,will occur....,and ask.
 
July of '69. I was a "newly minted" U.S. Navy Electronics tech either just left Treasure Island, home on leave, or was still there TAD at the Island. After I graduated, I was TAD to the station amateur radio club where "I did nothing" or next to that, for a few weeks waiting transfer.

K6NCG - Treasure Island Radio Amateur Club 1969-1970

"ritty" (RTTY) one of my favorite things to do back then

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"The main station" Drake transmitter / receiver. Had been Collins receiver, Hallicrafters transmitter when I arrived


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Yours truly up the 120 ft tower

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Then home for leave, and down to Glynco, GA for GCA RADAR school in one of the old blimp hangers

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Then spring of '70, NAS Miramar!! "Top Gun" "Fightertown USA"
 
Thats some cool nostalgia Del... I was 7 in 69...lol

Cant believe nobody bit on my "Never happened " troll....lol

Yet
 
I remember watching it live on the family’s 13” black and white TV in our farm house in Charlottesville VA. I was just over 5 years old. We all went outside after and gazed up at the full moon...and wondered what it was like to be going there.
 
It was a big deal in our family, my Dad built a transmitter that is still on the moon, I guess it will always be. They had to determine that the surface of the moon was solid enough to land on, the thing he built put the readings into a radio signal. Although he never told me about it until about 10 years ago.
 
mbaird said:
Never happened
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Good grief.
I hesitate to legitimize this with a reply. But after 31 years working in the space program mostly at KSC, I will say you are wrong. I see the evidence everyday. AND I've seen your sides evidence. You're wrong.
 
YY1 said:
I saw it.

Was only 1 year old, but I saw it!

Thanks, mom!
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Well, I may have seen the moon landing but I was barely 1 year old too.

PS>> the computing power of the capsule was about a scientific calculator today.
 
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I turned 6 on July 20 1969. Mom sat me in front of the TV to watch. What a present! Guess it was destiny that I made it my lifes work.
 
Louie70Dart said:
Lucky man.
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Thanks! I am blessed to have a job that I have enjoyed going to work everyday, for the most part. Except for the pain of losing a crew and multiple layoffs, watching co-workers go through that, it has been an awesome ride.
 
moparmandan said:
Thanks! I am blessed to have a job that I have enjoyed going to work everyday, for the most part. Except for the pain of losing a crew and multiple layoffs, watching co-workers go through that, it has been an awesome ride.
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I worked on MMII when in Air Force. Nothing cooler than being at the bottom of the tube and looking up at first stage and seeing them 4 nozzles. Just working in there was cool. I was in a work cage, in the tube, removing RV and guidance section. Best time of my life. Oh well, time moves on, I'm old and reminisce about what was.
 
It is unreal that we want to the moon at a time when a cordless phone was the size of a brief case and we were somehow able to send video footage from the moon to a black and white tv in someone’s home.
 
My uncle worked at TRW and was a weights and measurements engineer. The found they were 3 grams light very late in the game so he and some guys slapped some gaffers tape on the bottom of the Voyager satellite and signed it. There's your 3 grams. Imagine, your signature leaving the solar system! He told us that story a long time ago and I remember it to this day.
 
doogievlg said:
It is unreal that we want to the moon at a time when a cordless phone was the size of a brief case and we were somehow able to send video footage from the moon to a black and white tv in someone’s home.
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In 1969, there was no such thing as a cordless phone. It was more than a dozen year later until they firstappeared. The best anyone had back then was a radio phone connected to a radio operator.
 
Ddaddy said:
In 1969, there was no such thing as a cordless phone. It was more than a dozen year later until they firstappeared. The best anyone had back then was a radio phone connected to a radio operator.
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Yup. Basically a two way radio modified to operate "full duplex" using tuned cavities (duplexer). I actually had a hybrid amateur radio, "2 meter" (VHF) transceiver on the SanDiego "WLV" repeater (still in operation!!) on Mt Otay, now as then!!

HOME


with an old GE "pre prog" tube receiver to hear the UHF downlink, so "in effect" it was "full duplex"

The 2 meter transceiver was the much hated GE "TPL" (transistorized progress line) nicknamed the "toilet paper line"

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The "pre prog" was named AFTER the tube type "Progress line" came out. It was huge, heavy, and all tubes, and used either vibrator or dynamotor for high voltage supply.
 
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