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Author
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Topic: 4/26: APS panel: Armstrong, Pettit (PA)
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Richard Easton Member Posts: 175 From: Winnetka, IL USA Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 03-08-2008 10:03 PM
Neil Armstrong will be moderating a panel at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia at 9:15 am on Saturday, April 26.NOTE - this meeting is already full. Details about watching it live or afterwards are given at the bottom of this post. Space: The Evolving FrontierNeil A. Armstrong Moderator Chairman Emeritus, EDO Corporation David J . Desmarais Space Scientist and Astrobiologist NASA/Ames Research Center Exploring Mars for Evidence of Habitable Environments and Life Donald R. Pettit NASA Astronaut, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Science of Opportunity on the International Space Station Jonathan Lunine Professor of Planetary Science and Physics University of Arizona Titan: A Once and Future Earth Geoffrey W. Marcy Professor of Astronomy, University of California at Berkeley New Worlds, Yellowstone, and Life in the Universe NOTE - this meeting is over subscribed. Interested people can watch the discussion live at the APS website and it will be archived so you can watch it later. |
Andy McCulley Member Posts: 245 From: Lansdale, PA Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 05-05-2008 01:53 PM
I was a young boy when Alan Shepard made his flight and I literally grew up with the space race. It wasn’t until I was much older that I really understood the impact those days had on me. It was by happenstance that I got into collecting the autographs of those early pioneers of American space flight and associated historic artifacts.As my interest grew, I would imagine the possibilities: a complete set of autographs of every flown Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, ASTP and Skylab astronaut; a set of artifacts from each flown, Apollo mission signed by at least one member of the crew; artifacts that were taken to the lunar surface and signed by the men that took them there; moondust. I learned that you could actually meet, talk to and have dinner with these men. I have done it and believe me, if the opportunity presents itself for you to spend any time with these men, by all means, do whatever it takes to take advantage of the opportunity. For they are not only honest to goodness historic figures, they are a real delight to talk to, and they won’t be around forever. Imagine meeting Neil Armstrong. Try as I might, I just couldn’t see it happening. But this is where it all comes together with imagination, patience and perseverance – things the early space program had taught me. As a result of a single post on collectSPACE back in March, I had the unique opportunity to attend the American Philosophical Society’s symposium on April 26, 2008. Neil Armstrong was the moderator for the event. And to give you an idea of the type of gathering this was, my hostess told me that there were no less then 15 Nobel Laureates in attendance. When I first read the above post, as one might expect, the ONLY reason for ME to go to this symposium was to meet Neil Armstrong. And meet him I did. It was a wonderful experience. To those that have reported disappointing encounters with Mr. Armstrong, I can only feel for you. I found Mr. Armstrong a genuinely warm and friendly person and very entertaining as the moderator. He didn’t shy away from people and yes, he did smile and politely decline several requests to sign copies of First Man. But as personable and pleasant as anyone I’ve ever met. Add to the pleasure of shaking hands with Neil Armstrong, there was the symposium. There were the four speakers memtioned in the above post. If you have the opportunity to hear any of these gentlemen lecture, by all means, do so. They were all terrific; interesting, informative and entertaining. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Don Pettit. The APS web casts and then archives their meetings. "Space" should be available shortly at www.apsmeetings.org. |
gliderpilotuk Member Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-06-2008 05:34 AM
Thanks for the report Andy. I can empathise with the excitement you felt, having had the chance to meet Neil in Dublin 3 or 4 years ago, when he was giving one of the few public interviews about his life for the Irish broadcast network.Paul |
garymilgrom Member Posts: 1966 From: Atlanta, GA Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 05-06-2008 06:50 AM
Neil has been a great ambassador for Apollo and the space program. |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-06-2008 06:14 PM
Andy, I want to echo Paul's comments. We both had the privilege, in 2003, of chatting to Neil Armstrong about gliding, and your description of a warm and friendly individual is exactly what we found. I think your picture says it all: he looks like he was having a good evening (although you look slightly overwhelmed! Understandable, perhaps.) A good report. Thanks for sharing it with us. |
Andy McCulley Member Posts: 245 From: Lansdale, PA Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 05-06-2008 07:35 PM
I love sharing the report.Through the various shows my daughter and I have attended, I've met quite a few of the early pioneers. They are all terrfic gentlemen.Any of the men I have met could be a great ambassador. And when I first met them I was tongue tied. But there was just something about meeting Neil Armstrong that was different. |
Richard Easton Member Posts: 175 From: Winnetka, IL USA Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 05-13-2008 08:11 PM
Andy,I'm glad that you were able to attend the panel and had a good time. I've been extremely impressed with the folks I've met who worked on TIMATION. |
Andy McCulley Member Posts: 245 From: Lansdale, PA Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 05-14-2008 07:19 AM
Richard;First, I can't tell you how glad I am that you made the post when you did. Otherwise, this terrific opportunity would have slipped by unnoticed. It really was something and I absolutely enjoyed the event. If you don't mind my asking are you: - Rodger Easton's son?
- And, are you the actor?
Thanks again. |
Richard Easton Member Posts: 175 From: Winnetka, IL USA Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 05-16-2008 08:01 PM
Hi Andy, yes, I am Roger Easton's son. No, I am not an actor. |
Andy McCulley Member Posts: 245 From: Lansdale, PA Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 08-20-2008 10:58 AM
The webcast of the American Philosophical Society's panel discussion "Space: The Evolving Frontier" moderated by Neil Armstrong is available here.The video is not too spectacular, but the audio portion is okay. | |
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