Author
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Topic: The women of the Apollo Program
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sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-12-2009 06:47 PM
It is a sad fact that the world knows nothing about we women who were the first in history to work as aerospace engineers on Apollo. The work we did was extraordinary.A few worked for NASA on the Cape and at Marshall. The rest of us worked for the contractors such as Boeing and Chrysler. You all seem to think that NASA and the astronauts did everything. Not so. I worked on the S-1C stage of the Saturn V and I know almost everything about my stage. Ask any astronaut, they do not know we exist. — Sara Howard |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 46846 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-12-2009 07:46 PM
Sara, let me be the first to welcome you to collectSPACE. I think you will find that most of our members and readers have a great respect for everyone who took part in the early space program (not to mention all who are still involved today).And while the astronauts may not be specifically aware of your role, many are the first to point out that their flights would have been impossible without the contributions of hundreds of thousands of people who remained on the ground. I hope that you might take the opportunity though, to share with us your experiences so that we can all get to know better the extraordinary work you and your colleagues accomplished. |
music_space Member Posts: 1186 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 03-12-2009 10:10 PM
Ditto to that! |
randy Member Posts: 2467 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 03-13-2009 02:57 AM
Welcome to collectSPACE, Sara. I think you'll enjoy this site very much. |
NavySpaceFan Member Posts: 663 From: Norfolk, VA Registered: May 2007
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posted 03-13-2009 08:59 AM
Welcome aboard!!!! Your memories of working on Apollo, and those of your contemporaries, would make a great book. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-13-2009 09:47 AM
Thank you all for your replies. It is so comforting to know that after 40 years of indifference you guys really care. There are two more gals in Tallahassee. Their lives have been extraordinary. I already have a blog. And, yes I have started a book. We have found less than 50 other women. This is our purpose: To get known nationwide - we all have been neglected and put off for too long and to find the rest of women engineers. I will be commenting on this site when I am able but I have a book out and publishers want authors to market their own books. My book is on Amazon and Abebooks and is "The Biggest Explosions in the Universe" written for young adults/teens. |
KSCartist Member Posts: 2998 From: Titusville, FL Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 03-13-2009 09:52 AM
Sara, let me join the chorus of those welcoming you to cS. Your comment that we think the astronauts did everything reflects your view that we do spend a lot of time discussing them. But that is only because we didn't know about your involvement. You will find that many of us will want to learn more about your role in the 20th century's greatest adventure. I hope you take great comfort in knowing that you and your associates played an important part. For that fact alone you have earned our admiration and respect. I look forward to learning more. |
BMckay Member Posts: 3647 From: MA, USA Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 03-13-2009 10:07 AM
Sara, welcome! You will find this site a wealth of information, encouragement, questions and support.There are still way to many stories to tell and we look forward to hearing yours. You have much to say and to inspire. Check this out: Women in Aerospace |
Delta7 Member Posts: 1667 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-13-2009 10:19 AM
Welcome, and thanks for your contribution, as well as that of your co-workers, for the phenomenal success of the Apollo program. You guys don't get the recognition you deserve, but rest assured your efforts are greatly appreciated! |
kr4mula Member Posts: 642 From: Cinci, OH Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 03-13-2009 11:32 AM
Ms. Howard, you have come to a place where your work and that of all the others who contributed to the space program, particularly in the early days, is greatly appreciated. I'm sure all of us would love to hear more about your specific work and look forward to your book.I think you're right in that the contributions of women to the engineering of the space program is understudied and not well documented, which is why it is up to people like you who lived that experience to share with the rest of us. I also believe your situation is exacerbated by the fact that you worked for a contractor. NASA kept many records about its own people's work, but very little about anyone who wore a contractor badge. Likewise, the astronauts would've dealt more directly and frequently with the civil servants at MSC and KSC than with their equally valuable contractor counterparts. All that said, NASA did start a program a few years ago to extend its oral histories specifically to include some of the key women in its history. You can find the transcripts here. There are also several of women who worked at the Manned Spacecraft Center that were interviewed over the regular course of the project. The complete list of interviews is here. |
GACspaceguy Member Posts: 2724 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-13-2009 01:12 PM
Sara, once again, welcome! It is always great to have a fellow engineer on the site. The space program, the work you, and your colleagues did, inspired me to be the engineer I am today, thank you. I saw this on the wall in the VP's office of a large aerospace firm and it has inspired me:“Pilots might have the Right Stuff, but Engineers have the Real Stuff” (With no disrespect to the pilot community) |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3361 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-13-2009 02:14 PM
Welcome, Sara: Apollo would, quite literally, never have got off the ground without the magnificent S-1C. I visited the Saturn V Center at KSC in June, 2007, and even though I have all the major dimensions of the Saturn V burned into my memory (in feet and pounds!) I was still blown away by my first close-up view on passing into the main building and standing under those amazing F1 engines. You helped build the 20th century equivalent of the Pyramids. |
Darron Member Posts: 22 From: Port Salerno, FL, USA Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-13-2009 03:14 PM
On the topic of Women in the Apollo Program, thought I would share this snip of some memoirs I wrote a few years ago: To the untrained observer, the Space Program was very much a man's world up through the early '70's. There were no female astronauts, very, very few female engineers and probably no female managers or technicians. However, there was a huge force of brilliant, dedicated and competent women who made the whole Program go - and of all the memoirs I've seen written by leaders from those times, I've never seen any who give the ladies the recognition, acknowledgment and gratitude they so strongly deserve. These were the secretaries and assistants, typists and bookkeepers, file clerks and accountants who quietly supported, scheduled, recorded and wrote the checks for every step of our path into space and to the moon. Without them, the Program would have come to a screeching halt in no time. Our little SPDF was too small to even have one secretary of our own, but there were RCA, GE and TRW offices upstairs and elsewhere that we could lean on for typing and other documentation; and they didn't hesitate to lean on any of our supervisors to remind them of meetings, appointments and deadlines. Since I was, more often than not, the message boy - I got to know "the Girls" well and learned to appreciate their mastery of all things involving time and money and paper... and gossip. Among the women piloting the desks of NASA and its contractors, there seemed to be no dividing line between corporation or government, labor or management. They just seemed to uncannily "know" things- often sooner and more accurately than their male supervisors, managers and directors. They knew the responsibilities of every department, company or individual. They knew the status of every contract. They knew when every meeting was scheduled, and knew WHEN to schedule meetings based on availability of key personnel. In short, they seemed to be telepathic. Many years later when I returned to the Cape as a contractor, I instinctively knew I could always count on the desk girls to get the straight scoop on anything. You could even ask a question about something going on miles away on the far side of the base - they would know. |
E2M Lem Man Member Posts: 846 From: Los Angeles CA. USA Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 03-13-2009 07:03 PM
Welcome Sara from the old NAA-Downey Apollo construction site!We know what you mean as it was like that out here - we have a few of the women retirees that still have a number of wonderful stories to tell us as they come in here upon discovering us. As I was too young during Apollo, I love to hear them as we have the women that washed and cleaned Apollo parts to a couple of the chaperones that led the astronauts around (I love those stories). Their photos always seem to have those large boufant(?) hairstyles - and much shorter dresses than today! Thanks for your contributions! |
dwmzmm Member Posts: 82 From: Katy, TX USA Registered: Dec 2006
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posted 03-13-2009 08:45 PM
Sara, I'd also like to add a welcome to collectSPACE! I'm looking forward to reading and learning any insights you may have on the Apollo Program. Me? Even though I didn't get myself into the aerospace industry (as I wanted to, but that's another story), I've "kept the dream alive" since 1969 by building and flying scale model rockets of the Apollo era. Most recently, I was one of the modelers who built the Saturn 1-B used as centerpieces for the Apollo 7/Saturn 1-B Celebration for Walt Cunningham and the Apollo 7 crew in Dallas last October. Please do keep posting, as I'm sure all of us are eager to read your stories. |
albatron Member Posts: 2804 From: Stuart, Florida Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 03-13-2009 10:33 PM
Welcome Sara. Good for you for speaking up, but let me share with you the astronauts to a man, know they never got anywhere without the support of those on the ground. Period. I think most of us here know that as well.There is another segment of society oft overlooked, and that is what you bring to the table. I would also recommend that you check into the Space Walk of Fame in Titusville, a group of retired spaceworkers (non astronauts) who have done a truly tremendous job of promoting those who SENT the astronauts into space. While they've not specifically lauded the women members, I can well see them doing so. Good luck! |
space1 Member Posts: 897 From: Danville, Ohio Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 03-14-2009 07:09 AM
Welcome Sara! While we all justifiably admire the achievements of the astronauts, I have always had a great admiration for the ingenuity and creativity of the designers and builders of the great machines that made the astronauts' journeys possible. That is partly what inspires my drive to collect spacecraft hardware and information about their designs. The craftsmanship and design of these gems always amazes me.Thank you for your contributions to this effort, and thank you for sharing your story. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-14-2009 11:47 AM
Hi guys! What wonderful messages! I am overwhelmed. I humbly thank you all. I have lived through 40 years of indifference and your posts mean so much to me. I have a lot to share with you all. First, I am in a 3rd Gen. Marine Corps family. My father-in-law who is 86 fought on Iwo Jima and in Korea. My husband was in Vietnam in 1966 when I was working on Apollo. Our son who is a Major is currently on active duty and is slated to retire next year. He is a Marine Corps Aviator and flew Hueys and the Beechcraft King Air also known as the C-12.He received an Air Medal for saving three lives in awful conditions. I LOVE MY MARINES! In the 60's I had my own plane — a Piper Commanche and I flew all over Louisiana and Texas. Girls weren't supposed to fly then, either. We all have served our country with the greatest honor. We have not sought recognition because the fact of what we all did is enough. Last May my husband and I went to the Cape to watch the launch of the Shuttle Discovery (which was awsome BTW). We are only 4 hours away. I had never seen a live launch. We would lose our jobs if we left work during Apollo. The Cape has a building called "the Apollo Exhibit". I walked in the door and there it was: my beautiful S1-C stage and the entire Saturn V. I was crying because I had not seen it in 40 years. My husband was embarassed because I was crying and I told him to "stick it". I think I am the only gal who loves rockets and aviation. Oh, I have so much to tell you — where all the bodies are buried. What NASA did and did not do. The secrets. Engineers working for the contractors could not talk to folks in different plants. I was on a great team but we weren't allowed to know anything except our own work. We were "The Peons in the Pits". I am going to tell you what I did. I worked in the Michoud Plant in New Orleans. Boeing assembled the S1-C stage. Chrysler (under North A. Aviation) assembled the 2nd stage (S-II-??). NASA must have given numbers to each stage for each mission. Our stage for Apollo 11 was the S1-C-6. Each stage was assembled and tested in record time. I think I worked on 12-14 stages in three years. I was amazed at the careful work done by the techs. Boeing had a big sign in the plant that said "xxx accident-free days". Boeing was on one part of he plant and Chrysler in the other. Our guys when they spotted a Chrysler engineer said, "na, naa our stage is bigger than your stage". Many cups of water were thrown back and forth. The bosses would say, "cut it out or put a lid on it" and other unmentionables. And you thought all was dignified. Ha! Ha! There was another gal named Sally and we were the only two women engineers in the entire plant. Our team was Systems Test Engineering. We took the pulse of the stage. Data came to us through ODOP transponders in the form of analog Pulse Code Modulation, Pulse Amplitude Modulation and Single Side Band. The F-1 Engines were gimbled by Trigometery. We were some of the best problem solvers of our stage. It had better be perfect-lives depended on our work. We had to ferret out the cause of engine fires (Aarrgghh), leaks in pressuration tanks (helium and hydrogen) and in many other aspects of our stages. This was serious business despite the kidding around. Our stages were test fired at the Mississippi Test Site (now Stennis). If you have seen a launch of the Saturn V, ignition is OUR stage and the flight up to 38 miles with the enormous exhaust flame is OUR stage. Our stage was the absolute crucial one — no matter what anyone says. Here are the stats: We generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust, in 2.5 minutes at 6,000 MPH we boosted the Saturn V 38 miles. There are at least 14 S1-C stages at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. One more thing, I have a DVD of 40-year old video of many aspects of Apollo. But they do not contain any film of NASA and the astronauts. I don't want any of you to think I don't like the astronauts — they are fine fellows BUT the 40-year old dog and pony show is tiresome. |
dwmzmm Member Posts: 82 From: Katy, TX USA Registered: Dec 2006
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posted 03-14-2009 04:56 PM
Great story, Sara (your last post)! Keep it coming! By the way, one of my best friends, a model rocketeer buddy, had a big hand in the restoration work of the Saturn V rockets at JSC and Huntsville several years ago. He knows the Saturn rockets inside and out. Even has about 15 minutes of fame on the History Channel program "Apollo: The Race Against Time" documentary. But that's a subject for another time. |
Mr Meek Member Posts: 353 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 03-14-2009 05:41 PM
Sara, absolutely wonderful stuff. Thank you for sharing a piece of your story, and I look forward to more. I grew up in Huntsville, and have always taken pride in MSFC and the Saturn V. The S-IC scared me a bit when I was a little 4 year old, but my jaw still never fails to drop when I visit SA-500-D at the Space & Rocket Center.Incidentally (and not at all to burst your bubble...I hope ), the S-IC on display at KSC was actually a test stage built at Marshall and not Michoud. However, the S-IC-D on display in Huntsville was the first stage Michoud produced. In fact, I'm using S-IC-D as the basis the 1/96 scale Saturn V model I'm working on. Welcome to cS, I hope you see fit to share some more stories about the work at the Michoud facility. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-15-2009 12:07 PM
quote: Originally posted by Darron: On the topic of Women in the Apollo Program, thought I would share this snip of some memoirs I wrote a few years ago
Thanks, Darron. Well said. Our secretary was great. She and I were great friends -- we went water skiing together every weekend. Believe me, I ALWAYS treated our secretaries and clerks very well with gifts of candy and a flower in every job I had. Guess whose work got done first? |
randy Member Posts: 2467 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 03-15-2009 12:27 PM
Sara, can't wait to hear more! |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-15-2009 01:04 PM
Everyone I ever met working on Apollo absolutely LOVED what we all were doing. After all, "we were going where no man had gone before." When Star Trek premiered in 1966, we all would rush home on Friday nights to watch the program. I bet William Shatner, Leonard Nemoy and the rest of the cast had not a clue as to how they became part of Apollo. I am going to tell you a secret: Just about everyone I met at Michoud felt the same. We DID NOT do this amazing project for our government, NASA, to beat the communists or for our companies. We did this because we loved our astronauts and we wanted them to be safe. You cannot imagine how we felt at every launch. Some of us cried. And then when Apollo 11 landed, we screamed, we cried and we jumped up. "Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed". Over a BILLION people worldwide heard those words. WE did it -- we made history. We changed the world. We were just a bunch of kids. I would love to get the above message to any astronaut. But it will never be. I do not know how to reach any of them. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-15-2009 04:22 PM
quote: Originally posted by albatron: I would also recommend that you check into the Space Walk of Fame in Titusville, a group of retired spaceworkers (non astronauts) who have done a truly tremendous job of promoting those who SENT the astronauts into space.
Al, I tried to contact Charlie Mars who supposedly keeps the "Space Walk of Fame".No go. I emailed. Nothing. I wrote. Nothing. Tried to find a phone #. No joy there, either. I gave up. |
MCroft04 Member Posts: 1738 From: Smithfield, Me, USA Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 03-15-2009 07:03 PM
quote: Originally posted by sara1861: I would love to get the above message to any astronaut. But it will never be. I do not know how to reach any of them.
Sara, there are astronauts (even Apollo ones) who read this forum. |
Darron Member Posts: 22 From: Port Salerno, FL, USA Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-15-2009 08:39 PM
While I had nothing to do with it - I was just a lowly wire-jockey for Skylab prototype stuff way back when - I'm sure I'm not the only guy who gets a little teary-eyed every time I visit that Saturn V at the Cape.I do believe there in all that hardware lies some of our finest moments as humans. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-16-2009 05:57 PM
quote: Originally posted by MCroft04: Sara, there are astronauts (even Apollo ones) who read this forum.
I have been told before that the astronauts read this or that. But it is strange that I never read or see or hear them. Maybe they hate me. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-16-2009 06:06 PM
quote: Originally posted by E2M Lem Man: Welcome Sara from the old NAA-Downey Apollo construction site!
Wow! Downey -- what an historic place! Downey made important parts for the Saturn V. Apollo had many critical sites in California-Seal Beach and I can't think of the rest. If I remember correctly many of these parts were shipped to Michoud.I have a friend in Pomona and he keeps me apprised of the news. Please tell me what you do. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-16-2009 06:24 PM
quote: Originally posted by Mr Meek: Incidentally (and not at all to burst your bubble...)
You have not burst my bubble. When I saw the Saturn V at the Cape, It never occurred to me where it had been built. I really didn't care. I knew some stages had been built at Huntsville. We were too busy at Michoud to give it a thought. I never saw jealously or petty bickering at Michoud. We were too busy having fun. To get paid for something you love is PLAY. Even today I just enjoy seeing a Saturn V. To me they are a true miracle and a marvel. I am grateful that we still have three to marvel over. I pray that our children and grandchildren can enjoy these magnificent rockets for many years to come.It is really wonderful that you are building models. I think Revell came out with a model of the Saturn V? |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-16-2009 06:46 PM
I need a favor. All of you are very good at finding out information. I had a discussion with another Apollo gal today.Here is what we know: There were two gals working on the S1-C stage for nearly 3 years from 1965-67. There were none working on the 2nd stage then. Were any gals working on the 3rd stage? The Command Module, the Lunar Lander or the rest of the Saturn V? All of the other women we can find were working in laboratories, doing research, writing and publishing papers, etc. I have a lot of their profiles. NASA lists them at Marshall and the Cape. If our suspicions are correct, we might have been the only gals who actually worked on a living stage. Thanks. |
MCroft04 Member Posts: 1738 From: Smithfield, Me, USA Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 03-17-2009 12:42 AM
quote: Originally posted by sara1861: I have been told before that the astronauts read this or that. But it is strange that I never read or see or hear them. Maybe they hate me.
I believe most of them are closet cSer's. Just imagine how inundated they would be with questions if they exposed their identity. I can promise you that they don't hate you. In November 2009 there is a charity event scheduled at KSC sponsored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, with a plethora of shuttle, Skylab, Apollo, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts attending. Why don't you attend and see what great people they are! It would be fun to listen to you and them talking about the good old days! |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-17-2009 09:58 AM
Oh, I agree that they keep their identities secret. Neil Armstrong hid somewhere for many years. I have talked to Rusty S. of Apollo 9. He is trying to inform everyone of a very dangerous NEO asteroid named Apophis. He has spoken to the U.N. several times. There is a shuttle astronaut living here. He works with kids at our IMAX center. What disgusts me today is that kids love the idiots like Hanna Montana and all the other idiots who drive drunk in their Rolls Royces and Bentleys. Sorry, I am so concerned that less than 5% of college students graduate in math or science. Back to the astronauts. That gathering in November sounds great. I still am skeptical. But the good news is that I have been interviewed by two television stations which will air soon. I have been ignored for 40 years. What will change now? |
blue_eyes Member Posts: 165 From: North Carolina, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 03-17-2009 11:43 AM
quote: Originally posted by sara1861: I think I am the only gal who loves rockets and aviation.
Think again! I've always been a total sucker for Saturn Vs and Stearmans, and everything in between! And years ago, I built (and flew) hang gliders daily. Welcome to the forum. |
sts205cdr Member Posts: 701 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Jun 2001
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posted 03-17-2009 12:56 PM
quote: Originally posted by sara1861: Neil Armstrong hid somewhere for many years...
Hi Sara, and welcome to collectSPACE!Just a small point, but this is a common misconception. Neil Armstrong didn't go into hiding after Apollo. He went into teaching. He taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-17-2009 04:24 PM
quote: Originally posted by Darron: I'm sure I'm not the only guy who gets a little teary-eyed every time I visit that Saturn V at the Cape.
Amen, brother, amen! I will love the Saturn V until I die. I will probably cry every time I see one. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-17-2009 04:48 PM
quote: Originally posted by blue_eyes: I've always been a total sucker for Saturn Vs and Stearmans, and everything in between!
Hi, Anne! Hooray! Another gal who loves rockets and aviation! How wonderful. I tell you, we are a rare breed. I tell folks what I did working on Apollo and flying my Commanche and I get these looks like they are ready to put me in the booby hatch.Please let me know what you did more. It sounds so interesting. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-21-2009 12:43 PM
I love to talk and present my video to anyone who is interested. I went to the U.S. Naval Academy last November and they loved it. They whistled, stomped, stood up and clapped. The Mids did not know of the Navy's history on Apollo. They did not know the six astronauts who graduated from the academy including Jim Lovell. They were really excited. These Mids were from the Aerospace Engineering classes. The professors invited me back.I now live in Tallahassee, Fl. The local paper wrote a wonderful article about me. I have been featured on two television stations. No one cares. This is the weirdest town we have ever lived in. I have offered my presentation FREE to anyone including the school board. Nope. Nothing. Nada. Yet folks in Louisiana and Texas really want me to come and talk to them. People rather see a football game than a Shuttle Launch. I wish we could move but we are caught in the financial debacle. |
ejectr Member Posts: 1851 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 03-21-2009 01:43 PM
There are many, many people in the world today that had interesting contributory lives of one kind or another and their story to tell that will never get told and they are at peace with themselves. The fact that it seems nobody is interested and nobody cares can only be scratched off to human nature. Some people have different interests than others. Some have no interests at all other than living day to day. That's just the way it is. There's no sense in driving yourself to the point of aggravation trying to figure it out or changing the way people are.Be happy with the fact that your efforts contributed to one of earth's greatest adventures and those that love you and know you the best hold that in high regard, but love you for totally different reasons. You have to be at peace with yourself that if you had not been a child of the earth at the time you were, one of man's greatest adventures may not have happened. That in itself should be fulfilling. With knowing that, who needs the recognition. |
sara1861 Member Posts: 55 From: Tallahassee, FL. United States Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-21-2009 03:01 PM
I agree with almost everything you have written. I am at peace with myself. When I said nobody cares, I meant the schools, universities and general population in this city doesn't care. I don't necessarily want recognition. I am a peon and a nobody. I just want to get the message out to the American people what they don't know about Apollo. I don't expect everyone to be interested. But here is the thing: our children and grandchildren don't seem very interested in math or science. China already owns a lot of this country. India is sending folks over and we are outsourcing American jobs overseas.My husband and I and our children have lived all over this country -- from Louisiana to Virginia and other places. We have seen many things and met many wonderful people. This town is the weirdest place we've ever lived in. Here is why I am irritated: I volunteered to speak and show my video to the schools here for FREE. The head guy of the math and science programs met with me over a month ago. I have been approached by other organizations. Then -- nothing. RUDE. That is the way it is here. I have life-long friends all over the U.S. from California to Maryland and Ohio and many places in between. I would love to leave this rude place and someday we will. Even our neighbors are rude and cold. It is not just us -- I have met many folks who feel the same way. I cannot change anyone -- only myself. But I can avoid the rude idiots. In every neighborhood we have lived in the neighbors get to know each other and bring welcoming gifts. This place might as well be in "Lost" which it was. I was talking to a Rotary club one day and it was a disaster. I thought it was funny. None of their equipment worked (Laptop), DVD, screen and whatall. The members were almost sound asleep (they were in their 80s). I should have said, "Once upon a time we built a BIG rocket. We put men into it and blasted them to the moon. When they got there, they got out of the spaceship and played a few rounds of golf. Then they got back in the spaceship and landed in the Pacific Ocean. The End". |
ejectr Member Posts: 1851 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 03-21-2009 05:48 PM
Once again, you're going to find the number of people interested in the Apollo program dwindling as the years go by. The mass majority of the children today have their own set of heroes and they're not commanding, piloting or riding space shuttles. As far as educators go, most of them that are teaching the children today don't remember much to anything about that period in our history and it doesn't interest them. If some students should be fortunate enough to run into the few that do know and care, they are quite lucky. My wife is an American Literature teacher in high school. I am a Vietnam Vet. She was born in 1961, remembers little to nothing about the moon landing in 1969 and doesn't care to, even though space travel, manned or unmanned is one of my passions. Having been there, I ask her why she teaches "Johnny Has a Gun" about Vietnam when she could be teaching about one of the earth's greatest adventures. Her answer, we already have the books to use and lesson plans set for "Johnny Has a Gun". I just shake my head in amazement that anyone would want to know about and glorify war, but disregard maybe the biggest peaceful undertaking of our time. I understand it was done for cold war supremacy, but the comparison between cold war and real war is too far off the scale to even use the same word "war". The term "Cold War" smacks in the face of every actual war any earthly person ever gave their life, shed blood or spent a part of their life for. I don't know if you know of the rock band Ten Years After. They wrote a song that suits this constant debated topic of why people don't know more and don't seem to want to know more or care about space travel. The song "I'd Love to Change the World" goes... "I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do, so I'm leaving it up to you". That seems to be the mantra of today even though the song came out in the 60's right around the time of the Apollo voyages. |