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  Armstrong, Cernan, Schmitt tour Altair

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Author Topic:   Armstrong, Cernan, Schmitt tour Altair
thump
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Posts: 578
From: washington dc usa
Registered: May 2004

posted 12-10-2008 01:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for thump   Click Here to Email thump     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Neil, Gene, and Jack... NASA Image of the Day:

Observing the Future of Spaceflight

Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong and Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan toured one of the Altair mock-ups at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Dec. 9, 2008. The Altair lunar lander will take human beings to the surface of the moon for the first time since Apollo and is part of NASA's Constellation Program. Armstrong and Cernan are looking at the concepts for the living quarters inside Altair. In the background are Wayne Ottinger, who worked on the Apollo lunar lander training vehicle, and Jack Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot.

The three veteran astronauts visited Johnson and talked with the Altair lunar lander team about design concepts.

Apollo Redux
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Posts: 346
From: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Registered: Sep 2006

posted 12-10-2008 10:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Apollo Redux   Click Here to Email Apollo Redux     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That is an awesome picture.

The first man, and the last man (Schmitt, because he came out after Cernan or Cernan because he followed Schmitt up) LOL the debate continues...

Thanks for posting it. It's a gem.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50516
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-16-2008 09:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Additional photos from the tour, courtesy a reader:

(Yes, that's Apollo 16 commander John Young.)

Blackarrow
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Posts: 3604
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 12-16-2008 04:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Together in one room: three of only four men alive today who can tell you what it's like to land a spacecraft on another world.

ringo67
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Posts: 196
From: Seekonk, Mass., USA
Registered: May 2003

posted 12-16-2008 07:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ringo67   Click Here to Email ringo67     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What I wouldn't give to have been in that room with a pen and a piece of paper.

Or if I could just shake their hands.

Sigh.

skye12
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Posts: 49
From: Austin, TX, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-17-2008 11:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for skye12   Click Here to Email skye12     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Three of only four men alive today?...

Last pic shows Young, so thats four, but Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell and Scott are still alive. So that's four of the eight men still alive.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50516
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-17-2008 11:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think Geoffrey (Blackarrow) was referring to Apollo commanders, as their hands were at the controls for the landings, although you are correct, the LM pilots are certainly capable of relaying the same experience. (And by the way, you forgot Charlie Duke.)

skye12
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Posts: 49
From: Austin, TX, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-17-2008 11:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for skye12   Click Here to Email skye12     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, my apologies to General Duke.

kr4mula
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Posts: 642
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 12-17-2008 11:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kr4mula   Click Here to Email kr4mula     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Any word on comments these esteemed gentlemen made? Young in particular had strong opinions about the shortcomings of the first LM designs.

Cheers,

Kevin

Dave Clow
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Posts: 236
From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-17-2008 01:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave Clow   Click Here to Email Dave Clow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
These photos remind me how luck we are to be around to see this.

Delta7
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Posts: 1733
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007

posted 12-17-2008 03:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Delta7   Click Here to Email Delta7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kr4mula:
Young in particular had strong opinions about the shortcomings of the first LM designs.
A memo is forthcoming, I'm sure!

Blackarrow
Member

Posts: 3604
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 12-17-2008 05:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by skye12:
Three of only four men alive today?
Absolutely no disrespect to the lunar module pilots but it was the commanders who actually landed the vehicles and there are only four of them left.

divemaster
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Posts: 1376
From: ridgefield, ct
Registered: May 2002

posted 12-17-2008 10:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for divemaster   Click Here to Email divemaster     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
John Young appears to be analyzing which direction the door opens.

Delta7
Member

Posts: 1733
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007

posted 12-18-2008 09:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Delta7   Click Here to Email Delta7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"Hey Neil, unless they put some landing gear on that thing, that's gonna be an even smaller step than the one you made!"

ejectr
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Posts: 1961
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 12-18-2008 12:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
They're darn lucky to have these experienced moon landers opinions after waiting for 36 years to make up their minds.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50516
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-19-2008 11:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by kr4mula:
Any word on comments these esteemed gentlemen made?
I'm working on getting more details for (hopefully) an article sometime in January, but according to NASA public affairs, "they spent a lot of time talking about how much bigger and taller Altair will be as compared to Apollo, and how that will affect the piloting and landing of the spacecraft on the moon. They also spoke about that various landing sites we will be targeting."

kr4mula
Member

Posts: 642
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 12-19-2008 01:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kr4mula   Click Here to Email kr4mula     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks, Robert. I'm looking forward to it. Perhaps someone will repeat the semi-famous quote about a direct ascent landing: "Like backing an Atlas down onto the pad."

Sort of related: back in the '90s, the Crew Systems people talked formally with the Apollo moonwalkers about their experiences actually walking on the moon, with an eye for how to design future lunar suits. The report is publicly available as I recall. An interesting read, but perhaps not quite as riveting as one might hope.

Cheers,

Kevin

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50516
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-19-2008 03:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"This Week @ NASA" includes a short clip of the Apollo astronauts during their Altair tour (fast forward to 1:10).

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