❤️BIBLE VERSES OF THE DAY❤️ JOEL 2:12-13 NIV 12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
I remember, as Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, Grandad feeling the tension in the room shouted, "Look out! It's gonna get him! Everyone jumped. People might not admit it now, but in the back of their minds, they thought it possible, that a Moon monster would jump out from behind a rock and devour Neil Armstrong. It was a true Worldwide exciting event. There hasn't been anything to match it since, as far as Worldwide excitement.
Isaiah 42:5 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
What was it like to be alive and witness this? I can tell you what it was like to be a 6 year old watching it. I was sitting cross-legged on a hardwood floor about 6 feet from the TV screen. My eyes glued to the screen. It was amazing. I even had a cardboard model of the lunar module with me. It was the biggest collective event in human history. I bet the earth trembled from the global cheers. But the strongest recollection was my disappointment that they did not carry 'Ray Guns.' That there were no aliens to fight. I was also glued to the screen during the Apollo 13 mission. That was legit drama. We were scared for them and feeling helpless. The relief we felt was universal when they were pulled from the capsule.
That's how I remember it! It was an amazing time. One day we are wrapped up in the cold war, the Vietnam War, political upheaval, the year before was the Manson murders. As an 8 year old fairly protected from the day to day news we could still feel the constant negativity. The tension was thick to say the least. Then Apollo 13 happened. It was almost as if it happened to remind the US and the world we are more alike than different. For a few days the world was graced and unified by good will for our fellow man. Honestly I remember it felt good however fleeting.
I was for Apollo 11; parents kept me up late to watch. Concerning Apollo 13, I recall neighbors got a new puppy (cocker spaniel) during the mission; named it Apollo.
Well-said, sir! I was 5 at the time and had an identical experience. The only thing I'd add is that later in life I learned more details. It turns out that the accident was even _worse_ than what Ron Howard chose to portray.
I was 10 years old for Apollo 11. Armstrong's first steps were broadcast about 10:30p local time, and I could barely stay awake, despite the excitement. I was used to going to bed at 9:00p.
@@SYLTales One thing I learned about the movie vs reality was the conflict between the astronauts when they got into the heated argument. That scene never rang true to me and indeed it never happened. The reality was A) They were consummate professionals B) Too busy C) Too laser focused. Men who were test pilots and astronauts don't go all vaporish due to stress. It was added for drama.
This film is one of my favorites, but it gives an unfair picture of astronaut Jack Swigert to create drama. Swigert was NOT a rookie. Instead, he was an expert on the Command Module. He wrote the whole instruction for the damn thing. There were no big scenes involved with changing crew members. They were all perfectly professional to take place in any group.
not to mention the way they made everyone not seem to respect him. in reality, he was highly respected and both lovell and haise had every confidence in him
I think the portrayal of Jack in the movie is good, but not necessarily in this commentary. The issues in the movie stemed from the fact that he wasn't in a simulator for a while, wasn't "go-minded", and wasn't integrated into the crew. Never with his actual skills. But the commentaty exaggarated this issues significantly.
The astronauts fighting, blaming, arguing in the LEM did NOT happen. That scene is pure Hollywood. Professional, calm, and clear thinking is what those folks were all about. "Big-uns!"
Apollo 11 landed on the moon on my 12th birthday, and I watched Neil and Buzz walking on the moon on a 12" black-and-white Zenith TV set. At one point, I walked to the back door and gazed at the waxing gibbous moon in the sky in awe. Words can't adequately describe what it was like to watch the moon shots as they happened back then.
galandir of rivendell I was 14. I believe some of the television footage came courtesy of the Parkes radio telescope, here in country New South Wales, Australia. There was later an amusing movie about it's involvement called "The Dish". I was still in high school during the Apollo 13 mission.
What happened was, after the fire on Apollo 1, they took a long look at everything on the spacecraft from a safety and reliability viewpoint and basically redesigned the whole thing. In the process some voltage systems got changed to a higher voltage but some components got missed and were still designed to operate at lower voltages. When the heaters were engaged on the oxygen tanks the switches were welded shut by the higher voltages. This led to higher temperatures which damaged insulation on wires inside the tanks, which ignited and it caused the tanks to explode.
NASA deliberately killed Gus Grissom and his mates. Gus complained a lot about the malfunctioning equipment and the lack of response by NASA. He hung a lemon outside the cabin to symbolize mess.
@@lesnyk255 Do not dismiss that which you don't know. Gus was considered a trouble-maker by NASA. He always pointed out the inadequacies of the spacecraft.machinery. He hung a lemon out to to demonstrate his disdain of the operation. He told his wife the morning of that fateful day "If anything happens to me, it won't be an accident." Gus complained about communications "How are we going to communicate from the moon, when we can't comminicate between buildings?" His widow and son do not believe those deaths were accidental.
@@timcarr6401First off, please let me apologize for the bluntness of my 1st reply - I was out of line. I was in a rush to log off to tend other matters, and didn't want to take the time for a proper response. That was rude. HOWEVER:.I'm well aware that Grissom was considered a bit prickly, and did those things you've mentioned - and probably more. But NASA had no reason to do what you suggest - they didn't build the spacecraft, and were as unhappy with it as Grissom - just not as blunt in their assessment and as skittish as middle managers everywhere about their tenuous positions on the managerial ladder. The fire was the result of incompetence, not malice. Grissom was highly regarded enough to be the first astronaut to be assigned to 3 missions, even though there was a larger pool to draw from. And he certainly wasn't the first astronaut to piss off management. Schirra's role in the Apollo 7 "mutiny"... Eisle violating the Boy Scout image NASA was pushing by having an extramarital affair... Gordon Cooper, loose cannon extraordinaire, spouting off about UFOs. Sure, they took Cooper out of the rotation when he was in line to command Apollo 13, but they didn't have him killed - unless they deliberately put that defective thermostat into the fuel cell to take him out, and forgot to replace it after bumping him.
Gene Krantz and Jim Lovell were consultants on the movie. In fact the Navy Captain that greets Hanks after the recovery is Lovell himself. They had a couple of issues with the movie. There was no yelling or arguing between the astronauts or mission control. Also the back up crews got the same training as the main crew so Swigert replacing Ken wasn't a problem. Director Ron Howard explained that he needed to add them into the movie to create drama and tension. They both reluctantly agreed. EDIT People were distracted from the Apollo missions due to the Vietnam War still going on. It had become very unpopular at this point and the US was starting to withdraw troops.
As another side note: Mrs. Lovell is also in the film. During the launch we see an older woman behind "Marilyn Lovell" in the grand stands. That older woman is the real Marilyn Lovell.
Love they showed Ken driving a Corvette! Very authentic!! When I was a kid, if u started driving near NASA, u knew who was an engineer astronaut, controller etc., Cuz all those guys drove Vettes!
I was in 4th grade during Apollo 13. We had favorite astronauts like we had favorite ball players. My favorite astronaut was 1 of those who died in the Apollo 1 fire. Back then cable TV really did not exist, there were just the 3 networks & PBS. TV Coverage of Gemini & Apollo was continuous on all networks through Apollo 11. Coverage ofApolllo 13, being the 3rd moonshot in 9 months, was cut back to Launch, Moon Landing, Splashdown basically, until the accident. I went to Catholic school, and after the accident we had our daily mass dedicated to them until splashdown. I was in my 30's when I saw this in the theater. I was shocked how emotional I got. It brought everything back from what I felt in grade school.
What was it like to experience the moon landing as a young child. I watched it with my grandma who was born in 1890. She looked at me and said, "it's all lies son. Don't believe a bit of it." Being a respectful kid I didn't say a word, just nodded. But I knew she was wrong.🤫 I found the moon landing to be very motivating.
It's amazing how some live through such progression of technology to deny it going further. You did a good thing not saying anything. Not worth hurting her feelings.
I was born in 1973. So I was still swimming around in my pop's groin. But I do remember having a Saturn V rocket playset that was my favorite toy, and my winter jacket was a silver NASA faux space suit jacket that I insisted wearing, even during NYC summers. I was obsessed with the space programs, Mercury/Gemini/Apollo, the pre ISS space station mission and the Shuttle missions.
I was 8 years old. The thing is this event took days....The tension did not abate in a 2 hour movie! it was on TV alot as I recall and seemed like as soon as one imminent issue was resolved another was looming - I seem to remember the people from all over the world reported to be praying as was my family. It was a huge time for celebration when we all got the reports that they made it back alive! Apollo was a huge program in 1969, 1970 and into middish 70's. Astronauts would visit the schools. Tang orange flavored powder and also dehydrated ice cream were all the rage for kids in grade school. Tang was used by early NASA crewed space flights. Apollo 17 had our very own New Mexican astronaut, Harrison Schmitt. He visited us in the assembly room our grade school after his famous drive around the moon on the lunar rover - he was the only scientist that walked on the moon - what an experience. Lots of the same questions as you heard here - how do you go to the bathroom in space lol.
I remember watching this unfold as a kid. It was like the entire planet was watching. My fourth grade teacher led us in a prayer for the astronauts. Only as I grew older did I realize the magnitude of what they were up against.
You should watch the "History Buffs" YT channel's video on the historical accuracy of the movie. The main take away was there was no yelling or drama between the crew. These men were trained combat pilots if they weren't cool and calm in difficult situations they would have never been chosen. NASA still has the entire flight voice recordings of the mission. They are available to the public. The astronauts sound almost bored.
My family was blessed to have travelled with Dad(USAF Major Wallace Zimmerman, now of beloved memory) for many of his posts. During Neil Armstrong's first steps, living on a US military base in Turkey, we listened to his words on Armed Forces Radio.
Aside from the tragic testing accident of Apollo 1. Every man that flew in the Apollo program returned safely to earth. Apollo 13 captured the worlds attention and was considered NASA's finest hour
I was in grade school when the US space program began. Whenever they had a launch (first American in space, first one in orbit, etc.) they would set up a television in the school gym and send all the kids down to watch. When Armstrong stepped on the moon my whole family was watching on TV (black and white) at probably around 11 at night. The world wide audience for that was probably the largest in history. I think I still have the newspaper from the next day packed in a box somewhere. For many years I had a poster with a famous photo of an astronaut standing on the moon with the earth in the background hanging on my bedroom wall. But, yes, after the first two moon landings (Apollo 11 and 12) the general public wasn't that interested any more. They had watched the space program grow from scratch for 10 years with the goal of landing on the moon. Once we did it, many people said, "OK we're done." After I got a PhD in electrical engineering, I had an uncle who was an engineer at NASA Houston who got me the paperwork to apply to be a Shuttle payload specialist. They were planning to ramp up to 40 flights/year. I was still filling it out when the shuttle blew up. The program shut down for 2 years and I don't think they ever did more than about 6 flights per year after that. It never scaled up and they no longer needed many new recruits. A few years later I had a job interview with a company that made some of the rockets. I offered to work for free if they could get me on the shuttle. The guy interviewing me said he would too, but that's not how it worked.
I remember watching the Apollo 11 moon landing. My parents were in their 20s. I was 6 and sat on the floor right in front of the TV. We lived in a trailer park in Casa Grande, Az. What I don't remember was hearing anyone speak. I think we all just watched in stunned silence. I thought it was the coolest thing ever (and of course it was). From that moment I was hooked on space and all things NASA. I watched every Apollo mission till that program ended in 1972. Funny to think back on that day in 1969. My parents were both practically kids themselves. Today I'm 60 & my parents are both passed on. Whenever I see that old black & white footage of Neil Armstrong coming down the ladder I'm thrown back to that night. I can still see it all so clearly.
I remember, as Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, Grandad feeling the tension in the room shouted, "Look out! It's gonna get him! Everyone jumped. People might not admit it now, but in the back of their minds, they thought it possible, that a Moon monster would jump out from behind a rock and devour Neil Armstrong. It was a true Worldwide exciting event. There hasn't been anything to match it since, as far as Worldwide excitement.
That is why they have a back up crew, in case something happens to one of the Prime crew. Swigert was given an error to deal with, that Ken Mattingly also failed on first time during simulation. Swigert had done it many times in simulations.
I was born in 1950 and grew up with the science fiction of the day, which made believe space flight was just like taking a motor boat and pointing it straight up. Or a rocket ship interior would be a large round room with a few dials and gauges on one wall And some scientists said manned space flight would never happen, as it would take a rocket the size of the Statue of Liberty (which it does). In 1961 or so, John Kennedy announced we would go to the moon before the end of the decade. The schedule was laid out in a time line and I was so impatient and thought we would never reach 1969, it was too far in the future. But while the actual landing was pretty impressive, it was just one more gradual step.
You & I are the same age! I remember Al Shepard's Mercury flight, back in 5th grade - I asked if I could sit in the teachers' lounge and listen to the flight on the radio with the rest of them, which I did. I didn't understand a word of what was happening, just that someone was actually riding a rocket into outer space. Then along came the Gemini flights, getting me interested in orbital mechanics - declared physics as my college major. Now I can't get enough of Space X rocket landings - right out of the Rocky Jones serials of the 1940s!
I was 14 in 1970. The whole world was watching and praying and praying at the same time our men in Vietnam were fighting and dying. even Russia offered any help they could give. Rin Howard was the director, probably his finest movie. His younger brother Clint played the bald guy with the black glasses on one of the control boards. His mom played the old grandma! And the REAL Jim Lovell appeared as one of the welcoming rescue team or something at the end. Ed Harris played the ground commander and his line "Failure is not an option" still sends chills up and down my spine. He should have gotten an Oscar for supporting actor for that performance. I often use that line for myself and family in situations and when I was a school band director..."Learn you part at home and in rehearsal...failure is not an option when you are performing in public, you don't want the other bands laughing at you...make them envy you!" Yes our marching band we did a space show that included the theme for Apollo 13.
I was 10 years old in 1970. The Apollo moon landing missions were an incredibly exciting and inspiring time. Between July 1969 and December 1972, we would watch astronauts walking on the moon and following the missions. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, people all over the world got to share and enjoy an experience that was unique and uniting. Before that we watched science fiction movies about moon landings, but it was no longer science fiction. I remember going outside and looking at the moon knowing there were people up there. Once or twice, I got up on a Saturday morning to watch cartoons, but the programming was preempted with live in color coverage of astronauts walking and working on the moon. There were six moon landings and each one was a thrill to watch.
This is basically my favorite movie of all time. Critics gave it movie some shade for the scene where Marilyn loses her ring down the shower drain as being _too_ Hollywood dramatic... except it totally happened (though she did get it back). Other than cranking up some of the drama, this is one of the most historically accurate "based on a true story" movies ever made. Kathleen Quinlan actually sat down with the real Marilyn Lovell to understand how she was feeling during the mission, and several of her lines (like "When you were on the far side on 8, I just vacuumed over and over." ) are direct quotes from her. Some other fun facts: - They actually filmed a bunch of scenes on the "Vomit Comet", a plane that makes parabolic arcs to simulate zero gravity, in order to film the scenes where they are floating. - The loss of oxygen was actually more of a problem of power loss than breathing. The majority of O2 was used to react with hydrogen in a fuel cell to provide power to the command/service module. Without power there was no way to control their re-entry. By re-entry they only had the partially depleted batteries in the command module and that's why Ken was working so hard to figure out the right sequence to power everything up. - Sy, the flight controller with the big glasses who recommends closing the "react valves" is Clint Howard, Ron Howard's (the director) younger brother. - Not really related to the movie, but astronauts actually have to do a training program on how to use the toilet on the International Space Station. No easy way to put this, but it involves a simulated toilet seat and a camera to ensure...ehem... "proper alignment." The challenges of spaceflight... - 4:53 The movie plays this up a bit too much. *ALL* of the astronauts were fully qualified and they all knew and worked together (they kind of did Jack dirty for drama). The astronauts for the Mercury, Gemini, and eventually Apollo program were drafted as a group and who got to fly what mission was essentially random. There was really nothing special about Niel Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin getting to be the first to land on the moon other than they won the selection lottery. Having a backup crew was standard procedure and everyone was expected to train as if they were going to be on that mission. This is the entire reason Jim was on Apollo 13 (he was originally backup). - The reason they say "We have cleared the tower" is because that's the moment control of the spacecraft transfers from launch control in Cape Canaveral to mission control in Houston.
I think Clint even acted in The Andy Griffith Show a few times. Ron Howard's mother and dad were in the film too. His mom played elderly Mrs. Lovell and his dad was the pastor waiting for the splashdown in the Lovell's living room. Yeah, they kind of did Jack dirty for drama and Lovell didn't like it. At least Jack didn't live to see this movie. To get the real story, read Jim Lovell's book "Lost Moon"
One of the few Johnny Carson episodes from New York is his interview with the Apollo 13 crew. It is viewable on the Carson UA-cam channel. Also the radio calls at the time are not nearly as exciting as in the film. I think Lovell describes them as reading from the telephone book
- The accident was traced to 2 issues. The insulation on the oxygen tank's heater wires had been cracked due to an overvoltage between the spacecraft's power and power from the ground. They had to use ground power because a valve used to empty the oxygen tank after tests had been sticking, and they decided to use the heater to "boil off" the tank to empty it. They left it on too long. The next time the exposed wires were turned on during flight, they arced. - That Navy Captain shaking Tom Hanks' hand on the deck after the flight (in the white uniform) is none other than Jim Lovell (CAPT, USN retired) himself. Glad you enjoyed this one.
I highly recommend the HBO series From The Earth To The Moon. It is a 12-part series and chronicles the early years of the space program, from the selection of the first astronauts to the first flights into space and the moon landing. It goes right up the plans to make the first space shuttle. There is one episode that is entirely about the Apollo 1 fire and it's aftermath. As sad as it was, that was my favorite episode.
The closest way to see what it would be like is the movie Apollo 11 the 50th anniversary. Its made completely of archival footage from NASA and news broadcast. Pretty cool.
I was 15 years old during the Apollo 13 mission. It was amazing to me even then, as an unapologetic space nerd, how quickly public interest in spaceflight disappeared after Apollo 11. It was tragic when the Apollo program was shut down after Apollo 17, when all the hardware had been built and readied, and crews selected and trained, for two more missions. And the biggest disappointment of all was when the Saturn V production line was shut down and the tooling destroyed, just when Saturn could have become a workhorse launcher for moving space exploration forward. The Space Shuttle became the next shiny thing, but in hindsight it turned out to be an overpriced and underpowered death trap. I'm glad we finally seem to be moving in the right direction again.
I am so glad you immediately understood that EVERYTHING in space is Life or Death, because that is so true. There is a book about an American astronaut who went aboard the Mir space station before the ISS was ready. He was lucky to have survived that trip. The book is called "Off The Planet," by Jerry Linengar. It is very worth reading. I was just shy of 9 years old when Apollo 11 happened. I can remember it, but not in any detail.
Great selection, it was a treat to watch this with you. I was 11 years old when Apollo 13 launched. Michael Collins, in his book Carrying the Fire 1974, gave a description of how tight the window was for safely entering the moon's orbit. He said, imagine taping a human hair on the wall of your living room and then hitting that hair with a razor blade thrown from 20 feet away.
I was 15 in 1970, ready to begin HS in the Fall. Soooo remember this and everyone all over the world glued to the news, united in prayer for these men. And yet knowing all the went down, this movie was still very exciting!
If you haven't yet, please watch Hidden Figures. You mentioned that the math involved in sending someone to space blew your mind; without spoiling, that's a good bit of what Hidden Figures is about. ;)
I was 11 when these events unfolded. Not only did our country stood still, so did the rest of the world for days on end, It felt like an eternity. There were a lot of behind-the-scenes guys that lived in our neighborhood that worked at Goddard Space flight. My father was a high-end government worker, though he had no direct affiliation with NASA other than the money end of it. In my life I only witnessed my father cry 3 times. When my brother died, and when his mother passed and the successful return of Apollo 13.
I was in high school back then. Somewhat akin to the first times Mount Everest was successfully climbed, shortly after, the public's interest quickly waned towards the moon landings and moon explorations. Yes, sort of a: "Been there...done that!' attitude. The events of Apollo 13 brought everyone's attention back, but for the most unfortunate of reasons. Incidentally, the white-haired officer Tom Hanks shakes hands with when he boards the ship after safely landing in the ocean was the real Jim Lovell.
I was like a year and slightly less than a half when Neil and Buzz landed. So, like 2 and a half when this took place. Funnily enough, the woman that plays the older daughter in this, I met her a couple of times. She was also in the "Gilbert Grape" movie. I told her that's the movie I knew her from, she kind of freaked, because everyone had said "Apollo 13". Was so weird that I was like this guy who recognized her, but she was blushing from the movie I named.
I was only five but I do remember my mom gathering us to watch on our black & white television. All the kids at school wanted to become astronauts. The space program was a big deal. Wanting to capitalize on its popularity, Pillsbury launched a nutritional snack called Space Sticks. My mom used to get me the chocolate flavor. Tang drink mix was also made popular by the space program.
8:13 actually, no. It doesn't work that way. Gravity is still there. Things and people floats because, in a nutshell, they are in an infinite free fall.
I was 11 at the time of the first moon landing. It took place in the early hours of the morning, UK time, and my parents got me out of bed, so I could watch it live. On our little B&W TV, the images were blurry and grainy, and it was difficult to make out the astronauts, but no one was in any doubt that we were watching something historic. The buzz (no pun intended!) had been everywhere in the years leading up to the landing. Nearly every kid I knew had a model of the lunar module, and the wealthier ones had a model of the entire Saturn V rocket. Amazing time to be alive!
The movie over dramatizes some aspects to he mission. For example, there was no doubt about Jack Swagert’s ability to fly the mission. In many ways, he was the best man for them to have on board after everything went wrong, because he was one responsible for creating many of the emergency procedures they had to perform.
The gentleman playing the captain of the aircraft carrier that picked them up and shook their hands was none other than Captain James Lovell, USN, commander of Apollo 13, doing a cameo.
All I can say, is it's always a pleasure watching 1 of your reactions, because it reaffirms the fact, there are angels living among us ... and by that, I mean YOU 😊🌹
Like others who commented, I remember watching the Apollo 11 mission and landing when I was six years old. Much of the world just came to a stop during the landing and first EVA \ walk. I remember watching intently as I lay on the living room floor at my grandma's house, with the rest of the family all around. However, unfortunately the movie is correct that the public and media had lost some interest following Apollo 11. I was fortunate enough to meet Jim :Lovell once, at an event where he spoke. It was a great honor to listen to and meet such an accomplished, courageous, and inspiring person.
I was only 4 years and 10 months old when we landed on the moon. My memories are strange. My family was moving to Tucson from Detroit, and we stopped at a relative's house in St. Louis to watch the great event. Uncle was on the design team for the space shuttle, so he had a whole bunch of models and model rockets at his house. He also had a color TV and a microwave oven, so it was like being in a sci-fi show already. I recall everyone being very relieved and happy when the astronauts first stepped out.
After Ron Howard directed thus movie, he got together with Tom Hanks and made an HBO miniseries about the rest of the moon space program. Its called "From the Earth to the Moon". Its VERY good. Feels alot like this movie. I think you will like it. I bought the DVD of it. But also bought it again on UA-cam. =]
Thank you for one of the best reactions to this movie. I recommend what could be considered its prequel: The Right Stuff (1983) The film is about the test pilots who were involved in research at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as well as the seven military pilots who were selected to be the the United States astronauts for Project Mercury, the first human spaceflights by the U.S.
I always enjoy (REALLY ENJOY) films about the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo program days, and reading about them too. Almost 40 years ago I read a used book I picked up called "We Reach The Moon", and was fascinated with how primitive the technology on board the command modules and LEMs seemed, in comparison to what we had available by the 1980s, yet it was able to get people to the moon and back to Earth because of the mathematics of basic orbital physics. It was one of the books I decided to keep, rather than re-donating, and I still have it today. Last year I acquired a copy of "The Right Stuff", and have not yet decided when I'm going to work it into my daily reading stack.
If you're serious about wanting to experience zero-g, there's a regular plane service that does dives and gives a bunch of little bursts of it for a few thousand bucks. A similar plane is how they filmed this.
I think this is Ron Howard's finest film. Californiablend: you mentioned the mathmatics of getting a ship into (outer) space and return, there's an extrodinary film about three (African American) women who were mathmaticians who were prominent in the early 'Mercury' missions, based on three actual women. It's a wonderful movie, please give it a view, you'll be really entertained, "Hidden Figures", with Octavia Spencer.
It was amazing to witness Apollo 11, the first manned moon landing. My family went to the Cape to see the launch, and then we went camping in northern Florida. I saw the historic broadcast from the moon on a battery powered Sears 9 inch black-and-white TV sitting on the picnic table at our campsite. Gene Kranz never actually said the words "Failure is not an option", but he liked the line so well he used it as the title of his book. At the end of the movie, the real Jim Lovell has a cameo appearance as the Captain of the aircraft carrier who shakes the hands of the returning astronauts.
Your review was excellent, also remember this movie was released in summer of 1995 nearly 25 yrs after the launch of Apollo 13 which is now almost 28 yrs later and we still haven't returned back to the Moon.
I'm so glad you loved Blanche Lovell so much. She was played by director Ron Howard's mother. Oh, and Ron Howard also played Opey on "The Andy Griffith Show".
A great reaction by a beautiful reactor ❤ The original quote was "Houston, we've had a problem", but the script writers thought that "Houston _we have_ a problem" sounded more immediate and dramatic. The weightlessness scenes were filmed on a plane nicknamed the vomit comet, which flew up and down in parabolas that produce short periods simulating weightlessness. They flew dozens of flights, each containing multiple parabolas that allowed them to film 25 seconds at a time. You're not the only one who's upset or confused as to why we seemed to give up on the moon after the mid 70s. Many have advocated since then for a return to space travel. That was the reason behind all the excitement surrounding the launch of Artemis 1 last year. Btw, there was a great song called Sleeping Satellite released in the 90s by a British singer named Tasmin Archer. It's about the disappointment felt when mankind seemed to give up on further space exploration and science that might have given us a better understanding of our world and environmental issues. ua-cam.com/video/lOqVQPq8zm8/v-deo.html
@29:30 The captain Tom Hanks is shaking hands with was the Real Jim Lovell of the actual Apollo 13, whom they added in for the movie. There is a way to experience zero gravity on earth and its how they filmed all the weightless space scenes. They call it the "Vomit Comet" a stripped down jet liner with wall to wall padding so trainees dont get hurt in flight. It basically flies up to 30-40,000 feet and nose dives to a steep angle down that creates the weightless sensation for 8 minutes before smacking into the earth. They go up and down for hours on a single flight to get as much familiarization as possible. Even stephen Hawking got a to experience zer gravity in Vomit Comet. Definitely worth checking out.
Swaggart was more than qualified to pilot the mission he even wrote the docking procedures, they made the switch more dramatic to keep the tension high throughout the movie. The actual astronauts were professional and there was none of the finger pointing or arguing depicted in the movie.
One of my favorite movies ever!!!! I remember playing this theme all the time in the band when this dropped. This movie is one of the reasons I went into the Navy and the reason I love spaceX and nasa today and was lucky to see the Artemis launch and hope to see the next Starship launch. Mad I missed starship launch on 4/20. Didn’t make it in time.
I was on the USS Moosbrugger, quarterdeck watch 0000-0400 and saw a space shuttle launch in the early 90's. Could see the flame all the way to Charleston, S.C.
@@andystewart581 oh wow I was on the aircraft carriers. I was on the Washington, the IKE and the Reagan. I left as an IT2(AW/SW) thanks for your services as well shipmate. I bet that was an amazing site to see back then. I never saw a shuttle launch and always wanted to but that time has pass lol
No disrespect, but that last one is a work of fiction, just saying... Humans are no closer to flying to, and landing on Mars, than we were 50 years ago, when the last Apollo lander left the lunar surface...
@@codymoe4986 Oh, yes, definitely fiction. But NASA was impressed with how it might be (as opposed to typical science fiction). We certainly don't have anything close to some of the equipment like the main space ship, the Hermes. I'm not someone who thinks we are JUST about to colonize Mars nor anywhere close. If anything, we keep getting better and better at sending sophisticated unmanned missions that don't run the risk of dealing with safeguarding human life. It is also interesting how even as the movie was just coming out, we already know that the surface does not look like as in the movie, with smooth sand everywhere (assuming what the Rovers show is typical). Actual photos so far show a terrain that seems evidence of extensive water erosion. And with the passage of time, we will laugh at much of this movie in terms of science, just like the science in Jurassic Park has become so dated.
At 28:00 when you notice the man in the background crying, I read that he is actually the real Gene Krantz who was on the set as an extra for that scene, and was really crying reliving the event.
The big plus for the Apollo 13 crew was they got to skip the long quarantine that previous crews had to put up with after their return, since they never landed on the moon. The quarantine was entirely to "reassure" the public no "moon germs" were brought back.
Apollo missions have two crews of 3. Everything that Mattingly was trained on Swigert was already trained on. So they had no doubt in his abilities. Ken Mattingly's role on the mission was to fly the Command Module. He was never going to actually set foot on the moon. He was also trained to fly the CM home solo if the guys on the ground didn't make it.
The scene with Lovell looking at the moon's surface is so damn heartbreaking. To get so close to your dream and to have it taken away from you. That is the worst feeling in existence.
I grew up through the Mercury the Gemini and the Apollo program. That was NASA finest hours. They tried to convince us it wasn't that dangerous so that people would support the idea. The downside was folks took it for granted, and everything would be fine. It was a good time to be a kid.
I remember these events very well. At the time there was no doubt in my mind that they would make it back safely. But I was 12, and a 12 year old never really believes something bad will happen until it actually does happen. It was years later before I realized that it was something of a minor miracle that these guys survived.
I remember, as Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, Grandad feeling the tension in the room shouted, "Look out! It's gonna get him! Everyone jumped. People might not admit it now, but in the back of their minds, they thought it possible, that a Moon monster would jump out from behind a rock and devour Neil Armstrong. It was a true Worldwide exciting event. There hasn't been anything to match it since, as far as Worldwide excitement.
The real Jim Lovell makes a cameo appearance at 29:30 as the admiral who welcomes the crew home. He also provided some training for the cast on how to operate the command module and lunar module.
Not Admiral but Captain. Lovell said he was offered the role of the welcoming Admiral and he agreed with one stipulation. Lovell retired as a Captain and he thought it would be improper for him to wear an Admiral’s uniform so he agreed to the cameo provided he wear the uniform of a Captain. So the role he played was “welcoming Captain” not “welcoming Admiral”.
Seeing this film was a strange experience because I remember this. I was a kid when it happened and we followed the whole drama in school, so there were more than a few "I remember that!" moments. (By the way, this movie is so accurate and produced so well that Ron Howard got contacted by NASA asking how the hell he'd gotten a hold of the launch footage.)
Personally, I was 5. It was during our summer vacation, and we were on a ferry on the way to Gotland. Everybody were in the cafeteria around the small TV, and I sat on my father's shoulders, looking over the big crowd. I suppose all the commotion made a bigger impact on me than the landing itself, since I wasn't old enough to truly grasp what a historic event it was. I don't have any memory of Apollo 13 in particular. I wonder if my parents shielded me from it in case there was a disaster, but I do remember looking at the moon during one of the later missions, and wondering if I'd be able to see the astronauts if I had binoculars strong enough.
I don’t know if it’s been mentioned but the Captain welcoming Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) on the aircraft carrier, was the real Jim Lovell making a cameo appearance.
I was 9 years old when Armstrong walked on the moon. I remember it because everybody was tuned in to watch it every store had tons of toys of the Apollo missions from the capsules to the moon rovers they were even in cereal boxes and you can put the toys together. It was everywhere even drink Tang the orange drink.
Comedian Jack Blacks mom Judith Love Black was an engineer on the Apollo program. While in labor with Jack in August of 1969, Judith resolved a design problem that would have prevented the Apollo 13 astronauts come home over a year later. But because it had been fixed so early that was one less from that they had to face.
I’m glad to see young folks learning about some of the things that have happened in history. The Apollo program was a landmark in not only space flight but in human history.
I so agree with you. I don't think they would have made it without Ken being on the ground to figure things out. The guy in the black glasses in the control room is Ron Howard's brother, and Jim Lovell's mother is Howard's real mother.
"This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever experienced." Sadly, that would come 16 and 32 years later when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its launch in 1986 and Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry in 2002.
I lived through this, as a 12 year old. The entire world stopped for a week as we endeavored to bring them home safely. Businesses closed, schools were let out, people gathered outside TV shops to watch the TV in the windows, etc. I am not a particularly religious man, but I'm convinced there was divine intervention involved to get them home. When you look at the actual data & situation they were in, they should have died in space. Even NASA only gave them a 10% chance of survival. Of course, they never told the public that. I believe that, at the time, 3.5 billion souls praying for the safe return of those 3 brave men had a little something to do with it.
A truly great movie, with some Hollywood embellishment: 1) Most of the tension in the movie - between the crew members, and esp any doubts about Swigert's capability - was written into the screenplay for dramatic effect. In reality, everyone had full confidence in Swigert - who, incidentally, had actually WRITTEN an emergency procedures manual for the command module. 2) Part of the reason for the explosion was also that a thermostat - which controlled the degree to which the liquid oxygen tank was heated - was damaged during a pre-flight test/procedure, in addition to damage that had occurred when the tank was dropped, months before. So the tank contents simply over-heated until eventually the tank BURST, like a balloon. 3) During the Corridor Control Burn, on the way back to Earth, they simply fired the Lunar Module Engine for ~15 seconds, with minimal drama/dialogue - according to Tom Hanks, during an interview. Despite the external heat of the re-entry: When the divers opened up the capsule, after splashdown, it was still so cold inside the cabin that the mixture with (warm humid) Pacific air caused visible FOG to appear ! Ed Harris was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying Gene Kranz. Ron Howard's Father (Rance), Mother (Jean Speagle) and Brother (Clint) all acted in the movie.
It was riveting. I was just a kid watching this happen on TV. And man I cried. Because I was -- and still am -- such an enthusiastic supporter of the space program. BTW, when the one astronaut turns to the engineer who invented the ad hoc CO2 filter and called him a "steely eyed missile man", that was the biggest compliment someone in the astronaut program could give. It was an informal title given by acclamation rather than any formal award, but it stuck.
During reentry, the plasma around the Commmand Module could get up to 5,000°F (and was also responsible for the radio blackout). However, because of how the heat shield interacted with the hypersonic shock wave just ahead of the capsule, the plasma never actually touched it directly. Also, the interior was well insulated and had climate control systems that kept it at a quite comfortable temperature. One final thing about the reentry - the capsule entered at a much shallower angle than usual (although still steep enough to properly slow down and fully reenter). This meant it stayed in the upper atmosphere for longer, which is why the radio blackout lasted so much longer than expected.
I was 10 years old when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon and it was incredibly thrilling. My parents let us kids stay up late watching the grainy black and white image. The next morning we went put and blew up firecrackers, lol. Within about 18 minds of turning 10, men Walked on the moon, my hometown Mets won the World Series, my Jets won the Super Bowl and the Knicks won the NBA championship. I believed anything was possible!
13:53 Actually, for every person at a console in the command center, there was a back room of other experts also looking at the data, able to talk over the headset to their lead in the command center.. Each thumb up or go represented the opinion of each person's whole team. The teams might be 3 or 30 more people.
I was a kid when this happened. To me, the Apollo program was the ONLY thing in the world that matters. I remember watching the Apollo 11 landing from a motel room in Port Arthur, TX and running back and forth from the TV to the "balcony" so I could try to see things with Dad's binoculars. I remember my sister changing the channel (she was looking for cartoons) when I stepped outside for a moment and having my parents prevent me from committing homicide. As best I can remember, 7 year old me really meant to wipe out the source of all evil once and for all. I think I have only been that angry twice more in my life. One of those times was a few years later when I learned that the Apollo program had been cancelled. These events, Apollo 13, had me riveted to the TV the entire time. Back then, television stations signed off for the night and only came back on with a test pattern in the early hours of the morning before resuming broadcast. Mom tried to make me go to bed but I would just sneak back out and lay down in front of the TV. Eventually she gave up. The whole time was an emotional roller coaster. The depiction of the public attitude seems on target. There was wild enthusiasm for Apollo 11. By the time of this story, there had been 2 landings and it wasn't "shiny and new" any more. I did not understand this attitude. As an old geezer now, I have a hard time comprehending that there is anyone who doesn't know about all these events. I guess that's because I lived through them and, to young folk like you, they are just some vague things that were put into some history books long ago. Such is the nature of life. Still, watching your excitement and you wondering what was going to happen reminds me of the emotional roller coaster I experienced as a child. When I saw this in the theater, it was like reliving it all over again and it seems that, of all the reactors, your sense of wonder is closest to what mine was. May you always be blessed with that. By the way, at the end, when they are being welcomed aboard the aircraft carrier, Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) shakes the hand of the captain (the guy in whites with 4 stripes on each shoulder board). The guy playing the captain was the real astronaut, Jim Lovell.
I was 13 when the Apollo 11 took place, and 14 when Apollo 13 happened. All I can say is that seeing it on TV convince me to try and be an astronaut. I even became an Eagle Scout and made it into the U.S. Air Force Academy. Unfortunately my non 20/20 vision kept me from graduating the Academy and being an Astronaut.
So glad you saw this. Well done! When I was little, at my uncle's house, we watched the first moon landing. When we went home, we watched the first steps on the the moon.
I noticed you commenting on the mathematics required to calculate take off and landings. An amazing film that takes a deeper look into that is “Hidden Figures”. I’d say it’s a somewhat underrated film and it is so educational, plus the casting and acting is phenomenal! I recommend checking it out!!
❤️BIBLE VERSES OF THE DAY❤️
JOEL 2:12-13 NIV
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
I remember, as Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, Grandad feeling the tension in the room shouted, "Look out! It's gonna get him! Everyone jumped. People might not admit it now, but in the back of their minds, they thought it possible, that a Moon monster would jump out from behind a rock and devour Neil Armstrong. It was a true Worldwide exciting event. There hasn't been anything to match it since, as far as Worldwide excitement.
Isaiah 42:5
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
Humans best achievement was a failed mission?
@Apockiller Okay lol...
What is human beings second best accomplishment?
@Apockiller So beating the Nazis was less important than a fail moon mission??
The gray-haired captain that shook hands with Tom Hanks on the deck of the carrier is the real Jim Lovell.
deke76 I believe Mrs. Lovell was in the grandstand during blast off.
What was it like to be alive and witness this?
I can tell you what it was like to be a 6 year old watching it.
I was sitting cross-legged on a hardwood floor about 6 feet from the TV screen.
My eyes glued to the screen. It was amazing. I even had a cardboard model of the lunar module with me.
It was the biggest collective event in human history. I bet the earth trembled from the global cheers.
But the strongest recollection was my disappointment that they did not carry 'Ray Guns.' That there were no aliens to fight.
I was also glued to the screen during the Apollo 13 mission. That was legit drama. We were scared for them and feeling helpless.
The relief we felt was universal when they were pulled from the capsule.
That's how I remember it!
It was an amazing time. One day we are wrapped up in the cold war, the Vietnam War, political upheaval, the year before was the Manson murders. As an 8 year old fairly protected from the day to day news we could still feel the constant negativity. The tension was thick to say the least.
Then Apollo 13 happened. It was almost as if it happened to remind the US and the world we are more alike than different. For a few days the world was graced and unified by good will for our fellow man. Honestly I remember it felt good however fleeting.
I was for Apollo 11; parents kept me up late to watch.
Concerning Apollo 13, I recall neighbors got a new puppy (cocker spaniel) during the mission; named it Apollo.
Well-said, sir! I was 5 at the time and had an identical experience. The only thing I'd add is that later in life I learned more details. It turns out that the accident was even _worse_ than what Ron Howard chose to portray.
I was 10 years old for Apollo 11. Armstrong's first steps were broadcast about 10:30p local time, and I could barely stay awake, despite the excitement. I was used to going to bed at 9:00p.
@@SYLTales One thing I learned about the movie vs reality was the conflict between the astronauts when they got into the heated argument.
That scene never rang true to me and indeed it never happened.
The reality was A) They were consummate professionals B) Too busy C) Too laser focused. Men who were test pilots and astronauts don't go all vaporish due to stress. It was added for drama.
This film is one of my favorites, but it gives an unfair picture of astronaut Jack Swigert to create drama. Swigert was NOT a rookie. Instead, he was an expert on the Command Module. He wrote the whole instruction for the damn thing. There were no big scenes involved with changing crew members. They were all perfectly professional to take place in any group.
not to mention the way they made everyone not seem to respect him. in reality, he was highly respected and both lovell and haise had every confidence in him
And the "fight" between the crew and the Flight Surgeon over Ken Mattingly was manufactured too.
I think the portrayal of Jack in the movie is good, but not necessarily in this commentary. The issues in the movie stemed from the fact that he wasn't in a simulator for a while, wasn't "go-minded", and wasn't integrated into the crew. Never with his actual skills. But the commentaty exaggarated this issues significantly.
The astronauts fighting, blaming, arguing in the LEM did NOT happen. That scene is pure Hollywood. Professional, calm, and clear thinking is what those folks were all about.
"Big-uns!"
Apollo 11 landed on the moon on my 12th birthday, and I watched Neil and Buzz walking on the moon on a 12" black-and-white Zenith TV set. At one point, I walked to the back door and gazed at the waxing gibbous moon in the sky in awe. Words can't adequately describe what it was like to watch the moon shots as they happened back then.
It was literally in-credible.
galandir of rivendell I was 14. I believe some of the television footage came courtesy of the Parkes radio telescope, here in country New South Wales, Australia. There was later an amusing movie about it's involvement called "The Dish". I was still in high school during the Apollo 13 mission.
What happened was, after the fire on Apollo 1, they took a long look at everything on the spacecraft from a safety and reliability viewpoint and basically redesigned the whole thing. In the process some voltage systems got changed to a higher voltage but some components got missed and were still designed to operate at lower voltages. When the heaters were engaged on the oxygen tanks the switches were welded shut by the higher voltages. This led to higher temperatures which damaged insulation on wires inside the tanks, which ignited and it caused the tanks to explode.
NASA deliberately killed Gus Grissom and his mates. Gus complained a lot about the malfunctioning equipment and the lack of response by NASA. He hung a lemon outside the cabin to symbolize mess.
@@timcarr6401 Bullshit.
@@lesnyk255 Do not dismiss that which you don't know. Gus was considered a trouble-maker by NASA. He always pointed out the inadequacies of the spacecraft.machinery. He hung a lemon out to to demonstrate his disdain of the operation. He told his wife the morning of that fateful day "If anything happens to me, it won't be an accident." Gus complained about communications "How are we going to communicate from the moon, when we can't comminicate between buildings?"
His widow and son do not believe those deaths were accidental.
@@timcarr6401First off, please let me apologize for the bluntness of my 1st reply - I was out of line. I was in a rush to log off to tend other matters, and didn't want to take the time for a proper response. That was rude. HOWEVER:.I'm well aware that Grissom was considered a bit prickly, and did those things you've mentioned - and probably more. But NASA had no reason to do what you suggest - they didn't build the spacecraft, and were as unhappy with it as Grissom - just not as blunt in their assessment and as skittish as middle managers everywhere about their tenuous positions on the managerial ladder. The fire was the result of incompetence, not malice. Grissom was highly regarded enough to be the first astronaut to be assigned to 3 missions, even though there was a larger pool to draw from. And he certainly wasn't the first astronaut to piss off management. Schirra's role in the Apollo 7 "mutiny"... Eisle violating the Boy Scout image NASA was pushing by having an extramarital affair... Gordon Cooper, loose cannon extraordinaire, spouting off about UFOs. Sure, they took Cooper out of the rotation when he was in line to command Apollo 13, but they didn't have him killed - unless they deliberately put that defective thermostat into the fuel cell to take him out, and forgot to replace it after bumping him.
Gene Krantz and Jim Lovell were consultants on the movie. In fact the Navy Captain that greets Hanks after the recovery is Lovell himself. They had a couple of issues with the movie. There was no yelling or arguing between the astronauts or mission control. Also the back up crews got the same training as the main crew so Swigert replacing Ken wasn't a problem. Director Ron Howard explained that he needed to add them into the movie to create drama and tension. They both reluctantly agreed.
EDIT People were distracted from the Apollo missions due to the Vietnam War still going on. It had become very unpopular at this point and the US was starting to withdraw troops.
As another side note: Mrs. Lovell is also in the film.
During the launch we see an older woman behind "Marilyn Lovell" in the grand stands. That older woman is the real Marilyn Lovell.
Love they showed Ken driving a Corvette! Very authentic!! When I was a kid, if u started driving near NASA, u knew who was an engineer astronaut, controller etc., Cuz all those guys drove Vettes!
I was in 4th grade during Apollo 13. We had favorite astronauts like we had favorite ball players. My favorite astronaut was 1 of those who died in the Apollo 1 fire. Back then cable TV really did not exist, there were just the 3 networks & PBS. TV Coverage of Gemini & Apollo was continuous on all networks through Apollo 11. Coverage ofApolllo 13, being the 3rd moonshot in 9 months, was cut back to Launch, Moon Landing, Splashdown basically, until the accident. I went to Catholic school, and after the accident we had our daily mass dedicated to them until splashdown. I was in my 30's when I saw this in the theater. I was shocked how emotional I got. It brought everything back from what I felt in grade school.
What was it like to experience the moon landing as a young child. I watched it with my grandma who was born in 1890. She looked at me and said, "it's all lies son. Don't believe a bit of it." Being a respectful kid I didn't say a word, just nodded. But I knew she was wrong.🤫 I found the moon landing to be very motivating.
It's amazing how some live through such progression of technology to deny it going further. You did a good thing not saying anything. Not worth hurting her feelings.
My dad felt the same way. He was born in 1903. It was just too much to believe for him.
I was born in 1973. So I was still swimming around in my pop's groin. But I do remember having a Saturn V rocket playset that was my favorite toy, and my winter jacket was a silver NASA faux space suit jacket that I insisted wearing, even during NYC summers. I was obsessed with the space programs, Mercury/Gemini/Apollo, the pre ISS space station mission and the Shuttle missions.
I was 8 years old. The thing is this event took days....The tension did not abate in a 2 hour movie! it was on TV alot as I recall and seemed like as soon as one imminent issue was resolved another was looming - I seem to remember the people from all over the world reported to be praying as was my family. It was a huge time for celebration when we all got the reports that they made it back alive!
Apollo was a huge program in 1969, 1970 and into middish 70's. Astronauts would visit the schools. Tang orange flavored powder and also dehydrated ice cream were all the rage for kids in grade school. Tang was used by early NASA crewed space flights.
Apollo 17 had our very own New Mexican astronaut, Harrison Schmitt. He visited us in the assembly room our grade school after his famous drive around the moon on the lunar rover - he was the only scientist that walked on the moon - what an experience. Lots of the same questions as you heard here - how do you go to the bathroom in space lol.
In a film full of great actors and great performances, Ed Harris takes the cake. The ideal leader.
I remember watching this unfold as a kid. It was like the entire planet was watching. My fourth grade teacher led us in a prayer for the astronauts. Only as I grew older did I realize the magnitude of what they were up against.
I was 15 at the time and just thought the adults had everything well in hand, like you not realizing what they were up against.
After Apollo 13 Tom Hanks produced the mini-series “From the Earth to the Moon”. It is one of the most outstanding mini-series ever done.
It's too bad Alice Kramden wasn't around to provide Tom with some of her expertise.
@@billolsen4360 One of these days, Bill, we'll be going back!
This movie is an great example of why competence and excellence is so important.
Yeah but they could have had more equity hires because it was the 1970's
@@gunman462 Equity hires undermine competence and excellence. 🤦♀ Hires should be based on ability, not skin color or sex.
@@catherinelw9365 It was a sarcastic comment. Trudeau in Canada made 50% of his cabinet women, he said "because it's 2015" lol
I was 14 at the time. We all wached it at my granny's! IT WAS PHENOMENAL! I grew up in the space race. All space all the time!!!!
You should watch the "History Buffs" YT channel's video on the historical accuracy of the movie. The main take away was there was no yelling or drama between the crew. These men were trained combat pilots if they weren't cool and calm in difficult situations they would have never been chosen.
NASA still has the entire flight voice recordings of the mission. They are available to the public. The astronauts sound almost bored.
My family was blessed to have travelled with Dad(USAF Major Wallace Zimmerman, now of beloved memory) for many of his posts. During Neil Armstrong's first steps, living on a US military base in Turkey, we listened to his words on Armed Forces Radio.
Aside from the tragic testing accident of Apollo 1. Every man that flew in the Apollo program returned safely to earth. Apollo 13 captured the worlds attention and was considered NASA's finest hour
I was in grade school when the US space program began. Whenever they had a launch (first American in space, first one in orbit, etc.) they would set up a television in the school gym and send all the kids down to watch. When Armstrong stepped on the moon my whole family was watching on TV (black and white) at probably around 11 at night. The world wide audience for that was probably the largest in history. I think I still have the newspaper from the next day packed in a box somewhere. For many years I had a poster with a famous photo of an astronaut standing on the moon with the earth in the background hanging on my bedroom wall. But, yes, after the first two moon landings (Apollo 11 and 12) the general public wasn't that interested any more. They had watched the space program grow from scratch for 10 years with the goal of landing on the moon. Once we did it, many people said, "OK we're done."
After I got a PhD in electrical engineering, I had an uncle who was an engineer at NASA Houston who got me the paperwork to apply to be a Shuttle payload specialist. They were planning to ramp up to 40 flights/year. I was still filling it out when the shuttle blew up. The program shut down for 2 years and I don't think they ever did more than about 6 flights per year after that. It never scaled up and they no longer needed many new recruits. A few years later I had a job interview with a company that made some of the rockets. I offered to work for free if they could get me on the shuttle. The guy interviewing me said he would too, but that's not how it worked.
I remember watching the Apollo 11 moon landing. My parents were in their 20s. I was 6 and sat on the floor right in front of the TV. We lived in a trailer park in Casa Grande, Az. What I don't remember was hearing anyone speak. I think we all just watched in stunned silence. I thought it was the coolest thing ever (and of course it was). From that moment I was hooked on space and all things NASA. I watched every Apollo mission till that program ended in 1972. Funny to think back on that day in 1969. My parents were both practically kids themselves. Today I'm 60 & my parents are both passed on. Whenever I see that old black & white footage of Neil Armstrong coming down the ladder I'm thrown back to that night. I can still see it all so clearly.
I remember, as Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, Grandad feeling the tension in the room shouted, "Look out! It's gonna get him! Everyone jumped. People might not admit it now, but in the back of their minds, they thought it possible, that a Moon monster would jump out from behind a rock and devour Neil Armstrong. It was a true Worldwide exciting event. There hasn't been anything to match it since, as far as Worldwide excitement.
That is why they have a back up crew, in case something happens to one of the Prime crew. Swigert was given an error to deal with, that Ken Mattingly also failed on first time during simulation. Swigert had done it many times in simulations.
I was born in 1950 and grew up with the science fiction of the day, which made believe space flight was just like taking a motor boat and pointing it straight up. Or a rocket ship interior would be a large round room with a few dials and gauges on one wall
And some scientists said manned space flight would never happen, as it would take a rocket the size of the Statue of Liberty (which it does).
In 1961 or so, John Kennedy announced we would go to the moon before the end of the decade. The schedule was laid out in a time line and I was so impatient and thought we would never reach 1969, it was too far in the future.
But while the actual landing was pretty impressive, it was just one more gradual step.
You & I are the same age! I remember Al Shepard's Mercury flight, back in 5th grade - I asked if I could sit in the teachers' lounge and listen to the flight on the radio with the rest of them, which I did. I didn't understand a word of what was happening, just that someone was actually riding a rocket into outer space. Then along came the Gemini flights, getting me interested in orbital mechanics - declared physics as my college major. Now I can't get enough of Space X rocket landings - right out of the Rocky Jones serials of the 1940s!
I was 14 in 1970. The whole world was watching and praying and praying at the same time our men in Vietnam were fighting and dying. even Russia offered any help they could give. Rin Howard was the director, probably his finest movie. His younger brother Clint played the bald guy with the black glasses on one of the control boards. His mom played the old grandma! And the REAL Jim Lovell appeared as one of the welcoming rescue team or something at the end. Ed Harris played the ground commander and his line "Failure is not an option" still sends chills up and down my spine. He should have gotten an Oscar for supporting actor for that performance. I often use that line for myself and family in situations and when I was a school band director..."Learn you part at home and in rehearsal...failure is not an option when you are performing in public, you don't want the other bands laughing at you...make them envy you!" Yes our marching band we did a space show that included the theme for Apollo 13.
29:34 and it's now!!! It's in the 2020s we're going back, and it's SpaceX!
I was 10 years old in 1970. The Apollo moon landing missions were an incredibly exciting and inspiring time. Between July 1969 and December 1972, we would watch astronauts walking on the moon and following the missions. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, people all over the world got to share and enjoy an experience that was unique and uniting. Before that we watched science fiction movies about moon landings, but it was no longer science fiction. I remember going outside and looking at the moon knowing there were people up there. Once or twice, I got up on a Saturday morning to watch cartoons, but the programming was preempted with live in color coverage of astronauts walking and working on the moon. There were six moon landings and each one was a thrill to watch.
The Navy Captain who greets Tom Hanks at the end is the real Jim Lovell.
This is basically my favorite movie of all time. Critics gave it movie some shade for the scene where Marilyn loses her ring down the shower drain as being _too_ Hollywood dramatic... except it totally happened (though she did get it back). Other than cranking up some of the drama, this is one of the most historically accurate "based on a true story" movies ever made. Kathleen Quinlan actually sat down with the real Marilyn Lovell to understand how she was feeling during the mission, and several of her lines (like "When you were on the far side on 8, I just vacuumed over and over." ) are direct quotes from her.
Some other fun facts:
- They actually filmed a bunch of scenes on the "Vomit Comet", a plane that makes parabolic arcs to simulate zero gravity, in order to film the scenes where they are floating.
- The loss of oxygen was actually more of a problem of power loss than breathing. The majority of O2 was used to react with hydrogen in a fuel cell to provide power to the command/service module. Without power there was no way to control their re-entry. By re-entry they only had the partially depleted batteries in the command module and that's why Ken was working so hard to figure out the right sequence to power everything up.
- Sy, the flight controller with the big glasses who recommends closing the "react valves" is Clint Howard, Ron Howard's (the director) younger brother.
- Not really related to the movie, but astronauts actually have to do a training program on how to use the toilet on the International Space Station. No easy way to put this, but it involves a simulated toilet seat and a camera to ensure...ehem... "proper alignment." The challenges of spaceflight...
- 4:53 The movie plays this up a bit too much. *ALL* of the astronauts were fully qualified and they all knew and worked together (they kind of did Jack dirty for drama). The astronauts for the Mercury, Gemini, and eventually Apollo program were drafted as a group and who got to fly what mission was essentially random. There was really nothing special about Niel Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin getting to be the first to land on the moon other than they won the selection lottery. Having a backup crew was standard procedure and everyone was expected to train as if they were going to be on that mission. This is the entire reason Jim was on Apollo 13 (he was originally backup).
- The reason they say "We have cleared the tower" is because that's the moment control of the spacecraft transfers from launch control in Cape Canaveral to mission control in Houston.
I think Clint even acted in The Andy Griffith Show a few times. Ron Howard's mother and dad were in the film too. His mom played elderly Mrs. Lovell and his dad was the pastor waiting for the splashdown in the Lovell's living room.
Yeah, they kind of did Jack dirty for drama and Lovell didn't like it. At least Jack didn't live to see this movie.
To get the real story, read Jim Lovell's book "Lost Moon"
One of the few Johnny Carson episodes from New York is his interview with the Apollo 13 crew.
It is viewable on the Carson UA-cam channel.
Also the radio calls at the time are not nearly as exciting as in the film.
I think Lovell describes them as reading from the telephone book
- The accident was traced to 2 issues. The insulation on the oxygen tank's heater wires had been cracked
due to an overvoltage between the spacecraft's power and power from the ground. They had to use ground power
because a valve used to empty the oxygen tank after tests had been sticking, and they decided to use the heater
to "boil off" the tank to empty it. They left it on too long. The next time the exposed wires were turned on
during flight, they arced.
- That Navy Captain shaking Tom Hanks' hand on the deck after the flight (in the white uniform) is none other
than Jim Lovell (CAPT, USN retired) himself.
Glad you enjoyed this one.
I highly recommend the HBO series From The Earth To The Moon. It is a 12-part series and chronicles the early years of the space program, from the selection of the first astronauts to the first flights into space and the moon landing. It goes right up the plans to make the first space shuttle. There is one episode that is entirely about the Apollo 1 fire and it's aftermath. As sad as it was, that was my favorite episode.
The closest way to see what it would be like is the movie Apollo 11 the 50th anniversary. Its made completely of archival footage from NASA and news broadcast. Pretty cool.
I was 15 years old during the Apollo 13 mission. It was amazing to me even then, as an unapologetic space nerd, how quickly public interest in spaceflight disappeared after Apollo 11. It was tragic when the Apollo program was shut down after Apollo 17, when all the hardware had been built and readied, and crews selected and trained, for two more missions. And the biggest disappointment of all was when the Saturn V production line was shut down and the tooling destroyed, just when Saturn could have become a workhorse launcher for moving space exploration forward. The Space Shuttle became the next shiny thing, but in hindsight it turned out to be an overpriced and underpowered death trap. I'm glad we finally seem to be moving in the right direction again.
I am so glad you immediately understood that EVERYTHING in space is Life or Death, because that is so true. There is a book about an American astronaut who went aboard the Mir space station before the ISS was ready. He was lucky to have survived that trip. The book is called "Off The Planet," by Jerry Linengar. It is very worth reading. I was just shy of 9 years old when Apollo 11 happened. I can remember it, but not in any detail.
Great selection, it was a treat to watch this with you. I was 11 years old when Apollo 13 launched. Michael Collins, in his book Carrying the Fire 1974, gave a description of how tight the window was for safely entering the moon's orbit. He said, imagine taping a human hair on the wall of your living room and then hitting that hair with a razor blade thrown from 20 feet away.
I was 15 in 1970, ready to begin HS in the Fall. Soooo remember this and everyone all over the world glued to the news, united in prayer for these men. And yet knowing all the went down, this movie was still very exciting!
If you haven't yet, please watch Hidden Figures. You mentioned that the math involved in sending someone to space blew your mind; without spoiling, that's a good bit of what Hidden Figures is about. ;)
I was 11 when these events unfolded. Not only did our country stood still, so did the rest of the world for days on end, It felt like an eternity.
There were a lot of behind-the-scenes guys that lived in our neighborhood that worked at Goddard Space flight.
My father was a high-end government worker, though he had no direct affiliation with NASA other than the money end of it.
In my life I only witnessed my father cry 3 times. When my brother died, and when his mother passed and the successful return of Apollo 13.
I was in high school back then. Somewhat akin to the first times Mount Everest was successfully climbed, shortly after, the public's interest quickly waned towards the moon landings and moon explorations. Yes, sort of a: "Been there...done that!' attitude. The events of Apollo 13 brought everyone's attention back, but for the most unfortunate of reasons. Incidentally, the white-haired officer Tom Hanks shakes hands with when he boards the ship after safely landing in the ocean was the real Jim Lovell.
I was like a year and slightly less than a half when Neil and Buzz landed. So, like 2 and a half when this took place. Funnily enough, the woman that plays the older daughter in this, I met her a couple of times. She was also in the "Gilbert Grape" movie. I told her that's the movie I knew her from, she kind of freaked, because everyone had said "Apollo 13". Was so weird that I was like this guy who recognized her, but she was blushing from the movie I named.
I was only five but I do remember my mom gathering us to watch on our black & white television. All the kids at school wanted to become astronauts. The space program was a big deal. Wanting to capitalize on its popularity, Pillsbury launched a nutritional snack called Space Sticks. My mom used to get me the chocolate flavor. Tang drink mix was also made popular by the space program.
I loved Space Sticks! The chocolate & the butterscotch!! 😋
8:13 actually, no. It doesn't work that way. Gravity is still there. Things and people floats because, in a nutshell, they are in an infinite free fall.
I was 11 at the time of the first moon landing. It took place in the early hours of the morning, UK time, and my parents got me out of bed, so I could watch it live. On our little B&W TV, the images were blurry and grainy, and it was difficult to make out the astronauts, but no one was in any doubt that we were watching something historic. The buzz (no pun intended!) had been everywhere in the years leading up to the landing. Nearly every kid I knew had a model of the lunar module, and the wealthier ones had a model of the entire Saturn V rocket. Amazing time to be alive!
The movie over dramatizes some aspects to he mission. For example, there was no doubt about Jack Swagert’s ability to fly the mission. In many ways, he was the best man for them to have on board after everything went wrong, because he was one responsible for creating many of the emergency procedures they had to perform.
The gentleman playing the captain of the aircraft carrier that picked them up and shook their hands was none other than Captain James Lovell, USN, commander of Apollo 13, doing a cameo.
All I can say, is it's always a pleasure watching 1 of your reactions, because it reaffirms the fact, there are angels living among us ... and by that, I mean YOU 😊🌹
Like others who commented, I remember watching the Apollo 11 mission and landing when I was six years old. Much of the world just came to a stop during the landing and first EVA \ walk. I remember watching intently as I lay on the living room floor at my grandma's house, with the rest of the family all around. However, unfortunately the movie is correct that the public and media had lost some interest following Apollo 11. I was fortunate enough to meet Jim :Lovell once, at an event where he spoke. It was a great honor to listen to and meet such an accomplished, courageous, and inspiring person.
The sound design and music is sooo awesome in this movie it’s just awe inspiring
I was only 4 years and 10 months old when we landed on the moon. My memories are strange. My family was moving to Tucson from Detroit, and we stopped at a relative's house in St. Louis to watch the great event. Uncle was on the design team for the space shuttle, so he had a whole bunch of models and model rockets at his house. He also had a color TV and a microwave oven, so it was like being in a sci-fi show already.
I recall everyone being very relieved and happy when the astronauts first stepped out.
After Ron Howard directed thus movie, he got together with Tom Hanks and made an HBO miniseries about the rest of the moon space program. Its called "From the Earth to the Moon". Its VERY good. Feels alot like this movie.
I think you will like it.
I bought the DVD of it. But also bought it again on UA-cam. =]
When they cracked open the capsule hatch to get the guys out, it was still cold enough to see your breath inside.
Thank you for one of the best reactions to this movie. I recommend what could be considered its prequel: The Right Stuff (1983) The film is about the test pilots who were involved in research at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as well as the seven military pilots who were selected to be the the United States astronauts for Project Mercury, the first human spaceflights by the U.S.
I always enjoy (REALLY ENJOY) films about the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo program days, and reading about them too. Almost 40 years ago I read a used book I picked up called "We Reach The Moon", and was fascinated with how primitive the technology on board the command modules and LEMs seemed, in comparison to what we had available by the 1980s, yet it was able to get people to the moon and back to Earth because of the mathematics of basic orbital physics. It was one of the books I decided to keep, rather than re-donating, and I still have it today. Last year I acquired a copy of "The Right Stuff", and have not yet decided when I'm going to work it into my daily reading stack.
If you're serious about wanting to experience zero-g, there's a regular plane service that does dives and gives a bunch of little bursts of it for a few thousand bucks. A similar plane is how they filmed this.
I think this is Ron Howard's finest film.
Californiablend: you mentioned the mathmatics of getting a ship into (outer) space and return, there's an extrodinary film about three (African American) women who were mathmaticians who were prominent in the early 'Mercury' missions, based on three actual women. It's a wonderful movie, please give it a view, you'll be really entertained, "Hidden Figures", with Octavia Spencer.
For the record, this movie did Jack (Kevin) a disservice. Even Fred Haise says so.
I was born in 1951 and saw the whole program from Mercury to Apollo. I watched all of the launches.
It was amazing to witness Apollo 11, the first manned moon landing. My family went to the Cape to see the launch, and then we went camping in northern Florida. I saw the historic broadcast from the moon on a battery powered Sears 9 inch black-and-white TV sitting on the picnic table at our campsite.
Gene Kranz never actually said the words "Failure is not an option", but he liked the line so well he used it as the title of his book.
At the end of the movie, the real Jim Lovell has a cameo appearance as the Captain of the aircraft carrier who shakes the hands of the returning astronauts.
Your review was excellent, also remember this movie was released in summer of 1995 nearly 25 yrs after the launch of Apollo 13 which is now almost 28 yrs later and we still haven't returned back to the Moon.
I'm so glad you loved Blanche Lovell so much. She was played by director Ron Howard's mother. Oh, and Ron Howard also played Opey on "The Andy Griffith Show".
A great reaction by a beautiful reactor ❤
The original quote was "Houston, we've had a problem", but the script writers thought that "Houston _we have_ a problem" sounded more immediate and dramatic.
The weightlessness scenes were filmed on a plane nicknamed the vomit comet, which flew up and down in parabolas that produce short periods simulating weightlessness. They flew dozens of flights, each containing multiple parabolas that allowed them to film 25 seconds at a time.
You're not the only one who's upset or confused as to why we seemed to give up on the moon after the mid 70s. Many have advocated since then for a return to space travel. That was the reason behind all the excitement surrounding the launch of Artemis 1 last year. Btw, there was a great song called Sleeping Satellite released in the 90s by a British singer named Tasmin Archer. It's about the disappointment felt when mankind seemed to give up on further space exploration and science that might have given us a better understanding of our world and environmental issues.
ua-cam.com/video/lOqVQPq8zm8/v-deo.html
@29:30 The captain Tom Hanks is shaking hands with was the Real Jim Lovell of the actual Apollo 13, whom they added in for the movie.
There is a way to experience zero gravity on earth and its how they filmed all the weightless space scenes. They call it the "Vomit Comet" a stripped down jet liner with wall to wall padding so trainees dont get hurt in flight. It basically flies up to 30-40,000 feet and nose dives to a steep angle down that creates the weightless sensation for 8 minutes before smacking into the earth. They go up and down for hours on a single flight to get as much familiarization as possible. Even stephen Hawking got a to experience zer gravity in Vomit Comet. Definitely worth checking out.
Swaggart was more than qualified to pilot the mission he even wrote the docking procedures, they made the switch more dramatic to keep the tension high throughout the movie. The actual astronauts were professional and there was none of the finger pointing or arguing depicted in the movie.
I was 10 years old when the actual Apollo 13 explosion happened. I remember praying very earnestly for their return.
One of my favorite movies ever!!!! I remember playing this theme all the time in the band when this dropped. This movie is one of the reasons I went into the Navy and the reason I love spaceX and nasa today and was lucky to see the Artemis launch and hope to see the next Starship launch. Mad I missed starship launch on 4/20. Didn’t make it in time.
I was on the USS Moosbrugger, quarterdeck watch 0000-0400 and saw a space shuttle launch in the early 90's. Could see the flame all the way to Charleston, S.C.
@@andystewart581 oh wow I was on the aircraft carriers. I was on the Washington, the IKE and the Reagan. I left as an IT2(AW/SW) thanks for your services as well shipmate. I bet that was an amazing site to see back then. I never saw a shuttle launch and always wanted to but that time has pass lol
@@Funk_Reactions Ike was my first ship, '80'84, Bowen FF1079, SBU 20 PB 7510 and then the Moose DD 980. Fair winds shipmate.
I remember this, I was 20yrs old at that time. I was glued to the tv.
Three of my favorite movies are Hidden Figures, Apollo 13, and the Martian, and they are a sort of trilogy of how space flight evolved.
No disrespect, but that last one is a work of fiction, just saying...
Humans are no closer to flying to, and landing on Mars, than we were 50 years ago, when the last Apollo lander left the lunar surface...
@@codymoe4986 Oh, yes, definitely fiction. But NASA was impressed with how it might be (as opposed to typical science fiction). We certainly don't have anything close to some of the equipment like the main space ship, the Hermes.
I'm not someone who thinks we are JUST about to colonize Mars nor anywhere close. If anything, we keep getting better and better at sending sophisticated unmanned missions that don't run the risk of dealing with safeguarding human life.
It is also interesting how even as the movie was just coming out, we already know that the surface does not look like as in the movie, with smooth sand everywhere (assuming what the Rovers show is typical). Actual photos so far show a terrain that seems evidence of extensive water erosion.
And with the passage of time, we will laugh at much of this movie in terms of science, just like the science in Jurassic Park has become so dated.
At 28:00 when you notice the man in the background crying, I read that he is actually the real Gene Krantz who was on the set as an extra for that scene, and was really crying reliving the event.
Super-cute young lady who seems to have a big brain as well. Ed Harris was at his peak as Gene. Awesome film and incredible reaction. :)
The big plus for the Apollo 13 crew was they got to skip the long quarantine that previous crews had to put up with after their return, since they never landed on the moon. The quarantine was entirely to "reassure" the public no "moon germs" were brought back.
Apollo missions have two crews of 3. Everything that Mattingly was trained on Swigert was already trained on. So they had no doubt in his abilities.
Ken Mattingly's role on the mission was to fly the Command Module. He was never going to actually set foot on the moon. He was also trained to fly the CM home solo if the guys on the ground didn't make it.
The scene with Lovell looking at the moon's surface is so damn heartbreaking. To get so close to your dream and to have it taken away from you. That is the worst feeling in existence.
I grew up through the Mercury the Gemini and the Apollo program. That was NASA finest hours. They tried to convince us it wasn't that dangerous so that people would support the idea. The downside was folks took it for granted, and everything would be fine. It was a good time to be a kid.
I remember these events very well. At the time there was no doubt in my mind that they would make it back safely. But I was 12, and a 12 year old never really believes something bad will happen until it actually does happen. It was years later before I realized that it was something of a minor miracle that these guys survived.
I remember, as Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon, Grandad feeling the tension in the room shouted, "Look out! It's gonna get him! Everyone jumped. People might not admit it now, but in the back of their minds, they thought it possible, that a Moon monster would jump out from behind a rock and devour Neil Armstrong. It was a true Worldwide exciting event. There hasn't been anything to match it since, as far as Worldwide excitement.
The captain Tom Hanks shakes hands with at 29:31 is the real Jim Lovell.
The real Jim Lovell makes a cameo appearance at 29:30 as the admiral who welcomes the crew home. He also provided some training for the cast on how to operate the command module and lunar module.
Not Admiral but Captain.
Lovell said he was offered the role of the welcoming Admiral and he agreed with one stipulation. Lovell retired as a Captain and he thought it would be improper for him to wear an Admiral’s uniform so he agreed to the cameo provided he wear the uniform of a Captain. So the role he played was “welcoming Captain” not “welcoming Admiral”.
He and Marilyn also did a commentary track for the DVD release.
Seeing this film was a strange experience because I remember this. I was a kid when it happened and we followed the whole drama in school, so there were more than a few "I remember that!" moments. (By the way, this movie is so accurate and produced so well that Ron Howard got contacted by NASA asking how the hell he'd gotten a hold of the launch footage.)
Personally, I was 5. It was during our summer vacation, and we were on a ferry on the way to Gotland. Everybody were in the cafeteria around the small TV, and I sat on my father's shoulders, looking over the big crowd. I suppose all the commotion made a bigger impact on me than the landing itself, since I wasn't old enough to truly grasp what a historic event it was.
I don't have any memory of Apollo 13 in particular. I wonder if my parents shielded me from it in case there was a disaster, but I do remember looking at the moon during one of the later missions, and wondering if I'd be able to see the astronauts if I had binoculars strong enough.
I don’t know if it’s been mentioned but the Captain welcoming Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) on the aircraft carrier, was the real Jim Lovell making a cameo appearance.
I was 9 years old when Armstrong walked on the moon. I remember it because everybody was tuned in to watch it every store had tons of toys of the Apollo missions from the capsules to the moon rovers they were even in cereal boxes and you can put the toys together. It was everywhere even drink Tang the orange drink.
29:30 - that navy officer who is supposed to be congratulating Tom Hanks is the real Jim Lovell.
Comedian Jack Blacks mom Judith Love Black was an engineer on the Apollo program. While in labor with Jack in August of 1969, Judith resolved a design problem that would have prevented the Apollo 13 astronauts come home over a year later. But because it had been fixed so early that was one less from that they had to face.
I love movies that are based on real historical events. I knew that astronauts will land successfully, but still, it was interesting to watch
I’m glad to see young folks learning about some of the things that have happened in history. The Apollo program was a landmark in not only space flight but in human history.
25:16 I legit thought the video skipped back :D WHOOO!
I so agree with you. I don't think they would have made it without Ken being on the ground to figure things out. The guy in the black glasses in the control room is Ron Howard's brother, and Jim Lovell's mother is Howard's real mother.
"This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever experienced."
Sadly, that would come 16 and 32 years later when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its launch in 1986 and Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry in 2002.
I lived through this, as a 12 year old. The entire world stopped for a week as we endeavored to bring them home safely. Businesses closed, schools were let out, people gathered outside TV shops to watch the TV in the windows, etc.
I am not a particularly religious man, but I'm convinced there was divine intervention involved to get them home. When you look at the actual data & situation they were in, they should have died in space. Even NASA only gave them a 10% chance of survival. Of course, they never told the public that. I believe that, at the time, 3.5 billion souls praying for the safe return of those 3 brave men had a little something to do with it.
Hidden Figures has to be your next movie....
A truly great movie, with some Hollywood embellishment:
1) Most of the tension in the movie - between the crew members, and esp any doubts about Swigert's capability - was written into the screenplay for dramatic effect. In reality, everyone had full confidence in Swigert - who, incidentally, had actually WRITTEN an emergency procedures manual for the command module.
2) Part of the reason for the explosion was also that a thermostat - which controlled the degree to which the liquid oxygen tank was heated - was damaged during a pre-flight test/procedure, in addition to damage that had occurred when the tank was dropped, months before. So the tank contents simply over-heated until eventually the tank BURST, like a balloon.
3) During the Corridor Control Burn, on the way back to Earth, they simply fired the Lunar Module Engine for ~15 seconds, with minimal drama/dialogue - according to Tom Hanks, during an interview.
Despite the external heat of the re-entry: When the divers opened up the capsule, after splashdown, it was still so cold inside the cabin that the mixture with (warm humid) Pacific air caused visible FOG to appear !
Ed Harris was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying Gene Kranz. Ron Howard's Father (Rance), Mother (Jean Speagle) and Brother (Clint) all acted in the movie.
It was riveting. I was just a kid watching this happen on TV. And man I cried. Because I was -- and still am -- such an enthusiastic supporter of the space program.
BTW, when the one astronaut turns to the engineer who invented the ad hoc CO2 filter and called him a "steely eyed missile man", that was the biggest compliment someone in the astronaut program could give. It was an informal title given by acclamation rather than any formal award, but it stuck.
During reentry, the plasma around the Commmand Module could get up to 5,000°F (and was also responsible for the radio blackout). However, because of how the heat shield interacted with the hypersonic shock wave just ahead of the capsule, the plasma never actually touched it directly. Also, the interior was well insulated and had climate control systems that kept it at a quite comfortable temperature.
One final thing about the reentry - the capsule entered at a much shallower angle than usual (although still steep enough to properly slow down and fully reenter). This meant it stayed in the upper atmosphere for longer, which is why the radio blackout lasted so much longer than expected.
after things went wrong, the whole world was watching Apollo 13 and their return to earth.
I was 10 years old when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon and it was incredibly thrilling. My parents let us kids stay up late watching the grainy black and white image. The next morning we went put and blew up firecrackers, lol. Within about 18 minds of turning 10, men Walked on the moon, my hometown Mets won the World Series, my Jets won the Super Bowl and the Knicks won the NBA championship. I believed anything was possible!
13:53 Actually, for every person at a console in the command center, there was a back room of other experts also looking at the data, able to talk over the headset to their lead in the command center.. Each thumb up or go represented the opinion of each person's whole team. The teams might be 3 or 30 more people.
I was a kid when this happened. To me, the Apollo program was the ONLY thing in the world that matters. I remember watching the Apollo 11 landing from a motel room in Port Arthur, TX and running back and forth from the TV to the "balcony" so I could try to see things with Dad's binoculars. I remember my sister changing the channel (she was looking for cartoons) when I stepped outside for a moment and having my parents prevent me from committing homicide. As best I can remember, 7 year old me really meant to wipe out the source of all evil once and for all. I think I have only been that angry twice more in my life. One of those times was a few years later when I learned that the Apollo program had been cancelled.
These events, Apollo 13, had me riveted to the TV the entire time. Back then, television stations signed off for the night and only came back on with a test pattern in the early hours of the morning before resuming broadcast. Mom tried to make me go to bed but I would just sneak back out and lay down in front of the TV. Eventually she gave up. The whole time was an emotional roller coaster. The depiction of the public attitude seems on target. There was wild enthusiasm for Apollo 11. By the time of this story, there had been 2 landings and it wasn't "shiny and new" any more. I did not understand this attitude.
As an old geezer now, I have a hard time comprehending that there is anyone who doesn't know about all these events. I guess that's because I lived through them and, to young folk like you, they are just some vague things that were put into some history books long ago. Such is the nature of life. Still, watching your excitement and you wondering what was going to happen reminds me of the emotional roller coaster I experienced as a child. When I saw this in the theater, it was like reliving it all over again and it seems that, of all the reactors, your sense of wonder is closest to what mine was. May you always be blessed with that.
By the way, at the end, when they are being welcomed aboard the aircraft carrier, Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) shakes the hand of the captain (the guy in whites with 4 stripes on each shoulder board). The guy playing the captain was the real astronaut, Jim Lovell.
I was 13 when the Apollo 11 took place, and 14 when Apollo 13 happened. All I can say is that seeing it on TV convince me to try and be an astronaut. I even became an Eagle Scout and made it into the U.S. Air Force Academy. Unfortunately my non 20/20 vision kept me from graduating the Academy and being an Astronaut.
Ron Howard and Tom Hanks were the producers
So glad you saw this. Well done!
When I was little, at my uncle's house, we watched the first moon landing. When we went home, we watched the first steps on the the moon.
I noticed you commenting on the mathematics required to calculate take off and landings. An amazing film that takes a deeper look into that is “Hidden Figures”. I’d say it’s a somewhat underrated film and it is so educational, plus the casting and acting is phenomenal!
I recommend checking it out!!
“How do you go to the bathroom in space?” is the #1 most frequently asked question to astronauts.