Apollo 11?

Man of Honour
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18 Oct 2002
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South Coast
The math formulas created to calculate the precise amount of thrust, trajectory etc were quite insane. These days everything is calculated by computer. Yeah they had computers back then too but nothing to the level available in modern times and a lot of manual operation was needed onboard too. To think that some scientist held the lives of those astronauts at the tips of their pens is quite impressive.

Also recall the Nintendo 64 adverts of the late 90s stating the N64 was more powerful than the computer that was onboard Apollo 11 module.
 
Caporegime
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22 Oct 2002
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Boston, Lincolnshire
The math formulas created to calculate the precise amount of thrust, trajectory etc were quite insane. These days everything is calculated by computer. Yeah they had computers back then too but nothing to the level available in modern times and a lot of manual operation was needed onboard too. To think that some scientist held the lives of those astronauts at the tips of their pens is quite impressive.

Also recall the Nintendo 64 adverts of the late 90s stating the N64 was more powerful than the computer that was onboard Apollo 11 module.

Things like the computer are great and all but the intelligence required to operate them now is quite shocking. The world of spell check has made people a lot worse when they actually have to write anything pen to paper!
 
Soldato
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20 Oct 2002
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London
Is this on catchup somewhere? I'd love to see it.
Not that I'm aware, it's just come out in the cinema. I'd highly recommend going to the cinema to see it. As I said, the picture is jaw-dropping and the sound fantastic.

If I wasn't at a festival all weekend I'd fire up my bluray of First Man and turn it up to, aptly, 11 :cool:

Also, any space geeks should read The Right Stuff which is a fantastic book.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
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21,911
On r4 17:55 they just played the speech they were going to use if the astronauts had been unable to leave the moon surface and get back to command module -
very poignant - they stole a bit from 'The Soldier"
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Nov 2002
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11,202
Location
Cumbria
Some of the numbers associated with the Saturn V are astonishing. The fuel pumps that fed the engines were shifting 15+ tons a second. When all 5 engines were at maximum, total thrust hit 7.5 million pounds.


They still have a Saturn v at the Kennedy centre in a huge building, before you see it you know it’s big but it’s hard to grasp the scale of it Until you see it in person
 
Man of Honour
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19 Oct 2002
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Surrey
Ahem:
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-042219a-apollo11-50th-fisher-space-pen.html

"Developed privately and selected by NASA for use by its astronauts beginning with the Apollo 7 mission in 1968, Fisher space pens flew on board Columbia and the "Eagle" lunar module as Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins carried out the first lunar landing mission in July 1969"


Every pub in Hereford, perhaps... Most pubs round here (along with half the teams here at work) are staffed by people born ten years after Bravo Two Zero. A couple saw 6 Days on my recommendation, but asked why it was set, "like, ages ago in the 80s instead of modern times?"... I daren't even show them Rik Mayall, never mind Lewis Collins!!
BRB, going out to buy some pens!
 
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