Adding to @Sallent 's thread on the anniversary of the Apollo 11's launch I thought I would add a thread in honor of the incredible achievement of landing a human on another celestial body. July 20th, 1969 @ 10:56pm EST Astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. 50 years ago today! The Technology to make this happen came from many nations as many milestones were passed around the world such as: V2 Rocket - the first man made object to enter space (Germany 1944) Sputnik - first satellite in space (USSR 1957) Vostok - carrying the first human (Yuri Gagarin) into space (USSR 1961) and finally through the vision (and funding!) of JFK: Apollo 11 - first human to land on the Moon (USA July 20, 1969) As we all know this event changed the way we looked at ourselves and our place in the universe in which we live. My Dad kept the local Toronto newspaper which I have displayed in my home. He used to tell me the story of that night all the time when I was young. It must have been something to behold. Back then I often asked him to repeat it. He was downtown Toronto at the city square watching the newsfeed on large screens ...one of 30,000 to attend. Just imagine how many million around the world experienced this life changing event together - mind blowing! My wife and I were both born in 1969.. me in January and her birthday is coming up in August. She does joke to the kids that I am so old that I was born "before man landed on the moon"... got me there! My only coin depicting Apollo... hard one for me to photograph - sorry about the pic quality. But it's sort of appropriate as the obverse looks a lot like this: Please post anything you deem appropriate.. I would certainly love to hear from our "more senior" members and what they recall when watching this event - must have been an amazing thing to behold. ----------- I was checking the TV listings and here is what is on today (Sat July 20) to celebrate the 50th Anniversary: Reliving the event Precisely 50 years after the original, we can see Walter Cronkite's CBS coverage on the streaming service, www.cbsnews.com/live. That's 4:17 p.m. for the moon landing and 10:56 p.m. for the first steps on the moon. “Apollo Moon Shot,” 5-9 p.m., Smithsonian. Four of the five documentary hours rerun, peaking (8-9 p.m.), with the moon landing. The fifth part – viewing the near-disasters with Apollo 12 and Apollo 13 – reruns at 1 and 10 p.m. “8 Days: To the Moon and Back,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. In a clever combination, this uses the actual voice recordings of the astronauts, but sometimes seamlessly uses actors for visuals. “Apollo: The Forgotten Films,” 8-10 p.m., Discovery, rerunning at midnight; also, 7 p.m. Sunday, Science. “Apollo 11,” 9-11 p.m., CNN (barring breaking news), rerunning at 11. It's a lush movie, using 70mm film, that has been running in theaters and (in a shortened version) on IMAX screens Cheers!!!
Back in the 1990s you could still go to the Cape and have "Lunch with an Astronaut," and the former astronaut would be an Apollo era astronaut. Good times. Sadly, I took my kid to the Space Center and had lunch with an astronaut, and it was a space shuttle era astronaut recalling missions from where I was a kid. Made me realize that the Apollo astronauts are almost all gone, and what used to be new and exciting when I was a kid (the space shuttle) is now old space history.
I agree - it must have been so exciting in the '60s... really achieving things that at one point seemed impossible. Flying in near earth orbit growing tomatoes didn't really capture the imagination. Should have immediately set sights for Mars... even growing veggies there looks more exciting!
Here's one with everyone's favorite space man Elagabalus and a celestial reverse! TO THE MOOOOOOOOOOON! To anyone having a hard time connecting an ancient coin to the moon landings... there are tons of great coins with stars, moons, Sols... and others. Plus many deities that look like aliens and space people. PS: Once we storm Area 51, we'll finally know what all dem aliens look like!
I was 10 I remember it on the news they showed it over and over& over on small step for man one giant leap for mankind! also remember the eagle has landed depicted quite well here
I remember watching the event. Got to stay up passed bedtime. The neighbors came to our house to watch as they had no TV. I got these pieces a few years ago. I was happy to find them.
To anyone who doubts the moon landings, look at the parabolic arc of the moon dust when disturbed. Note how it falls and the distinct lack of any dust clouds. That's behavior you'll only see in a vacuum , and till today the biggest vaccum chamber on Earth is no bigger than a regular sized family room. and I don't know about you, but that landscape could not be replicated by any special effects until at least around 2010 with computer technology. No technology 50 years ago could have replicated this...
Supposedly "This coin contains a small amount of material from the actual Apollo 13 flight. The material has been flown into space around the Moon and back". Apollo 13 was April 11-17, 1970. While I'm not sure I buy the story - I still like the coin with it's detailed lunar surface and projectile space capsule. To keep this ancient - here's an Apollo: Roman Republican, C. Censorinus 88 BC, AR Denarius Rome mint Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right Rev: Horse galloping right; wheel and two stars above, palm frond in exergue Ref: Crawford 346/2b; Sydenham 714b; RSC 19b
These are kinda cool. 4.5 Billion Years old for the Moon Rock and Mars is perhaps 4.6 Billion. However, with the volcanic activity, this piece may be between 3.5 - 4.6 Billion... Grandkids will have fun with these...
Super jealous of the meteorite pieces,@Alegandron! Ive always wanted a lunar and Martian piece. I have a small piece of an unclassified meteorite, probably a couple of grams. Erin
I thought they were so cool, and snatched them up! My oldest artifacts at almost the age of the planet. Fun.
I watched this tonight... I cannot recommend it highly enough. The original film has been remastered and looks spectacular. What an amazing record of this seminal event. Look for a rerun.. truly amazing! “Apollo 11,” 9-11 p.m., CNN , It's a lush movie, using 70mm film, that has been running in theaters and (in a shortened version) on IMAX screens. ------- A star ...used by the ancients to signify an important event.. like the founding of Rome.
