Tuesday, December 14, 2010

This is a plug for Spacecraft Films and Apollo Missions Past.

I was asked where one might find films about the Apollo missions and since I have some from Spacecraft Films I passed on a link to their website.  I thought if you have students that have not seen what went into going to the Moon that maybe what Spacecraft Films has put together would be of interest.
- LRK -

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http://www.spacecraftfilms.com/about-us.aspx
About Spacecraft Films
Spacecraft Films was founded in late 2001 by Mark Gray, who previously worked in the broadcast television business for 20 years, beginning as a producer and most recently as a Station Manager for two television stations in Charlotte, NC. Spacecraft Films was started after Mark left the broadcast business. Spacecraft Films is located in Columbus, Ohio.
Mark was born in the early 60's in Huntsville, Alabama, where his father worked for a NASA contractor. It was during these days that his passion for space exploration began. This study and interest in space exploration led directly to the founding of the company - born of desire to make the material available in complete form at a reasonable cost. The unique combination of television production experience and space exploration knowledge and interest brings excellent new value and accuracy to Spacecraft Films' products.
In addition, the company has a commitment to providing value back to the historical archive. Not only does Spacecraft Films provide excellent access to new transfers of historical material, but we also leave behind digital copies with the agency holding the record in order to help preserve the documentation of space history.
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If you aren't familiar with Spacecraft Films then take a look at the left hand navigation column and select any of the missions listed and see what they have to offer.  A lot of material.  I hope you will see that it is a lot more than JUST Been There and Done That.
- LRK -

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http://www.spacecraftfilms.com/
Welcome To Spacecraft Films - Now in our 9th Year!
The Spacecraft Films Blog will keep you up to date on production and information about the Best Space DVDs ever.
Last Chance for Project Mercury
We have fewer than 100 units of Mercury remaining, and will not be reprinting this set.
Project Mercury.

Restored Apollo 11 EVA
The complete Apollo 11 EVA, newly restored.
Order Now.

Live From The Moon
Now Available on DVD and in HD on Blu-ray, Live From the Moon is the story of Apollo television: how the world shared in the greatest explorations in history through the Apollo TV transmissions. Produced in HD and available on DVD and Blu-ray.
http://vimeo.com/4283086
Live From The Moon Preview
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I don't think I can adequately express my feelings of growing up with the Apollo missions.
Holding an old roll film Polaroid camera in front of a B/W TV to catch the first steps of landing on the Moon with Apollo 11 was quite an experience.  But, soon it became just a sound byte on TV.  The world sort of said, been there, done that until Apollo 13 and the possibility that all would be lost in space.  Apollo 14 took its place and later missions adjusted as the cost of fighting in Vietnam cut the Apollo missions short.  Apollo 17 was the last mission and the first with a scientist on board.  Here is a list of the missions on Wikipedia.

If you look at the list you will see that a lot of activity took place before we landed on the Moon with Apollo 11.
A lot of people were involved and a lot of excitement.
- LRK -

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apollo_missions
The Apollo missions were a series of space missions, both manned and unmanned, flown by NASA between 1961 and 1975. They culminated with a series of manned Moon landings between 1969 and 1972.

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As for the actual Moon landing portions of the Apollo era, you should take a look at the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal  (ALSJ).
What will it take to inspire your kids to look up?
- LRK -

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http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/
APOLLO Lunar Surface Journal
Edited by Eric M. Jones and Ken Glover.

Dedication: To Di and HP, the sources of my serenity;
and to the memory of my uncle, Leslie M. Jones,
who explored the upper atmosphere with rocket-borne instruments
and excited my interest in space.


The Apollo Lunar Surface Journal is a record of the lunar surface operations conducted by the six pairs of astronauts who landed on the Moon from 1969 through 1972. The Journal is intended as a resource for anyone wanting to know what happened during the missions and why. It includes a corrected transcript of all recorded conversations between the lunar surface crews and Houston. The Journal also contains extensive, interwoven commentary by the Editor and by ten of the twelve moonwalking astronauts.

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And if you are one that wants the facts, just the facts, and are interested in the numbers, then by all means, take a look at APOLLO By The Numbers, NASA SP-2000-4029.
- LRK -

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http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/SP-4029.htm
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_00a_Cover.htm
APOLLO BY THE NUMBERS:
A Statistical Reference

by
Richard W. Orloff

NASA History Division
Office of Policy and Plans
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546

NASA SP-2000-4029

2000
Revised, September 2004
  
ISBN 0-16-050631-X

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And for this season, let me leave you with the Christmas Eve broadcast of Apollo 8, December 24, 1968.
- LRK -

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http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo8_xmas.html

The Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/apollo8_xmas.mov

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.
William Anders:
"For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you".
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Jim Lovell:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

Frank Borman:
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."
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See also posting at Honeysuckle Creek. - LRK -
http://honeysucklecreek.net/msfn_missions/Apollo_8_mission/apollo8_video.html

The Apollo 8 view of Earth rise December 1968.  I am glad we went there and did that. - LRK -
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_102.html

Looking forward to see what we will see in 2011.  Happy Holidays.
Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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