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Post Lunacy Depression.
6 years ago
Hello Fellow FA Artists, Writers, Crafters, Musicians and other Creative persons here on FA.
Officially "Moon Day" or the 20th of July has come and gone, and over here in the Los Angeles area and Pasadena there were all sorts of Celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the day two American Astronauts first set foot on the Moon. I was looking forward to the day with anticipation of "Geeking out" with my tech savvy friends, and recounting our memories of the night when most of the world in 1969 got to watch the event unfold on Television. I was merely 12 years old, going on 13 at the time, and the most I recall of the event was the "Transparent" quality of the televised images, and of course my Dad constantly nudging me awake to tell me, "Better watch this Son. This is History."
MY Dad was working at Aerojet during the Apollo program, and once the Moon Flights ended, he was laid off, but after a little more than a year, he was working at another Aerospace Corporation which helped he and his family get through some pretty tough times. The 1970s seemed pretty depressing as it was with the Recession, The Vietnam War, Gas Shortages, Watergate and all, but it also had it's highlights for myself as well. It was the time when I graduated from High School, Started College, worked my first jobs as a Dishwasher and in a silk screen shop, and the Science Fiction craze started by Star Wars only helped to light the fires of my future ambitions. I really had "Big Stars" in my eyes as I fantasized about finishing College and getting into the Model building industry, either for the Movies, or at least at the Revell plant in Nearby Venice, CA.
I never landed either gig, but I did get a taste for it during my two month Tenure at Pacific Miniatures. There I learned how to prepare large Fiberglass models with Bondo and Spot Putty, and all the sanding I had to do made me very familiar with the contours of the C-5 and the C-130. Because of those experiences I still have a "Soft Spot" in my head for the old "Herky Bird", but I'm very glad I never continued working in those large scales for my hobby building as some of the models had wing spans so wide that it would require them to pay for hangar space.
There is a current trend that really "Bums me out" about this "Lunar Hoopla" though and that is this current denial that the Moon Landing never actually happened. Now I do agree with some of my friends that the whole Apollo program was more like a very expensive "Publicity Stunt" crafted by the US Government to help distract the populations from the troubles and turmoils taking place at the time. Still, I can't help but remember a lot of the folks I grew up with who lived through the time, and those who actually worked in the Aerospace programs of the time. To us then, it was all very real, and if anything, it helped to unite us all for a little while at least.
So once again, the Moon Landing is being used again, but this time as more of a marketing ploy to get American Consumers to buy more stuff. Most amusing to me are the "Moon" Oreo Cookies with their special "Cratered Moon" chocolate wafers and the rather unappetizing grey-purple, marshmallow flavored filling. There's Moon Landing themed Beer, Burgers, Store Discounts, plays and concerts with fireworks going on through the rest of the month, plus the net is full of historic images and videos to entice folks to... (Borrowing a term from "The Coneheads.) "Consume Mass Quantities."
Most telling of all for me though is a Cirque du Soleil show that's going on here at the nearby Rose Bowl. Apollo 11 has constructed an amazing, tent like structure to house the show's stage, and during my thrice weekly walks I watched them build the "Lunar Dome" and fill it with props. Unfortunately, the show has met with lackluster reviews, low attendance and it was criticized for "Not being technical enough" for the Techhie fans, or it was considered too confusing and difficult to understand. I still fancy seeing the "Immersive" Live Show, but with the tickets at such high prices I wonder if it would be worth going to see?
Perhaps it's going to take that "One small step" in the right direction.
"Peace."
Officially "Moon Day" or the 20th of July has come and gone, and over here in the Los Angeles area and Pasadena there were all sorts of Celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the day two American Astronauts first set foot on the Moon. I was looking forward to the day with anticipation of "Geeking out" with my tech savvy friends, and recounting our memories of the night when most of the world in 1969 got to watch the event unfold on Television. I was merely 12 years old, going on 13 at the time, and the most I recall of the event was the "Transparent" quality of the televised images, and of course my Dad constantly nudging me awake to tell me, "Better watch this Son. This is History."
MY Dad was working at Aerojet during the Apollo program, and once the Moon Flights ended, he was laid off, but after a little more than a year, he was working at another Aerospace Corporation which helped he and his family get through some pretty tough times. The 1970s seemed pretty depressing as it was with the Recession, The Vietnam War, Gas Shortages, Watergate and all, but it also had it's highlights for myself as well. It was the time when I graduated from High School, Started College, worked my first jobs as a Dishwasher and in a silk screen shop, and the Science Fiction craze started by Star Wars only helped to light the fires of my future ambitions. I really had "Big Stars" in my eyes as I fantasized about finishing College and getting into the Model building industry, either for the Movies, or at least at the Revell plant in Nearby Venice, CA.
I never landed either gig, but I did get a taste for it during my two month Tenure at Pacific Miniatures. There I learned how to prepare large Fiberglass models with Bondo and Spot Putty, and all the sanding I had to do made me very familiar with the contours of the C-5 and the C-130. Because of those experiences I still have a "Soft Spot" in my head for the old "Herky Bird", but I'm very glad I never continued working in those large scales for my hobby building as some of the models had wing spans so wide that it would require them to pay for hangar space.
There is a current trend that really "Bums me out" about this "Lunar Hoopla" though and that is this current denial that the Moon Landing never actually happened. Now I do agree with some of my friends that the whole Apollo program was more like a very expensive "Publicity Stunt" crafted by the US Government to help distract the populations from the troubles and turmoils taking place at the time. Still, I can't help but remember a lot of the folks I grew up with who lived through the time, and those who actually worked in the Aerospace programs of the time. To us then, it was all very real, and if anything, it helped to unite us all for a little while at least.
So once again, the Moon Landing is being used again, but this time as more of a marketing ploy to get American Consumers to buy more stuff. Most amusing to me are the "Moon" Oreo Cookies with their special "Cratered Moon" chocolate wafers and the rather unappetizing grey-purple, marshmallow flavored filling. There's Moon Landing themed Beer, Burgers, Store Discounts, plays and concerts with fireworks going on through the rest of the month, plus the net is full of historic images and videos to entice folks to... (Borrowing a term from "The Coneheads.) "Consume Mass Quantities."
Most telling of all for me though is a Cirque du Soleil show that's going on here at the nearby Rose Bowl. Apollo 11 has constructed an amazing, tent like structure to house the show's stage, and during my thrice weekly walks I watched them build the "Lunar Dome" and fill it with props. Unfortunately, the show has met with lackluster reviews, low attendance and it was criticized for "Not being technical enough" for the Techhie fans, or it was considered too confusing and difficult to understand. I still fancy seeing the "Immersive" Live Show, but with the tickets at such high prices I wonder if it would be worth going to see?
Perhaps it's going to take that "One small step" in the right direction.
"Peace."
That'll be one hell of a badass 'landing'
Marines landed on the sea of tranquility, 1969
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ.....M5CKUjx6grh54g
Enjoy!
We still have yet to have a fully self-contained transportation module and habitat in a zero-G environment. Even at its shortest, a round trip would be a year. At the perigee, Mars is still a 6 month trip. A point it reaches once about every 2 and a quarter years. So call it at least 13 to 14 months of travel time. So that's a huge thing we need to address.
While the Biosphere did manage a 2 year stint, that was still under terrestrial conditions, and it had a few issues that nobody's tested workarounds for in an enclosed, long-term situation, if I recall correctly, in the past almost 30 years (yes, it's been that long since the first experiment).
Second. They'd have to spend a little time on Mars proper, even it it was a week or two, because that'd be the entire point of the trip; not just 'can we make it there', but also 'can we land and return'. So the fuel for achieving orbit, landing on Mars, lift off, and sling shot back to Earth.
So now we're at a year and a quarter. That's a lot of food and water to deal with. Not to mention all the exposure to solar radiation. The Apollo folks only did a few days worth outside the belts. We're talking over a year here. So the shielding mass would be important. So that feeds into the fuel budget (which also goes into the mass budget).
Time, lots of money ... and folks are going to be looking at our current debt and wondering if that expenditure is necessary.
Anyone else feeling that the "one giant leap for mankind" has been more like a stumble in the dark?
Roughly translated, "Ooh, look! We don't even have to pretend our product has anything to do with an honorable, historic event! Buy our junk, anyway!"
sometimes I pondered selling it. but then I was like, "Naah, you can't sell history."
now let's wait for Revell to relaunch (heh) their moon lander model kit. I might buy it this time.
and wasn't there a moon vehicle kit, too? might be interesting to recreate more details about space faring, even the russian ones. who knows, it might re-trigger the enthusiasm of the past...