Category: Culture

Posted on

Excitement

It was a truly exciting time. They went to the Moon in peace for all mankind. Everyone around the world watched it if they could.

We look back now after 50 years of technological progress, and find we couldn’t do it now. We don’t have the expertise, plain and simple. Despite iPhones, the Internet, Lady Gaga and heart transplants, no suitable technology is there.

In those days, it was a time for optimism. It’s hard to believe, given the way the USA is these days under the current President.

So, let’s give a big credit to the many science/space films there are, especially In The Shadow Of The Moon, which is astronauts talking about their experiences, and Apollo 11.

I saw this at the IMAX in London just recently. In 90 minutes or so, with no talking heads, no commentary, a few graphics and some appropriate music, it captures that optimism.

Most of the footage from space has been seen before (there is relatively little of it around of course, but it all looks as good as it can be), but the shots of the crowds at take off and of the control rooms is just great. Even though you know what happens, it’s hard not to get totally involved in it all. At my screening, there was a huge round of appluase at the end.

Don’t miss it. The bigger screen, the better.

My interest in space lead me to joing the British Interplanetary Society. I was a member and a fellow for 30 odd years.

Posted on

1969

Since we are thinking bout the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, it’s worth reminding ourselves of some of the other major things that happened that year.

1969 was the year that The Beatles released their last studio album, Abbey Road. Again, the cover has become an icon for the times. I don’t live that far away from the actual recording studios, and indeed have been inside. If you visit, there are hoardes of (usually foreign) visitors having their pictures taken.

There is to be a big Abbey Road box set, in the style of previous Beatle efforts, sometime later this year. The album is much loved, partly for the lack of Lennon sneery songs and partly because it was recorded by George Mrtin and the group in a relatively happy atmosphere. I am sure they all realised their days were numbered.

John married Yoko and they did bed ins (beds in?) for peace. And Brian Jones of the Stones died.

Also that year, the music festival Woodstock took place in New York. I watched the film of it just recently. There are some familiar names on the list of performers, like Hendrix, the Who, Janis Joplin and also acts long forgotten, like Quill and Bert Sommar. The four days of peace and love became something of a free-for-all, and rain made it very muddy. There was a good deal of anti-Vietnam war protesting, as you might expect. The film is great, especially on the big screen.

1969 was the year when the first steps towards an Internet were laid, with ARPANET beginning.

Led Zeppelin released their first album. So did King Crimson, still on the go and doing a 50th anniversary tour. The old stuff still sounds fresh and interesting.

Nixon was president that year. A complicated character, for sure. Concorde was being tested, and Scooby-Doo began on tv as did Monty Python.

Top films included The Italian Job (Michael Caine), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Midnight Cowboy. Al Pacino made his frst film and Elvis his last.

Posted on

Moon coverage

It’s great to see the proposed coverage on space events on TV. I can’t speak for all countries, but I know that Discovery in the USA is giving a lot of broadcast hours over to it.

Here in the UK, both BBC 4 and Channel 4 have very many programmes. As well as the films like For All Mankind, there are the old documentaries and some new ones. It seems there is still plenty to be said about the space race and the events of 1968, 69 and onwards.

As a television event at the time it was somewhat lacking. Black and white fuzzy pictures. But who cared. The excitement of the event was more than enough.

I remember Patrick Moore, James Burke and others covering the events so well.

I once had a holiday in Orlando. We spent three days in Disney, one in Cypress Gardens and one at Cape Kennedy.

Disney had a daily parade, and one car on that particular day contained Walter Cronkite and family.

In many ways, Mr Cronkite was the American face of space reporting. he knew the astronauts personally.