When We Left Earth - Broadcast (gameday) thread

[broncosteven]

Any one else watching the Great Gene Kranz on the Discovery Channel?

I rented "Shadows on the Moon" last weekend, was a good documentary, I recommend it highly but they didn't have Neil Armstrong and only a few frames of Gene Kranz.

I was excited when I saw Neil talking about the X-15 on When we left Earth.

BTW It looks like Gene has his Apollo 13 splashdown vest, his wife made one per Apollo mission. He only wore white for spalsh downs.

[broncosteven]

Gene has to plan for EVA 2 missions ahead of plans! this will be a good segment!

[broncosteven]

JIIIIIIMMMMMMMMM Lovel!

[broncosteven]

Neil Actually talking on film about Gemini 8! You dolts don't know what a big thing it is to have the reclusive Neil Armstrong on a new documentary.

Can't wait for him to talk about Apollo 11!

So far nothing much new on the show but glad they landed Neil and Gene!

[BroncoBuff]

When does it repeat?

[24champ]

[sees framed newspaper article about moon landing]

No Way! That's...

[chuckles]

WE'VE LANDED ON THE MOON!

-Lloyd Christmas

[TheReverend]

Rarely does one get to witness one of the world's greatest man-crushes in action. I'm priveledged to be apart of this, Broncosteven

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

When does it repeat?

probably after deadliest catch season1 marathons every other weekend...

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/nasa.html

I have DVR set for every Sunday at 9 eastern. They got through Gemini last night, guessing that they do a Saturn/Von Braun episode. I expect to see the footage of Von Braun surrendering to Americans with his broken arm again followed by his stay at White Sands and Huntsville as they designed and tesed the Saturn series.

The best Von Braun story is how he mothballed a Redstone for a couple of years(against Army orders to not persue Redstone testing), waited for Vangard (designed and built at pre-JPL, JPL) to fail, then rolled it out to successfully launch the USA's 1st satellite, which actually did science - it discovered the Van Allen belt. That, and his selling his soul to the Nazi's so he, Oberth, and their rocket club could get funding for rocket research. Oh and how he and his brother in the last days of the war were able to outwitt said Nazi's, who had implemented a "Sorched Earth" policy destroying all material and machines so they would not fall into Russian hands, and move some remaining V-2's and their team (5,000 civilians) southeast into the mountains of Bavaria. He moved tons of V-2 gear and people little by little from Mittlework and Nordhousen to empty mine shafts in Bavaria and waited out the end of the war in a resort, all on bogus orders and lots of bluffing of SS guards.

Then I bet they have an hour on Apollo 1 disaster, I hope that they read Gene's "Tough and Competent" speach that he issued after Apollo 1 fire. One of the greatest speaches ever made in the history of mankind.
Followed by Apollo 7 and the decision to go around Moon in Apollo 8.

I then hope they spend an hour talking about Apollo 9 and 10 as well as how the Lunar Lander was designed by Tom Kelly's team at Grumman Before actually having Neil ****ing Armstrong ( I can't believe they got Neil to talk on camera! this is huge!) talk about Apollo 11.

Al Bean should then talk about Apollo 12, he is a cool guy for an astronaut, and I would cover Apollo 14 on same episode. Do an hour on Apollo 13 with Gene Kranz and "the other Gene", Gene Lunney, talking about their Tiger team's with Lovell esplaining what happened in the capsule.

I would then spend an hour on Apollo 15, the mission that completed the Science quest of the moon missions, how the moon was created. Before wrapping up the last hour on Apollo 16 and 17, John Young is boring, Eugene Cernan is kind of cool in a Sinatra hipster way.

Not sure if they will cover the Deke Slayton mission, Apollo Soyuz, or Skylab. Both missions were created out of left over parts, though Skylab is interesting. Sy Liebergot tells some good dirt on Skylab in his book "Apollo Eecom". Gunther Wendt has some great stories in his "Unbroken Chain" book.

I hope they cover how they setup the tracking stations around the world also as that was a huge undertaking, Canberra in particluar as I think it was the station that the feed from Apollo 11 came through.

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by broncosteven

I was excited when I saw Neil talking about the X-15 on When we left Earth.

I rewatched the x-15 part at the begining over and over today.

I wish Milt Thompson was still alive, he wrote a kick assed book on the X-15 program called "At the Edge of Space". Neil did the forward. It was one of the best NASA books I have ever read. I thought about Milt when Burt Rutan and his team won the X-prize based on a lose X-15 type of design.

Would have been cool to have an X-plane hour.

[tsiguy96]

hahaha i so want to see someone come in and say the moon landing was faked just to see your reaction

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by tsiguy96

hahaha i so want to see someone come in and say the moon landing was faked just to see your reaction

People still say the world is really flat.

[Dutch]

Pretty cool timing on this one for me as my younger Bro' just sent me "From the Earth to the Moon" the HBO miniseries from '98 produced by Tom Hanks for my BDay. Just finished the first three episodes this evening. Great stuff. My wife was born in '72 and doesn't seem to have the same connection with the space program that people my age and a little older do. She has really enjoyed it so far. We'll be screening the "When We Left Earth" series On Demand after this is done, probably rewatch "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff" as well while we are at it.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by tsiguy96

hahaha i so want to see someone come in and say the moon landing was faked just to see your reaction

Same ones who say our Gov were the ones who blew up the WTS...Idiots.

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Pretty cool timing on this one for me as my younger Bro' just sent me "From the Earth to the Moon" the HBO miniseries from '98 produced by Tom Hanks for my BDay. Just finished the first three episodes this evening. Great stuff. My wife was born in '72 and doesn't seem to have the same connection with the space program that people my age and a little older do. She has really enjoyed it so far. We'll be screening the "When We Left Earth" series On Demand after this is done, probably rewatch "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff" as well while we are at it.

I like the Apollo 12 one, Al Bean was funny.

[broncosteven]

So who else is excited about another WWLE episode!

[broncosteven]

The countdown is giving me wood!

[broncosteven]

Gene Leads off the Apollo 1 episode!

[TheReverend]

Honestly, I'd pay money for you to do an extremely excited play by play.

[broncosteven]

I think it is sad they brushed over Apollo1, Grissom was going to be 1st man on moon had he not died per Dick Slayton.

Apollo7 was an interesting story also.

[broncosteven]

Neil!

[TheReverend]

Originally Posted by broncosteven

Neil!

Dan Neil landed on the moon...?

[broncosteven]

I need a kleenex after Genes Apollo11 Team speach!

[TheReverend]

Originally Posted by broncosteven

I need a kleenex after Genes Apollo11 Team speach!

Remember the Titans and My Girl do that to me.

[TheReverend]

I'm here for ya, need a man-hug?

[watermock]

copy that, I've got signal.