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Junes edition, interview with Jenny Winder, review of the apollo missions, the night sky in June
Citation preview
stronomy Wise stronomy Wise
Interview
Jenny Winder
Saturn's Moon
Enceladus
In The News
Sun Spots
The Night Sky
BIS Northern
meeting– York
www.Astronomy-Wise.com
The Race To the
Moon
June 2012 Edition
Issue 5
Image By James Lennie— Jupiter
Twitter @james_lennie
James’s comments
Jupiter through Avistack and managed 654 frames to stack. 6"
Refractor and Canon 500d
Astronomy Wise
2012 June
5th-6th
Transit of
Venus
Welcome to another edition of the Astronomy Wise newsletter. June proves to be
an exciting month with history being made. This month is a chance to see a once
in a lifetime astronomical event, the transit of Venus.
Last month (May) we witnessed a large sun spot. So for this edition we are going
to have a look at sun spots.
We also have an interview with Jenny Winder also known as Astrojenny on twitter.
Jenny will give us an insight into her work writing for various websites and broad-
casting on Under British Skies.
Image: Ray Gilchrist
Twitter: @RayGil
http://www.raygilchrist.co.uk/solar.html
Newsletter Credits:
Design: Edward Dunn
Editor: Dave Bood
Writer: Jason Ives & Dave Bood
Images: Ray Gilchrist, James Lennie,
Christopher Almey & NASA
Page 2
the moons Southern
polar region. Cassini
also discovered an
Internal heat source
coming form the same
region. The spacecraft as
shown that Enceladus is
geologically active. This
is possibly caused by
tidal forces acting on the
moon which are similar
to those acting on Jupi-
ter’s moon Io. Enceladus
may prove to be a great
interest so scientists in
the field of astrobiology.
Below
NASA: False-
colour Cassini
image of jets
in the
southern
hemisphere
of
Enceladus
wide range of terrains.
The terrain features
some heavily created
areas and newly formed
ice which could be less
than 100 million years
old.
In 2005 the spacecraft
Cassini did some close
flybys and revealed more
of the surface and
environment in greater
detail. One such
discovery was a water
rich plume venting from
Features
Enceladus
BIS Meeting York
The Race To The Moon
Sun Spots
Men On The Moon
Jenny Winder Interview
News form the WWW
The Night Sky
A Journey to Enceladus (en-sell-ah-dus)
This month Saturn is still in our night sky, so
following on from Titan Last month , we are going to
have a brief look at Enceladus.
In Greek mythology Enceladus was a titan who was
defeated in battle and buried under mount Ento by
Athena (nineplanets).
Enceladus was discovered by Herschel in 1789.
Now an interesting fact about Enceladus is that it is
the most reflective object in our solar system with an
albedo bond value of 0.99. For those who do not
know the albedo value is the amount of light reflected
by an object.
Voyager 1 discovered that this moon, orbits in the
most densest part of Saturn’s diffuse E Ring.
Voyager 2 found while the moon is small it has a
Astronomy Wise
Mean Radius 247 Km
Equatorial Circumference 1584 km
Volume 7,113,076 km3
Mass 1.0794 x 1020 kg
Surface Area 798,648.27 km2
Surface gravity 0.113 m/s2
Orbit Velocity 45,487.3 km/h
Facts Source: NASA
Astronomy Wise
The British Interplanetary Society Northern meeting York 19/5/12
With an early start for a Saturday morning, my wife, 2 sons
and me drove from Bridlington to York City. The event doors
opened at 9:00am, this gave us plenty of time starting off at
07:30 to get to York, get lost and finally find the venue. The
venue was held at the Priory Street Centre which comes off
Micklegate.
The event was Co hosted between the BIS and York
Astronomical Society with Mr. Gurbir Singh (BIS) taking the
lead as the main host. First up was Dr. J R Cain talking
about Lunar Dust: The Hazard and Astronaut Exposure Risks.
This was an interesting subject . We all have the romantic
image of landing on the moon and moon walks, but do we
ever think about all the dust on the moons surface? Do we
think of the impact on humans and equipment of this cosmic
bombarded lunar dust. Dr Cain put together a well received
presentation and I was lucky enough to obtain his paper
published online October 2010. Following on was a talk by
David Woods on “How Apollo Flew To The Moon”. Again we
had an interesting and informative talk, David again put
across the issues and problems the Apollo missions
experienced from day to day tasks such as going to the
toilet.
After the lunch break we had a talk by Mike Hall (FBIS) ON “China Long March to
Tiangong”. Mike was called in at short notice to deliver his presentation, he gave
us an insight into China’s space explorations and some history into modern China.
Mr. Gurbir Singh gave us an insight into the BIS and a presentation on its founding
members and a brief history of the society. Finally Martin Dawson who is a mem-
ber of the York Astronomical Society gave an entertaining talk on German Rocket
Development.
I would like to thank all those involved with the presentations and running the
event myself and my family enjoyed the day….
Dr John Cain
Page 2 Astronomy Wise
Annular Eclipse Toyama may 2012
The Race To The Moon John F. Kennedy
John F.Kennedy was passionate in the race for space, more importantly, the race to prove that
America was far superior in every way to the Russians. In 1957 the Russians beat the Americans in
that race. From then on it was a race to the moon. Kennedy felt that America
had been humiliated by the Russians and was determined, at all costs, that
they would not be beaten to the moon. Sadly he never got to witness the
landing of Apollo 11 and Neil and Buzz walking on the moon and the other
missions that followed and the dramas that came with them, all of which I
firmly believe would never have happened if not for Kennedy's passion and
belief that America was the greatest nation on the planet and his determina-
tion to prove it by sending a man to the moon. Over
the next few years Kennedy traveled the country
giving many speeches, in football stadia, schools and in government,
trying to convince and create support for what he believed would be the
greatest step for man kind. I have put this article together to give a little
insight into how he got his way. So, Why this speech in Houston? There’s
more here than just a speech in a football stadium. Kennedy was working
to save the space initiative, and to make America more secure. In his
quest, Kennedy lays out the reasons why they needed a strong science
research program funded by the federal government. Below is part of
the speech Kennedy made at Rice University, Houston, Texas in 1962. In
his quest, Kennedy lays out the reasons why they needed a strong science
research program funded by the federal government. " There is no strife,
no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are
hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its
opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why
choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years
ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to
the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are
hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills,
because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and
one which we intend to win, and the others, too. " President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) awoke
on April 12, 1961, to the news that the Soviet Union had won the race to put a man into space.
Kennedy immediately met with Vice President Lyndon Johnson in the White House to discuss the
embarrassment of the Soviets beating America again. “Can we put a man on the moon before
them?” Kennedy asked. A few weeks later, Kennedy challenged the nation to “commit itself to
achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him
safely to earth.” Kennedy challenged Congress and the imaginations of all Americans a few weeks
later, when on May 25, in a special Joint Session of Congress, he proposed a Moon exploration
program. In a speech outlining defence and foreign policy needs to make the U.S. secure and safe
against threats from Soviet communism, or any other nation or faction, Kennedy spoke openly
about the space race that had been waged since October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union became
the first nation on Earth to orbit an artificial satellite, Sputnik.
This is a draft of what Kennedy told Congress in that part of the speech:
" Finally, if we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and
tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made
(Continued on page 7)
clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men
everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take. Since
early in my term, our efforts in space have been under review. With the advice of the Vice President,
who is Chairman of the National Space Council, we have examined where we are strong and where
we are not, where we may succeed and where we may not. Now it is time to take longer
strides–time for a great new American enterprise–time for this nation to take a clearly leading role
in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.
I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we
have never made the national decisions or marshalled the national resources required for such
leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our
resources and our time so as to insure their fulfilment.
Recognising the head start obtained by the Soviets with their large rocket engines, which gives them
many months of lead time, and recognising the likelihood that they will exploit this lead for some
time to come in still more impressive successes, we nevertheless are required to make new efforts
on our own. For while we cannot guarantee that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that
any failure to make this effort will make us last. We take an additional risk by making it in full view
of the world, but as shown by the feat of astronaut Shepard, this very risk enhances our stature
when we are successful. But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our eagerness
to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others. We go into space because whatever
mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.
I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space
activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals:
First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out,
of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this
period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of
space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.
We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft. We propose to
develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until
certain which is superior. We propose additional funds for other engine development and for
unmanned explorations–explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this
nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight. But in a very
real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon–if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will
be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there. "
The race was on, the Soviet Union’s massive rocket engines gave them a decided ad-
vantage. Kennedy’s challenge captured the imagination of Americans and America and the
necessary money flowed from Congress, but not in a completely free flow. Some opposed the
nation’s efforts in space exploration because they thought spending on space exploration was
distracted from the nation’s defence efforts. Kennedy continued to stress the connection between
space exploration and defence. He was backed by successes Alan Shepard who had successfully
launched into space and returned safely and on February 20, 1962, pilot John Glenn orbited the
Earth three times, catching the U.S. up almost to where the Soviet Union was in manned space
exploration.
Kennedy understood that constant attention, the constant selling of the space program would be
necessary, so in September 1962 he found himself in Houston, the newly-designated home of the
manned space program, and he took the opportunity to cast the American goals in the space race as
peaceful, good for all mankind, and definitely worth the massive costs.
Notice in how he casts putting a man on the Moon in league with other great achievements of
civilisation,
notice too how he relates space exploration to practical applications then in existence, such as
communication, navigation of ships at sea, and weather forecasting. This was years before
geosynchronous satellites were used for everyday
telephone conversations, years before quantum theory
was harnessed for Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
and mobile phones, before the newly-invented printed
circuits were miniaturised to make computer calculating
a possibility in space — the Moon landing was done with
slide rules and hand calculations.
Just over 14 months later Kennedy was killed in Dallas,
Texas, on November 22, 1963.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
landed the Eagle Lunar Module on the Moon, at the Sea
of Tranquillity. A few hours later, on July 21, they
stepped out on the Moon. From Kennedy’s speech to
Congress, the task had taken 8 years, one month and
26 days.
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, with Neil Armstrong, the U.S.
flag, and the Eagle Lunar Module reflected in his helmet
visor, July 21, 1969
Written by Jason Ives
Image Below: Ray Gilchrist
Image: (above) Christopher Almey (Bridlington)
Image Left: James Lennie
10" Reflector and Canon 500D
FL1200mm
Sunspots by Dave Bood
Fun
Sunspots are temporary features that appear on the photosphere of the sun.
Depending on their size, they can last from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.
Sunspots are magnetic regions which normally form in groups with two sets of
Spots. These will have a positive or north pole and a negative or south pole.
Magnetic fields are stronger in the darker areas which are called the umbra and
the lighter areas have a weaker magnetic field called the penumbra.
(Solar Science)
Viewing from earth sun spots appear dark, this is because in terms of the sun
they are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. The photosphere temperature
Is about 5700 K where the centre of the sun spot drops to about 3700 K.
Some Sun Facts
Diameter 1.4 million km : Effective temperature 5,500° c (5777K)
Ref: solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov
Images
Special thank you to Ray Gilchrist who kindly gave us permission to use this image
http://www.raygilchrist.co.uk/
Sunspots by Dave Bood
Image
Dave Bood Summer 2011
Astronomy Wise
Lets Talk…….Jenny Winder
This months interview comes from the world of tweeting, blogging, article
writing and broadcasting. Jenny has a keen interest in astronomy and a passion
for developing her knowledge via the open university education system. I first
became aware of Jenny’s work via twitter and have found her tweets and articles
interesting . I am pleased Jenny has agreed to share a bit of her life with us so
without any more delay , the Jenny Winder Interview
AW: When did you first become interested in Astronomy?
JW: When I was 5 years old my father showed me Saturn through a telescope and
I was hooked for life. I could already recognise three stars of Orion's belt , Cassio-
peia and The Plough, but seeing Saturn for the first time was jaw dropping. Unlike
any other object in the sky, Saturn's rings mean you have a real sense of a 3
dimensional planet, suspended in space. It never fails to thrill me and remains my
sciences or astronomy?
JW: I am hopelessly
addicted to the Open
University and have
taken just about every
astrophysics course they
have to offer! All their
courses should come with
a health warning! I
always swear this one
will be my last, especially
when I am struggling
with a tricky assignment
or end of course assess-
ment, but once I have
submitted the last piece
of work, my fingers start
itching to flick through
the prospectus again and
pick my next course!
AW: What current
projects are you
working ?
JW: I have been promis-
ing myself for years that
I will take the leap into
astrophotography. This is
a huge step for me, I am
a total technophobe! No
GoTo scopes or motor
favourite target to
this day.
AW: Are you a
member of any
Astronomical groups or
societies?
JW: I'm ashamed to say
that I am not! Before I
got my first scope I did
visit a few star parties to
try out different equip-
ment and would
recommend that to
anyone starting out, but
since then I have pretty
much gone it alone.
AW: Have you studied at
college/University in
Page 2 Astronomy Wise
drives for me. I am
happy with my 10”
dobsonian or a pair of
binoculars and my
terrestrial photography is
usually over exposed, out
of focus, heads cut off
and my thumb over the
lens! But this year I plan
to bite the bullet and so
am looking around for a
good 'astrophotography
for idiots' course.
AW: Tell us about your
writing and broadcasting?
JW: I am currently one
of the presenting team
on Under British Skies for
Asronomy.FM Radio (the
only 24-hour internet
radio station in the
known universe, dedicated to astronomy
in particular and science
in general) and I am also
very proud to be writing
for Universe Today and I
contribute monthly
starguides for various
online publications,
most ,
notably for Urban Times.
Lets Talk…….Jenny Winder
Image: Jenny Winder
AW: What is Under British skies about?
UBS is a monthly round-up of UK and European astronomy news, views and
interviews. We also cover all major UK based astronomy events. It first came
on air in February 2010 and is broadcast live every 3rd Sunday of each month, at
8pm (GMT). The presenting team comprise Richie Jarvis, Paul Harper, Nick
Evetts, Iain Melville, Nick Howes, Sam Hawkins and myself. Listeners can join
the online chatroom, where the team post links to illustrate the topics discussed
and where listeners can post comments and questions to the team during the
show. The shows are great fun to do! There is a lot of banter & good natured leg
pulling.
Astronomy Wise
Lets Talk…….Jenny Winder
AW: What do you like most about Astronomy?
Simply looking up. Being able to find an object in the sky, know what it is, what it
is called, how it got there and something of the processes involved in making our
universe really excites me. People often say the stars make them feel insignifi-
cant, but to go out to a dark sky site and look up, let the enormity of the universe
in I find incredibly empowering.
JW: What other hobbies do you have?
I play harp and sing and love all types of music. The other thing my father did for
me when I was 5, the same year he got me hooked on astronomy, was to take me
to see my first opera, Puccini's Madam Butterfly at Covent Garden. Music has been
a huge part of my life ever since then. I read constantly too and feel undressed
without a book in my hand. I also enjoy needlework.
And finally the last few words from Jenny………
I was born in London and lived there till I was 30, working in publishing. Then I
moved to the South Coast, where I ran various pubs and music clubs and met and
married my Husband and where our two children were born, now both teenagers.
My Husband is a Yorkshireman and we moved back here 12 years ago. I am a
prolific poster on Twitter, Facebook and Google+
Useful Links
http://astronomy.fm/under-british-skies/
www.universetoday.com/
www.theurbn.com/author/jenny-winder/
Page 2 Astronomy Wise
In the News
The big news in May was
the first commercial
space flight to the ISS.
Hawthorne, CA – Today,
Space Exploration
Technologies (SpaceX)
made history when its
Dragon spacecraft
became the first com-
mercial vehicle in history
to successfully attach to
the International Space
Station. Previously only
four governments – the
United States, Russia,
Japan and the European
Space Agency – had
achieved this challenging
technical feat.
(Space X website)
The Transit of Venus:
June 5-6, 2012
ScienceDaily (May 28,
2012) — Many astrono-
mers and members of
the public in Britain will
be getting up early on
the morning of June 6, so
they can see (using pre-
cautions to avoid perma-
nent eye damage)* the
final Transit of Venus of
the 21st century. The
Transit, when Venus
passes directly between
Earth and the Sun, was
last seen in 2004 and will
not happen again until
the year 2117.
News from the World Wide Web
Image Top: 2004 transit of
Venus : Source Wikipedia
Image Bottom: Space X
spaceship: Source NASA
The Night Sky In June 2012
The Moon (time Universal Time)
4TH FULL MOON 11:12
11TH LAST QUARTER 10:41
19TH NEW MOON 15:02
27TH FIRST QUARTER 03:30
CALENDER JUNE 2012
1ST 5am Saturn 5° N of the Moon
3rd 1pm the Moon is at perigee
4th 11am full moon
5th 6am Neptune Stationary
6th Venus is in inferior conjunction and in transit
10th 5am Neptune is 6° S of the Moon
11th 11am last quarter of the Moon
12th Pallas 0.8° S of the Moon
13th 1am Uranus is 5° S of the Moon
15th 6am Venus is 4° N od Aldebaran
17th 8am Jupiter is 1.1° of the Moon
18th Venus 2° S of the moon
19th New moon
20th Summer Solstice
21st 6pm Mercury is 5° S of Pollux and at 7pm 6° N of the moon
24th Asteroid (18) Melpomene is at opposition Mag +9.4
26th 9am Saturn stationary 3pm Mars 6° N of the moon
27th 4am first quarter moon, Venus stationary
28th 12pm Saturn is 6° N of the moon
29th 3pm dwarf planet Pluto is in opposition
The Planets Re-published with permission from an original post by Derek Shirlaw
(www.derekshirlaw.co.uk)
Keep an eye out for Mercury which is visible to the west just after sunset for the first week or so of
June. Venus is now heading towards partially and very briefly intersecting our view of the Sun and come
June 5th it’ll be in transit across the star at the centre of our solar system. For the rest of the month, it’ll
become difficult to see as it’ll be up during daytime when sunlight drowns out any visible reflected light
from the planet’s surface. Gaze upwards before dawn and you might see Jupiter. The gas giant can be
spotted just before sunrise to the east. It’s getting harder to spot with the increasingly lighter nights, but
if you can find the constellation of Leo this month before it sets, you’ll be able to find Mars. Saturn re-
mains in the constellation of Virgo, close to the bright star Spica, but it too will be low to the south-
western horizon by darkness. If you’re looking to find the outermost planets Uranus and Neptune you’ll
need the help of a telescope as these aren’t visible to the naked eye.
MEN ON THE MOON
THE LUCKY LANDERS
John F.Kennedy had a dream that America would be the first nation to launch a man into space. In 1957
his dream was dashed with news that Russia had placed Yuri Gagarin into the history books. Frustrated
by this but not deterred, he set his sights on an American being the first to the Moon at all costs. After
years of pressing and countless speeches trying to gain the bottomless pit of funding, Kennedy got his
dream realised, sadly, 6 years after his death. This article is a brief insight into America's dream team,
who because of Kennedy's dream, made history.
First: Neil Armstrong. Neil was launched into space twice, firstly on
board Gemini viii and then as commander of Apollo 11. Neil Arm-
strong was the first man on the moon and spent a total of 21hrs
31mins on the surface of the Moon.
Second: Buzz Aldrin. Buzz was launched into space twice, firstly on
board Gemini vii and then as cosmos-naught on board Apollo 11.
Even though buzz was the second man to step foot on the Moon,
Buzz was the most famous man first photographed on the moon as
Neil was the man behind the camera. He spent a total of 21hrs 31mins on the moon.
Third: Pete Conrad. Pete was a four times traveller into space, first on board Gemini 5 and then 11, but
then followed Neil as the commander of Apollo 12 and spent a total of 31hrs-31mins on the lunar
surface. He was also a member of Skylab 4. Pete famously said as he set foot on the Moon " That might
have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me "
Forth: Alan bean. Alan was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 12 and was also a member of Skylab 3. Most
notably, Alan is the only artist to have visited the Moon. Alan was on the lunar surface for 31hrs-31mins
Fifth: Alan Shepard. Alan only travelled into space twice. Firstly with freedom 7 and then as commander
of Apollo 14. Alan was originally scheduled to be the commander of Apollo 13 which famously met with
difficulties, maybe if this had never happened, the lunar program might never have continued. Alan was
also the first man to play golf on the Moon. Al Shepard spent a total of 1d 9hrs 31 on the Moon. Most
famously Alan was the first American in space.
Sixth: Edgar Mitchell. Having served as a back up to other crews and being cancelled from Apollo 13,
Edgar finally made the big Step on Apollo 14, serving as lunar module pilot. Edgar spent a total of 1d
9hrs 30 mins on the Moon.
Seventh: David Scott. David was lucky enough to travel into space three times, Gemini VIII, Apollo 9 and
then Apollo 15. David's place in lunar history is firmly set as he was the first man to drive on the Moon,
the lunar rover. He also conducted an experiment aimed at proving Galileo's theory. He conducted an
experiment by dropping a hammer and a goose feather at the same time, which undoubtedly proves
what Galileo said but most importantly, because the experiment was filmed, that they were on the moon,
why?, simply because the hammer and the feather land on the surface at the same time!
Eighth: Jim Irwin. Jim only travelled once into space on board Apollo 15 as lunar module pilot. He spent a
total of 2d 18hrs 54mins on the Moon.
Ninth: John Young. John is by far the most travelled of the lunar astronaut, or any since having flown
into space six times. Gemini 3, Gemini 10, Apollo 10, Apollo 16, STS-1, STS-9. John spent 2d 23hrs
2mins on the Moon .
Of all astronauts, John holds the record for having the lowest heart rate during a launch into space at a
mere 70bts per minute.
Tenth: Charlie Duke. Charlie only travelled once into space and that was to the Moon on board Apollo 16
and spent 2d 23hrs 2mins on the surface. Charlie most famously was Capcom on Apollo 11, after Neil
Armstrong said those famous words Charlie replied " Roger Tranquillity, we copy you down. You got a
bunch of guys about to turn blue...we're breathing again"
Eleventh: Gene Cernan. Gene flew in space three times, Gemini 9, Apollo 10 and finally as commander
of Apollo 17. Gene spent 3d 2hrs 59mins on the moon and famous for being the last man to stand on
the Moon.
Twelve: Harrison Schmitt. Harrison flew only once into space on board Apollo 17. Apollo 17 was the final
mission to the Moon and how appropriate that they took the first geologist on its last flight, this besides,
Harrison took one of the most famous photographs in history, the " Blue Marble " picture of the earth.
He spent 3d 2hrs 59mins.
All twelve came from a highly technical background and all but one studied aeronautical or
astronautically engineering. Growing up, many had been Boy Scouts and even more were active
members of their University fraternities. They all went on to study for further degrees – many at
military test pilot schools – and almost all of them saw active service in cold war skies, often flying
nuclear weapons behind enemy lines. These high-risk professions often claimed the lives of those to the
left and right of them and frequently it was only luck that kept them alive long enough to apply to
NASA.
We might expect such parallel lives in men picked through a selection process devised to seek out "the
right stuff", but despite the similarities in their CVs, no two of these men were from the same mould, as
became evident in the years after the Apollo missions.
The Daring Dozen:
Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio in 1930. His path to the moon began in 1949
while he was studying aerospace engineering, when he was called up by the
US Navy. He flew 78 combat missions in Korea before returning to finish his
studies. Armstrong became a test pilot in 1955 and then joined NASA in 1962
as part of its second astronaut intake. He had only spent 10 hours in space
when he was selected as commander on the Apollo 11 lunar mission. In the
summer of 1969 he became the first man to walk on the Moon and the only
civilian to walk on the moon as Neil had left military service. Following Apollo
11 Armstrong announced that he did not plan to fly in space again. He left NASA in August 1971
and taught for eight years at the University of Cincinnati. His authorised biography First Man was
published in 2005, setting straight many of the rumours and myths that had emerged over the decades.
Buzz Aldrin was born in 1930 in New Jersey. His father was an aviation
pioneer and instilled in him a lifelong love of flying. He went on to join the
US Air Force, flying 66 combat missions in Korea and carrying nuclear
weapons under his wing during the cold war. Unlike the other astronaut
candidates Aldrin was not a test pilot and believed his only chance of being
selected was to study the emerging field of orbital rendezvous.
It worked and in 1963 he joined NASA's third intake of astronauts. He was
soon known affectionately as Dr Rendezvous. Twists of fate and a talent for
problem solving propelled him onto the crew for Apollo 11 and in July 1969 he co-piloted the first
landing on the moon. Aldrin didn't enjoy the limelight that followed and later admitted he would
have preferred to put his scientific talents to greater use on a later, less historic flight. Alcoholism
and depression plagued the next 15 years of his life. But in the mid-1980s he returned to orbital
mechanics, devising what became known as the Aldrin cycler, a spacecraft trajectory that he
believed could lead the first manned mission to Mars.
Charles 'Pete' Conrad was born in 1930 in Pennsylvania. As a student he battled dyslexia, but was
obsessed with flying and obtained his pilot's licence before leaving high
school. After graduating in aeronautical engineering from Princeton, he
joined the US Navy and became a flight instructor. He was rejected by
NASAs at his first attempt in 1959 because he rebelled against the
barrage of medical tests, but was admitted after his second try in 1962.
By the time he flew to the moon as the commander of Apollo 12,
Conrad was one of Nasa's most experienced astronauts. He returned to
space on Skylab 2, spending 28 days in orbit in 1973. Beyond NASA,
Conrad entered the aerospace industry and worked for a number of
companies, including McDonnell Douglas. He died on 8 July 1999 in a
motorcycle crash and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Alan Bean
was born in 1932 in Texas. From an early age he was fascinated by air-
craft, filling his bedroom with models and dreaming of fictional heroes like Buck Rogers. Spurred on
by his mother, he won a university scholarship to study aeronautical engineering and went on to
become a naval aviator, a job he considered the coolest in the world until he saw Al Shepard flying
in a rocket. The event fuelled Bean's ambition to become an astronaut and ultimately catapulted him
into NASA on his second attempt in 1963. He considered himself to be one of the more fearful
astronauts, but luck and his good friend Pete Conrad I intervened and plucked him from obscurity to
fly to the moon on Apollo 12. He stayed on at Nasa after Apollo and returned to space on the
Skylab 3 mission, spending almost two months in orbit in 1973.
Bean retired from Nasa in 1981 and has devoted himself to painting ever since. Looking back on his
Apollo days he says he feels lucky. "Someone had to go, and they happened to pick me."
Alan Shepard was born in November 1923. He became the second person to fly into space on 5 May
1961, less than a month after Yuri Gagarin's historic flight. Unlike Gagarin, who parachuted the last
few thousand feet to Earth as planned, Shepard rode his craft right back to the surface and splashed
down in the Pacific, technically making him the first man to fly all the way into space and back. As a
US Navy test pilot he'd logged over 8,000 hours of flying time, and was selected as one of Nasa's
(Continued on page 21)
original Mercury 7 astronauts in 1959. Following America's first historic manned spaceflight, Shepard
was diagnosed with Meniere's disease which removed him from flight status for several years.
Corrective surgery eventually cleared him to fly on Apollo 14 in 1971. At the age of 47, he became
the oldest astronaut to step onto the moon. Alan Shepard retired from Nasa in August 1971. After a
two-year battle with leukaemia he died on 21 July 1998. Edgar Mitchell was born in Texas in 1930.
When he was a child, a barnstormer landed on his parent's farm and took him up for a ride. The
sense of freedom he felt on that first flight spurred him on to gain his own pilot's licence by the age
of 14. Mitchell's attention turned to space after the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 and he was
seconded from the Navy to Nasa in 1966. Serving as backup pilot for Apollo 10, he later was as-
signed to the mission scheduled as Apollo 13, but which got switched to Apollo 14 at the last minute
– winning him a walk on the moon. Of this experience he says he found the lunar surface a
welcoming place, and in his exhilaration at first stepping onto the surface he joked: "I think they put
champagne in the water."
It was on the way back that his life changed when he had an epiphany that he describes as
"bliss – almost like being in love". The experience inspired him, after retiring from Nasa in 1972, to
set up the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which conducts and supports research into areas that more
mainstream scientists do not entertain, such as psychic events.
David Scott was born in Texas in June 1932. At the age of three, after seeing his father flying a
Jenny biplane in formation, he became hooked on flight. Pushed hard by his step-father he won a
scholarship to West Point and distinguished himself in 1954 by finishing 5th out of 644 students. He
elected to join the US Air Force, flying cold war fighter jet missions over Europe and later studying at
MIT. He applied to Nasa in 1966 and joined group three. During the next five years he flew the most
missions of this group. In 1971 he became the seventh man on the moon when he commanded the
first full science expedition, driving the first rover vehicle into the lunar highlands.
On returning to Earth Scott hoped his mission had inspired those who watched from Earth –
reminding us at his press conference that "the mind is a fire to be ignited, not a vessel to be filled".
Through his work on the film sets of Apollo 13 and other movies he has continued to ignite fires in
millions more minds ever since.
James Irwin was born in March 1930 in Pennsylvania. He joined the US Air Force after university and
graduated from the prestigious Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1963. Despite being involved in a
plane crash in 1961 in which he almost lost a leg, Irwin qualified as an astronaut in 1966 and went
on to land on the moon with Dave Scott in 1971. Due to long working hours and the dehydration
Irwin suffered on this mission he had a minor heart attack near the end of the day they left the
moon. Resting during the return flight he made a good recovery, but he suffered a bigger heart
attack a few months later. On the moon Irwin says he felt God's presence and after retiring from
Nasa in 1972 he founded his High Flight Ministry.
In 1991, Jim Irwin suffered a third and fatal heart attack near his home in Colorado, becoming the
first of the moon walkers to pass away
John Young was born in California in September 1930. As a child, he avidly read books about space
and idolised the likes of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. He holds the distinction of being the most
experienced astronaut of the 20th century having flown two Gemini missions in Earth orbit and flown
(Continued from page 20)
twice to the moon, although he only landed once, on Apollo 16. He almost flew to the moon a third
time when Gene Cernan suffered a sporting injury a few months before Apollo 17.
After Apollo, he went on to command the first space shuttle flight to orbit the Earth in 1981 and flew
a second shuttle mission in 1983. Including the lunar rover he has 'piloted' a record five different
types of spacecraft. Despite his distinguished career, Young was critical of Nasa after the Challenger
Disaster in 1986 and was subsequently removed from active astronaut status. But he stayed on until
he retired at the age of 74 and still supports human spaceflight operations there today. Of the moon
he says that every time he looks at it he still can't believe we're not going back.
Charlie Duke was born in October 1935 in North Carolina. As a boy he loved Wild West films, but he
always saw himself as a flying ace – craving the speed. He joined the Air Force in 1957 and flew
dangerous cold war sorties over Europe before becoming a research test pilot, flying the legendary
F-104 Starfighter to the edge of space. In April 1966 he was selected for Nasa's fifth group of
astronauts and, after key mission control roles supporting Apollo's 10, 11 and 13, he made his one
and only spaceflight on Apollo 16 in 1972, becoming the youngest man to walk on the moon at the
age of 36.
Duke retired from Nasa in 1976 and became a successful businessman before realising that his path
in life led in another direction. His turning point came at a bible study class near his home in Texas,
where Duke opened his mind to Christianity. He has devoted his life since to spreading the teachings
of Jesus. Of Apollo, Duke says "my walk on the moon only lasted three days but his walk with God is
forever."
Eugene Cernan was born in Chicago in March 1934. As a child he was fascinated by the
black-and-white Movie tone newsreels that played in the cinema's during the second world war. He
loved the reports about brave US pilots and he knew he wanted to join their ranks. He trained as a
fighter pilot at Miramar, later known as the Top Gun School.
But when Al Shepard became the first American in space Cernan realised he had to be an astronaut.
He joined Nasa in its third astronaut intake in 1963 to work on Gemini and Apollo. On his Gemini
flight Cernan performed a difficult and pioneering spacewalk during which he became dangerously
overheated. But his greatest challenge came in 1972 when he commanded Apollo 17, becoming the
last person to walk on the moon (since he was the last to re-enter the module) He retired from Nasa
in 1976 after the Apollo-Soyuz test programme and went into private business. On his place in
history he says: "Here I am at the turn of the millennium and I'm still the last man to have walked
on the moon, [it's] somewhat disappointing. It says more about what we have not done than about
what we have done."
Harrison "Jack" Schmitt was born in New Mexico in July 1935. He is the only man to have walked on
the moon but never served in the military. Following in his father's footsteps he studied geology and
then went on to work at the US Geological Survey's Astrogeology Centre at Flagstaff, Arizona. When
Nasa began to recruit "scientist astronauts" in 1964, Schmitt was one of the first to be admitted.
From the start, the scientist astronauts were seen as outsiders who were non-essential in the race
to the moon. But Schmitt worked tirelessly to enthuse the other astronauts about geology and got
his own chance to practise lunar fieldwork on his Apollo 17 flight in 1972. He resigned from Nasa in
1975 to run for election as a senator for New Mexico, winning and serving a single term before his
defeat in 1982. Since then he has worked as a consultant in business, geology and space
exploration. He is a persistent advocate of returning to the lunar surface, declaring: "We owe the
future of humankind another walk on the moon."
As you can tell from this brief insight into the lives of these heroic men, each held the same passion
for flight from being young boys, and through sheer tenacity, went onto fulfil the ultimate dream as
adults, the Moon. Ultimately how they lived there lives after Apollo was as different as each man,
but there is one burning question that they all still possess, those still with us, "when will we be
going back? "
My personal view is a mixed one, but is based simply on the premise of the original race. What if the
Russians suddenly announced that they were planning on a mission to the Moon, what if the
Chinese suddenly decided the same or even The European Space Agency. NASA has said on
numerous occasions that the cost of going back outweighs the benefits, and the fact that they have
been there already, so they have nothing to gain. I say no to this, if these nations announced the
intention of a new venture to the Moon, NASA would bust a gut at all costs to get back there, First,
again no-matter what the costs.
Just one final ditty to leave you with, the Space Shuttle was first launched in 1981. Given this crafts
capabilities and payload capacity, why did NASA not use the Shuttle to go back to the moon and
possibly establish a base. They built a space station using the Shuttle, why not take it further and
take an even bigger step for mankind. I don't believe that one nation alone should go, I think that as
we have and use the International Space Station as a world, why not pool our global
technologies-resources, and return together, not as one nation but as the human race.
Many thanks Jason Ives
Sources: Jason Ives, NASA, The encyclopaedia Britannica and Christopher Riley( author of the
Haynes manual to Apollo )
Images: via Google images and NASA
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