One day into our love and books series and I’m already making a transgression. Pardon.
About two months ago, I learned who Wil Wheaton was for the first time. Sure, I’d heard the name and knew there was some bloggy type of connection, but that was about it. So it was explained to me that he was on Star Trek and was a sort of early adopter of various online stuffs. Okay, great. So I do what anyone with an Internet connection would do–I look him up on Wikipedia. And it hits me–I had a crush on this guy!!! Granted I was about 11 years old at the time and was not a regular watcher of Star Trek, but I was 11 and any cute young guy on television was subject to be the object of young girl affections. I only watched Star Trek sporadically, so the big crush was reserved for Jonathan Brandis and SeaQuest DSV. (Hello, that show had a talking dolphin. The frontiers of space have nothing on talking aquatic mammals).
So I now know who he is and have added his blog to my reader since he seemed quite interesting (although I still don’t really understand this whole clown sweater thing). Thank goodness I did.
You see, a week ago, I had sent my father a link to an Internet broadcast of the original Apollo 11 recordings. He debated calling in sick to work to listen to them and relive that childhood moment. However, he’s an upstanding fellow and went to work–where he happens to be an electrical engineer, so all the guys at work stopped by his office to listen. Anyway, I have a fancy phone and dying work computer. No listening for me…
…until Wil Wheaton posted on his blog yesterday. Three accounts had been set up on Twitter: @AP11_CAPCOM, @AP11_SPACECRAFT, and @AP11_EAGLE, all interacting through the original transcripts. And I wouldn’t have known about them otherwise.
It was possibly the coolest thing ever to follow those accounts yesterday–from the profound quotes that we all remember to the simple jocularity of breathing again once Houston, Armstrong, and Aldrin knew they had succeeded. Even though it happened 40 years ago, it was an amazing experience to follow. As my dad pointed out, listening now just doesn’t have the drama it did back then–we know how it all turned out.
So, now you can see why I had to interrupt this series I was working on. What NASA did is so important to the evolution of technology and the limits (or lack thereof) of mankind and understanding out place in the universe.
Eight years before I was born, the last man walked on the surface of the moon. I’d love to see someone go back in my lifetime. Sooner rather than later. In the meantime, as you can see from my sidebar, I’m reading MoonShot by Alan Sheppard and Deke Slayton about the space race that had been created because of the Cold War. I also just finished a graphic novel called Laika about the Russian space dog that I’ll be reviewing next week.
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I’ll glad that a little of me has rubbed off on you. I have been so glued to the radio transmission (with the written transcript open on the computer to follow along with) that I’m starting to feel that it’s happening now. I had so many guys in my office for the landing, all asking questions like: “What’s PGNCS?” (pronounced “pings”} – Primary Guidance, Navigation and Control System, “What’s that 1201 Alarm?” – Computer overload – don’t worry the computer resets self (Side note: Only one guy in mission control knew what the alarm was and that it was ok to continue – the astronauts had never seen it). It’s been great re-living it and I can’t thank you enough for finding it and telling me about it. Hope you enjoy Moon Shot, Dad.