RIP Neil Armstrong

the one that's not a history of anal porn

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/294648_10151123689744481_442079392_n.jpg

First man on the moon.
Homemade pizza chef.

I would eat all these moonman pizzas.

66.6

Well, I see somebody just *had* to be the Momus of this thread.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/ap11-neilukulele-2.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/ripneil.jpg

whut

"Like emily said, damn right he deserves his own thread."

was ned actually saluting when he started this thread and wearing his old cub scout uniform? plus, i'm hearing charlton heston saying this.

oh but anyway i get scared when i think of people on the moon! i get vertigo thinking about it. i'm afraid they are going to fall off...many years ago. i like the earth pictures a lot. i understand the conspiracy people because its so beyond what anyone had ever done. this is true of the 9/11 people too probably. i ended up watching moon footage AND 9/11 footage on youtube tonight. because one leads you to the other on youtube. in case you didn't know that.

Landing on the moon is heroic, but flying the X-15 took a lot of straight-up guts: http://blogs.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/2009/05/neil-armstrongs-x-15-flight-over-pasadena/

was ned actually saluting when he started this thread and wearing his old cub scout uniform?

A vision but no.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnZakGY3RgQ

http://lazenby.tumblr.com/post/30206152130/well-right-naturally-you-should-hate

The astronaut quoted in that blog is about 50 times more eloquent than the blogger is.

I went to the junior-high version of Space Camp, called Space Academy, when I was 13. That year I attended 8th grade at Armstrong Middle School.

It was built in 71-72.

Guess whom it was named after.

It had conversation pits and "clusters" instead of classrooms because progressive education trends in the early 70s were fucking weird.

I later went on to get an Aerospace Engineering degree in Ann Arbor, soon realizing that everywhere that was doing manned American space flight was no where I would ever possibly want to live.

Also, I built this set in his honor:

http://www.1000steine.com/brickset/images/0928-1.jpg

which played a part in the whole "go to university to get an aero degree" thing

and I still want this tshirt:

http://image.spreadshirt.com/image-server/v1/products/19167921/views/1,width%3D378,height%3D378,appearanceId%3D17/LEGO-Space.png

That year I attended 8th grade at Armstrong Middle School... Guess whom it was named after.

Still kinda weird that the largest U.S. airport named after an Armstong is the one named for a jazz musician.

I haven't read any of the obits, but I remember he was from Wapakoneta OH

That Lego space shirt is one example of childhood nerdstalgia that I would actually wear.

RIP Mr. Armstrong and Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky!

like if we are the society of the spectacle, at least give 'em better stuff than IEDs and crowd shootings

― catbus otm (gbx), Saturday, August 25, 2012 10:48 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OTM. How much better the world would be if ideological competition between nations was fought solely through space races and not wars.

and giant robot fights and boxing and hockey games

lol totally. Or some combo of all of the above!

How much better the world would be if ideological competition between nations was fought solely through space races and not wars.

for real. <3

It's cool that someone just went somewhere, picked up some souvenirs, freestyled some poetry, and came back. The whole event is like performance art. And the economic benefits were not too shabby either:

A November 1971 study of NASA released by the Midwest Research Institute of Kansas City, Missouri concluded that the $25 billion in 1958 dollars spent on civilian space R & D during the 1958-1969 period has returned $52 billion through 1971 -- and will continue to produce pay offs through 1987, at which time the total pay off will have been $181 billion. The discounted rate of return for this investment will have been 33 percent.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_of_NASA

That is over $300 billion in 2012 dollars, and that is without exploiting anything other than the spectacle.

And if you think it's fake, then you believe the U.S. government spent the modern equivalent of $1.7 billion dollars on an art film watched simultaneously by 500 million people.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/hold-state-funeral-neil-armstrong-symbol-american-dream-and-inspiration-generations/f2Nkgn6G

Creating an account requires less personal info than Facebook.

"signatures needed by September 24" - isn't a funeral usually a bit sooner?

many xposts, but yes, i meant the moonshot by dan parry.

Dutch Newspaper De Telegraaf broke the news on their site like this: ("first man on earth dead")

http://i49.tinypic.com/rm360i.jpg

matt p think you're still in need of a few more "truthful zings"

wow, I had no idea what this book was about
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2cidjTIuZP8/Tl7r8MdgEkI/AAAAAAAAA18/oKMQ1wnevlA/s1600/moon%2Bshot.jpg

For All Mankind (1989), streaming on Hulu

The best documentary, ever, about the experience of the Apollo crews. With an oft quoted Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois soundtrack.

Watching it with some tears.

oh that's a good one

damn I need to see that

It is spectacular.

a moonship journey, if you will

― the late great, Saturday, August 25, 2012 5:04 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

nice.

;-)

now, for the other view

http://stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.com/2009/07/53-space-exploration.html

not sure if this is hard-trolling or not but in honor of matt p ...

I'm not so sure we even deserve a space program.

One thing the obits have brought home for me is that there isn't a really great iconic picture of Armstrong on the surface of the moon because the great famous shots were taken by Armstrong of Aldrin. But this Reddit post claiming to be from the head of press relations for the mission says that the famous photo of an astronaut saluting the flag was misattributed and is actually of Armstrong.

So I've spent ten minutes staring at the photos trying to match up any distinguishing features of the suits or the patterns of moon dust on them to work out if this might be true, until finally it hit me: wow, these are people, on the moon, with MOON DUST up their legs. And this was too overwhelmingly immense and awesome to continue with my nitpicking investigation.

sort of a half-baked blog post linked there but wow, i never knew about that editorial(?) from the NYT in 1969:

For all his resplendent glory as he steps forth on another planet, man is still a pathetic creature, able to master outer space and yet unable to control his inner self; able to conquer new worlds yet unable to live in peace on this one, able to create miracles of science and yet unable properly to house and clothe and feed all his fellow men, able eventually to colonize an alien and hostile environment and yet increasingly unable to come to terms with the nurturing environment that is his home.

Aldrin:

I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Neil Armstrong today. Neil and I trained together as technical partners but were also good friends who will always be connected through our participation in the mission of Apollo 11. Whenever I look at the moon it reminds me of the moment over four decades ago when I realized that even though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been, we were not alone. Virtually the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. My friend Neil took the small step but giant leap that changed the world and will forever be remembered as a landmark moment in human history.

Higgledy-piggledy
Armstrong the astronaut
rode in a rocket ship
up to the moon.

"Not made of cheese," said the
Wapakonetian.
"Sounds kind of crazy, but
it’s a balloon."

― weatheringdaleson, Friday, September 14, 2007 7:45 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

RIP

I remember the Moon Shot miniseries on TNT, I think. Barry Corbin narrated it, and they cut back & forth from archival footage to present day interviews. I remember Gene Kranz breaking down on camera and being comforted by the offscreen interviewer when recounting the Apollo 13 rescue efforts.

Heh; I'm just now remembering that my gifted class teacher got me out of school one day in 5th grade to go see Jim Lovell speak in Flint, MI.

HE TOOK THEREMIN MUSIC INTO SPACE. WHAT A DUDE.

http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/03/neil-armstrong-finally-reveals-his.html

Woah

Hey, I have that Dr Samuel Hoffman collection!