#apollo project

[toaarcan]

Happy Moon Landing Day!

[krakenartificer]

My parents were at a conference several years ago where Neil Armstrong was the keynote speaker. During Q&A, one of the questions was how long he spent thinking about the "one small step" line.

He said the estimated odds of them actually making it to the moon were so low, none of them had given any thought to it at all. NASA had put 10 years' worth of effort from the smartest minds they could recruit into figuring out how to get someone to the moon, and still they thought it likely enough that they'd missed something, that they honestly didn't even think about the possibility that someone on this ship was going to be saying humanity's first words from a different planet.

From our perspective, the odds of them reaching the moon are 100% -- it feels inevitable to us. But it really was a hell of an accomplishment, given what they had to work with

[blondebrainpowered]

Margaret Hamilton is shown standing beside listings of the software developed by her and the team she was in charge of, the LM [lunar module] and CM [command module] on-board flight software team.

According to Hamilton, this now-iconic image (at left, above) was taken at MIT in 1969 by a staff photographer for the Instrumentation Laboratory — later named the Draper Laboratory and today an independent organization — for use in promotion of the lab’s work on the Apollo project.

[chokuns]

MEMINDY posts casting call to welcome all for THE APOLLO PROJECT. Rumor has it aimed at potentials with dissatisfied appearances that will go through plastic surgery with a Korean Dr

Find a talented young man who is ready to shine ✨

THE APOLLO PROJECT: Unlock Who’s Next? 🔐

📣 Casting Call Project to find a young actor and adjust his look by a team of expert doctors from South Korea

📌 If you are a young man, aged 20-30 years old Height 170 cm. and up Ability to act

Just no😬

[jordi-crafer]

"Oh you bet your ass there's some huge boulders down there" - Gene Cernan

[astronotmovie]

What’s for dinner? Flight director Gene Kranz enjoys some fried chicken & a Pepsi at the Mission Control console in Houston, 1965 at 32 years of age. NASA’s 2nd Flight Director following Chris Kraft, Mr. Kranz served as FD during the Gemini & Apollo eras. He was Flight Director for the 1st moon landing with Apollo 11 in 1969 & the debut launch of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1981. Also a retired aerospace engineer & fighter pilot, there were few who could rock a flat top or don a vest like Gene Kranz.

[corgisinhistory]

Human scientist helps corgis build a ladder into space!

[uwmarchives]

April 11 - Astronaut James A. Lovell and the Anniversary of the Launch of Apollo 13

On this day in 1970, Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space Center carrying Milwaukee’s own James A. Lovell along with John L. Swigert and Fred W. Haise, sending them off on what would become one of the most well-known space voyages in history. Despite the fame associated with this particular mission, very little in our collections actually pertain to events surrounding Apollo 13 and Lovell as its commander. Instead, our holdings reflect Milwaukee’s reactions towards Lovell’s lesser known, but equally momentous, earlier missions: Gemini 7 and 12 and Apollo 8. The above images are all from the records of Mayor Henry W. Maier’s office (Milw Sr 44, Box 105).

Much of the Lovell-related materials from the Maier collection pertain to celebrations and other events honoring the astronaut upon the completion of each mission. Following Gemini 7, the longest manned spaceflight to date, Milwaukee held a day-long civic celebration for Lovell and his family in February 1966. The first two images come from a program for an event to get Milwaukee school children interested in space and learning by getting to talk with Lovell themselves. Later in 1966, Lovell commanded the Gemini 12 mission with Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, as his pilot. Between these two Gemini missions, Lovell set a space endurance record of 425 hours and 10 minutes in space.

At the end of 1968, Lovell was part of the crew of Apollo 8, the first mission to enter lunar orbit. Upon his return, Lovell sent Mayor Maier a telegram (the third image), thanking Milwaukee for their support and emphasizing the importance of cooperative efforts in the race for progress. The following month, February 1969, the proposed Wisconsin Regional Space Center was renamed the James A. Lovell Regional Space Center. Unfortunately, the renaming wasn’t enough to save the center, which closed its doors before the end of the year. The fourth image above comes from the program for that event.

The final image gives insight as to why there is less information in the Maier papers about Apollo 13. It is a draft of a telegram to Lovell from the Mayor and Robert Jendusa, the president of the Milwaukee Common Council. They express their relief at the successful return of Lovell and his fellow astronauts from their “suspense-filled space voyage aboard Apollo 13.” They also state that they will respect Lovell’s wish for a quiet return to Milwaukee without civic celebrations, while also lavishing praise on the astronaut for his actions and the “added glory” he brought to other astronauts as well as to Milwaukee.

For more materials about Astronaut Lovell and Milwaukee’s celebrations for his achievements, come in and see the Mayor Henry W. Maier Administration collection (Milw Sr 44, Boxes 105 and 170). These boxes hold planning materials for civic events, speeches, correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to Lovell.

--Samantha Dickson, Archives Graduate Intern