#naca brainbuster

[apollomission8]

Chris Kraft appreciation post because I love him and I don't see yall talking about him enough

He's so cool. He's the original flight. He's sooo from Tidewater Virginia. He invented mission control. His name is Christopher Columbus Kraft.

[apollomission8]

I'm trying so hard to be excited about Artemis. Like, I really want it to work and I really want to enjoy it. It would be so cool to experience something like this in real time if it works.

But also omg literally what are they even doing

[apollomission8]

14, 9, and 5 for the space asks!!!!

yay!!! Thank you!!

14 - space hot take?

honestly most of my opinions on post-Apollo nasa, especially Artemis and Mission Control. I have so many options on it that I'm always saying I'm going to type out and I haven't yet. I really hate like every single person in mission control during the Columbia disaster, they literally went against every single thing that Chris Kraft/Gene Kranz ever said then had the nerve to quote the tough and competent speech. Unfortunately, I have a hard time trusting mission control after that.

9 - Fave space movie?

Apollo 13!!! I'll be honest, I don't watch that many movies, so I don't have that much to compare it to. Even if I did though, it would still probably be my favorite. Between the accuracy, the special effects (they filmed it in freaking zero gravity), and Jim and Marilyn Lovell, I don't think much could beat that movie for me.

5 - fave moment(s) of crew banter?

Oohhh that's a hard one!!!! The Apollo 11 oatmeal conversation has a special place in my heart because it sent me down the rabbit-hole of this space hyperfixation in the first place.

I also absolutely love the audio from when Apollo 8 was taking the Earthrise picture. I swear you can hear Jim and Bill trying to yank the camera from each other's hands + "Calm Down Lovell!!!" Also, along the same lines is when Borman is yelling at the other two to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.

Basically any time the Apollo 8 crew is together tbh. They're the ultimate Apollo crew and they're so so funny together.

Questions from this post

[apollomission8]

Yall wanna watch one of my favorite videos ever??

It's Chris Kraft talking to a bunch of engineering students. It's amazing.

I'm not putting my full thoughts on this video here right now, because there are a lot of them, but I will say this:

This video is from 2005. He's talking to a bunch of students/his friends. He's being recorded, but overall his attitude is a lot different than other interviews I've seen where he was expecting it would be seen by more people. He doesn't filter his opinions on nasa as much as he does in front of a larger audience.

A little less than an hour into that video, he starts talking about Challenger and Columbia–in all the interviews I've listened to I've never heard that man so mad.

He talks about it mainly from an engineering perspective, I think partially because he's talking to engineers and particularly because–even in 2005 when they didn't know YouTube would become what it is–he wasn't going to talk directly about Columbia mission control in front of a camera. Even so, you can still feel what he means. The way he describes everything he did to invent mission control to create the job "Flight" and then shifts to talking about Columbia...

He doesn't say everything he's thinking directly, but he does make it very clear anyway. I only wish I could hear him talk about mission control more directly.

[apollomission8]

So I know my typical blorbo from my source document is Jim (also frank/mike lol) but. Do yall understand how much I love Chris Kraft? Because augh I love him

[apollomission8]

Forever thinking about that time Chris Kraft said

"The Orbiter has never had a Failure that would have Prevented that Machine from Landing Safely"

[apollomission8]

Guys I help I'm watching a documentary about Apollo mission control and I'm having Columbia thoughts again

[apollomission8]

Christopher Columbus Kraft Jr my beloved. He is either an absolute dork and a complete idiot, or the smartest and most terrifying person you've ever met. That man has no middle ground and I love him for it