Coming Home

Today, these years ago Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot and Mission commander Neil A. Armstrong were on they're their (ok, shit.. got it) way back to earth.

It's hard to recall because it's not spoken of much, the years of preparation and testing. The Gemini program was mostly about how to dock spacecraft. Learning things.

There was drama on the landing. There was drama before the ascent from the moon too. "While moving within the cabin, Aldrin accidentally broke the circuit breaker that would arm the main engine for lift off from the Moon. There was concern this would prevent firing the engine, stranding them on the Moon. Fortunately a felt-tip pen was sufficient to activate the switch.[48] Had this not worked, the Lunar Module circuitry could have been reconfigured to allow firing the ascent engine."

It's also hard to imagine now, the "space race". Seems so quaint today in 2013, but there was a time when we as a nation asserted ourselves as a force not for enslavement or conquest but a beacon to the rest of the world. Apollo 11 was like a giant ad for "freedom". As was the NASA mission.

My .02 anyway.

Some years later this old man can still kick your ass.

posted by Dave In Texas at 04:04 PM

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