Shortly before his launch, as Borman engrossed himself in training, his phone rang. It was Julian Scheer, NASA’s deputy administrator for public affairs.
“Look, Frank,” Borman recalled Scheer explaining. “We’ve determined that you’ll be circling the Moon on Christmas Eve and we’ve scheduled one of the television broadcasts from Apollo 8 around that time.” Scheer pointed out that more people would hear the crew’s voices than had heard any voice in history. NASA estimated that a billion people around the world would be following the flight. He then added the simple but imposing instruction: “So, we want you to say something appropriate.”
Sorry, link added. 😉
h/t Mike
Genesis.
Word has it that the Senate wants NASO to clean up a bunch of space junk…on a zero budget.
Thank God space is now a private sector operation, Kessler Syndrome or not.
Remember it well. It sure was a different world back then.
Burton…
As do I, bone tingling address…twas awesome, powerful and beautiful all at once…at least for a 16 yr old totally enamored with NASA and the quest for the moon.
Beautiful!
Sweet memories.
How appropriate for the Creation story to be broadcast on Christmas Eve.
Remember it well.
I still enjoy playing this launch video, with the Apollo 8 astronauts giving a description of what it was like.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FzCsDVfPQqk
And, if I’m not mistaken the Saturn V was one of the only manned rockets which never exploded. Pretty amazing given the tremendous forces involved.
joe – Great video for Great eve. The link Kate posted, with a hat tip to Mike, was excellent too.
Merry Christmas all.
And here’s the Christmas Eve broadcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEmn0uaQCYc&t=70s
“Ignition sequence start” on the F1 engines explained, interesting too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cldgl9IIyY
Good Memories. Thank You Miss Kate
Look at the garbage we have today in the Canadian and American Penal Colonies.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:31
Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth. (from Frank Borman and me)
Walter
+++++×++++/\
Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day’s useless energy is spent
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one
Lonely man cries for love and has none
New mother picks up and suckles her son
Senior citizens wish they were young
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colors from our sight
Red is grey and yellow-white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion
Graham Edge (Moody Blues)
The very definition of ‘illusion’ is definitely illusive as it depends on one’s perception of just what is real.
A very Merry Christmas to Kate and Lance and all my SDA friends; though most of us have never met in person , I can’t help feeling WE know a little bit about each other through this wonderful blog, and the comments that pour forth by a group of folks whom I believe genuinely care.
As Red Skelton used to say at the end of every show, “May God Bless”
“Oh, my God! Look at that picture over there! There’s the Earth coming up. Wow that’s pretty.”
The story of the Earth rise photo.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise
Trivia question. What were the first words spoken when Apollo 11 first touched the surface of the moon?
“Contact light”
https://www.ajc.com/news/national/things-you-probably-never-knew-about-the-historic-apollo-moon-landing/4Xardw7vqXwgHLF7UWWvHP/
I remember this as well, which brought a tear to my eye. One is for the memories, and the other is for what has become lost and how we have changed, not for good. Now I think that the appropriate poem in contrast, would be Stephen Crane’s “Ship or the World”
God fashioned the ship of the world carefully.
With the infinite skill of an All-Master
Made He the hull and the sails,
Held He the rudder
Ready for adjustment.
Erect stood He, scanning His work proudly.
Then — at fateful time — a wrong called,
And God turned, heeding.
Lo, the ship, at this opportunity, slipped slyly,
Making cunning noiseless travel down the ways.
So that, forever rudderless, it went upon the seas
Going ridiculous voyages,
Making quaint progress,
Turning as with serious purpose
Before stupid winds.
And there were many in the sky
Who laughed at this thing.
Thanks Kate. Merry Christmas!
Imagine this today. Reading Genesis? Frank, we meant something appropriate! Say something like Black Lives Matter, shit on Trump or paint the capsule with a Groomer flag or something…