Apollo 11 Quiz
Discussion
I got 10/10 - but frankly would have been annoyed if I hadn't.
I remember reading about Aldrin's mother's name being "Moon" back at the time of the original mission. It was commented on quite a lot at the time as it seemed a rather fun coincidence.
Aldrin called out "Contact Light" as soon as the first of the contact sensors touched the lunar surface. There was quite a large light on the Lunar Module instrument panel that lit up as soon as one of these probes touched the surface. It was the signal for Armstrong to shut down the descent engine and allow the Lunar Module drop the last few feet to the surface.
You can see the probes sticking out from the bottom of the footpads in this picture -
The actual first words spoken up to Armstrong's famous quote are -
Aldrin: Contact Light.
Armstrong (on-board): Shutdown.
Aldrin: Okay. Engine Stop.
Aldrin: ACA out of Detent.
Armstrong: Out of Detent. Auto.
Aldrin: Mode Control, both Auto. Descent Engine Command Override, Off. Engine Arm, Off. 413 is in.
Armstrong: Engine arm is off.
Mission Control (Charlie Duke) - We Copy you down Eagle?
Armstrong: (Pause) Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
Aldrin: Thank you.
I remember reading about Aldrin's mother's name being "Moon" back at the time of the original mission. It was commented on quite a lot at the time as it seemed a rather fun coincidence.
Aldrin called out "Contact Light" as soon as the first of the contact sensors touched the lunar surface. There was quite a large light on the Lunar Module instrument panel that lit up as soon as one of these probes touched the surface. It was the signal for Armstrong to shut down the descent engine and allow the Lunar Module drop the last few feet to the surface.
You can see the probes sticking out from the bottom of the footpads in this picture -
The actual first words spoken up to Armstrong's famous quote are -
Aldrin: Contact Light.
Armstrong (on-board): Shutdown.
Aldrin: Okay. Engine Stop.
Aldrin: ACA out of Detent.
Armstrong: Out of Detent. Auto.
Aldrin: Mode Control, both Auto. Descent Engine Command Override, Off. Engine Arm, Off. 413 is in.
Armstrong: Engine arm is off.
Mission Control (Charlie Duke) - We Copy you down Eagle?
Armstrong: (Pause) Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
Aldrin: Thank you.
Wonder why they didn't connect the probe to the 'engine off' button, so saving some time and possibility of human error. And of the light bulb to have blown...
The sequence of things that all had to work perfectly and in the right order for this to work is quite mind boggling. I don't think we could do that today.
The sequence of things that all had to work perfectly and in the right order for this to work is quite mind boggling. I don't think we could do that today.
Simpo Two said:
Wonder why they didn't connect the probe to the 'engine off' button, so saving some time and possibility of human error. And of the light bulb to have blown...
The sequence of things that all had to work perfectly and in the right order for this to work is quite mind boggling. I don't think we could do that today.
Probably the same reason they allowed the astronauts the ability to take control. They are better placed to deal with the situation as it unfolded. What if the probe hit a boulder? As it quite possibly could have had Mr A not taken control.The sequence of things that all had to work perfectly and in the right order for this to work is quite mind boggling. I don't think we could do that today.
Got 9 on the test, did not know Buzz's mum was a Moon. Always loved that question of the first words spoken own the Moon as well. Throws a lot of people.
jmorgan said:
Probably the same reason they allowed the astronauts the ability to take control. They are better placed to deal with the situation as it unfolded. What if the probe hit a boulder? As it quite possibly could have had Mr A not taken control.
Was it not on 'auto' anyway, and Armstrong had to take over when it seemed to be heading for a rock? Always have manual override, but let auto do the work until/if you need it.The first sample grab was referred to as "the contingency sample". It was considered vital that at least SOME sample of moon material be brought back to earth - even if the stay on the moon was cut short. As it was, a telephone call from President Nixon wasted around 10 minutes of their precious time on the surface.
Gassing Station | Science! | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff