Mar 07

Space Rocket History #246 – Apollo 12 – Pin Point Landing Part 2 – Right Down the Middle of the Road

“Hey, there it is! There it is! Son of a gun, right down the middle of the road! Look out there! I can’t believe it! Fantastic!”  Pete Conrad when he saw his landing site.

From l to r, director of flight operations Chris Kraft, and flight director Gerry Griffin

Jerry Carr, capcom for Apollo 12 Lunar landing

Landing of Intrepid

Dec 06

Space Rocket History #235 – Apollo 12 – Introduction

At NASA Headquarters, George Mueller and other planners created a far-reaching plan that Administrator Paine made even more ambitious in adapting it for Nixon’s Space Task Group. The task group’s timetable called for a twelve-man space station and a reusable space shuttle as early as 1975. By 1980, the station would have grown into a fifty-man space base; five years later there would be a hundred men in orbit. Meanwhile, there would be a base in lunar orbit by 1976, with a base on the lunar surface two years later. Then, as early as 1981, the first manned expedition to Mars would depart from earth orbit.

Apollo 12 Insignia

Crew of Apollo 12. Conrad, Gordon & Bean

Surveyor 3 on the Moon

Apr 10

Space Rocket History #58 – Corned Beef Controversy – Gemini 3 with Gus Grissom and John Young – Part 2

Grissom – What is it?
Young: Corned beef sandwich.
Grissom: Where did it come from?
Young: I brought it with me. Let’s see how it tastes. Smells, doesn’t it.
Grissom: Yes, its breaking up. I’m going to stick it in my pocket.
Young: Is it? It was a thought, anyway.
Grissom: Yep.
Young: Not a very good one.
Grissom: Pretty good, thought, if it would just hold together.
Young: Want some chicken leg?
Grissom: No you can handle that.

Launch of GLV-3

Launch of GLV-3

Staging

Staging

View from G3

View from G3

Recovery

Recovery

Carrier Recovery

Carrier Recovery

By Dave.

By Dave.