On TV Right Now, July 24 -- "Moon Machines" (a Great documentary about Apollo)

On "The Science Channel" right now and throughout the morning is probably the best documentary ever made about the Apollo Program -- "Moon Machines". Each episode deals with a specific piece of the Apollo hardware (The Saturn V, Command Module, Lunar Lander, Lunar Rover, Space Suit, plus an episode on the computer software) and show us in detail how that hardware was designed, tested, and built.

The documentary makers interviewed many of the actual engineers who were part of that decision-making process back in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The thing that amazes me the most is how much trial-an-error was involved in developing the equipment for the Apollo Program and how much money was spent in doing that trial-and-error style of design.

I suggested to everyone interested in Apollo or the space program in general to watch it. It's very insightful to see the minutiae involved in creating a spacecraft.

[edit on 7/24/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Unless they explain how they prance about on the moon and in earth-orbit without protection against space radiation im not intrested.... Shame realy because it sounds like a good documentry

Originally posted by Master Shen long
Unless they explain how they prance about on the moon and in earth-orbit without protection against space radiation im not intrested.... Shame realy because it sounds like a good documentry

Like I said -- there are episodes on the space suit and the command module.

The fibrous material in the skin of the command module was enough to protect them, and the material of the space suits was enough for the limited exposure they had outside the spacecraft.

Oddly enough, because of the type of radiation involved, something on the order of plastic-wrap or thin fibrous material does a better job protecting astronauts in -- for example -- the space station than does lead shielding.


[edit on 7/24/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


your explanation is not good enough, visit here en.wikipedia.org...


jump to Impact on space travel and Causes

and by the way that has been out

www.imdb.com...

[edit on 24-7-2010 by aspx]

reply to post by aspx

The astronauts were in the Van Allen belts for 30 minutes.
Dr. James Van Allen himself said that the Apollo astronauts exposure time would not be lethal. Plus there were no major solar flares that occurred during any of the Apollo missions.

Quite surely the astronauts got radiation equal to a life-times worth of xrays on one trip to the Moon, but these guys were test pilots and very used to putting their lives in danger (in the early 1960s, test pilots were getting killed in the line of duty at the average rate of one per week); An increased risk of getting cancer within their lifetimes was one of their lesser concerns.



[edit on 7/24/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by Master Shen long
Unless they explain how they prance about on the moon and in earth-orbit without protection against space radiation im not intrested.... Shame realy because it sounds like a good documentry

That's easy: They did and do have adequate protection against the average levels of radiation.

Originally posted by aspx
your explanation is not good enough, visit here en.wikipedia.org...

The article you reference explicitly states that:

"A satellite shielded by 3 mm of aluminium in an elliptic orbit (200 by 20,000 miles) passing through the radiation belts will receive about 2,500 rem (25 Sv) per year."

2,500 rem/year is 6.85 rem/day or .3 rem/hour. Apollo spent ~half an hour skimming the edge of the belts.

Aspx, thanks to your link, you have conclusively proven to me that the Van Allen belts did not pose any significant radiation risk to the Apollo astronauts.

Thank you.

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


Wow! I'm watching the LM episode, and it has great footage that I've never seen before. Star & Flag!

Originally posted by Saint Exupery
reply to post by Soylent Green Is People

 

Wow! I'm watching the LM episode, and it has great footage that I've never seen before. Star & Flag!

Great series -- isn't it!

It's direct, to the point, and intelligently presented -- rather than being dumbed-down like too many of the space shows these days (such as Machio Kaku's "Sci Fi Science")

[edit on 7/24/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People
reply to post by aspx

 

The astronauts were in the Van Allen belts for 30 minutes.
Dr. James Van Allen himself said that the Apollo astronauts exposure time would not be lethal. Plus there were no major solar flares that occurred during any of the Apollo missions.

Quite surely the astronauts got radiation equal to a life-times worth of xrays on one trip to the Moon, but these guys were test pilots and very used to putting their lives in danger (in the early 1960s, test pilots were getting killed in the line of duty at the average rate of one per week); An increased risk of getting cancer within their lifetimes was one of their lesser concerns.

Thanks for posting this TV showing as I have never seen it before.

What episode has the information you stated in above quote? Lunar Module is playing now, Suits on @1pm EST and Lunar Rover @ 2pm.

Please do not take the question below as me doubting the Apollo missions.

QUESTION: You stated in the OP that most of the research was "Trail & Error". How were they able to replicate a testing environment that would make sure the Apollo 11 program as a whole, would not end in ERROR? Or to ask another way - What was it that made them so confident the complete mission would be a success? By the way, I think it completely repulsive that I feel the need to state I am not a Moon Hoax proponent just to be able to ask my fellow ATS Members a question of which I do not have the answer.

Thank You,
t

PS please read my last sentence carefully. I state "I Feel" and I am not specifying that it may be true. Meaning, I would prefer an intelligent answer instead of having to deal with what ever toxin/poison/venom some consistently spew forth!

Edit to separate text

[edit on 7/24/2010 by EyeHeartBigfoot]

(fixed bb code)

[edit on Sat Jul 24 2010 by Jbird]

Oops, almost forgot.

Great Find.

STAR, FLAG & A BIG THANK YOU!!!

is this the same program ?

reply to post by easynow


Yes -- That's it...

...The episodes are also on YouTube (but split up into 10-minute segments), so if someone missed the episodes on earlier this morning (The Saturn V, The Command Module, The Navigation Software/Computer, or The Lunar Lander) they can be found on YouTube. Right now the episode on Space Suits is almost over, then the final episode -- on the Lunar Rover -- will be next.

If I remember, the Lunar Rover episode is pretty good. A lot of ingenuity and original thought went into the design and construction of the Rover.



[edit on 7/24/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]