Space (part 3): Apollo 11 Golden Anniversary

Aldrin Apollo 11/wikipedia.com

September 12, 1962

President John F Kennedy offered this vision for our country: Go to the moon!

( reference: https://youtu.be/g25G1M4EXrQ )

"We choose to go to the moon," the president said.
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade
and do the other things,
not because they are easy,
but because they are hard,
because that goal will serve to organize
and measure the best of our energies and skills,
because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept,
one we are unwilling to postpone,
and one which we intend to win,
and the others, too."

Reference: JFK's 'Moon Speech' Still Resonates 50 Years Later

July 20, 1969

We aimed for the moon.

And before the end of the decade, 

we hit our target. 

Watch Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk - Original NASA EVA Mission Video - Walking on the Moon below:

(reference:  https://youtu.be/S9HdPi9Ikhk )

50 years ago...

Apollo11Bootprint/wikipedia.com

That's one small step for [a] man,
one giant leap for mankind

Neil Armstrong

  

Reference: 'One Small Step for Man': Was Neil Armstrong Misquoted?

For more information on Apollo 11:  Apollo 11 Mission Overview

--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

Other posts in the series:
  

Space (part 1) - NASA at 60 (2018)
  
 Space (part 2): Earthrise - 1968  (2018) 

--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

Photos: Aldrin Apollo 11/wikipedia.com ; Apollo11Bootprint/wikipedia.com

Pray4America (part 15) - Communion on the Moon

Wikipedia/First Man on Moon 1969 Issue-10c 

On July 20, 1969 - 45 years ago - two men, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, were the first humans to walk on the moon. [reference:  First Man on the Moon]

Much has been recorded on this epic event. But after those first few minutes after they landed on the moon, Buzz Aldrin said, "This is the LM pilot. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way."

The clips below is the rest of the story:

(reference:  http://youtu.be/o_J2EGDCwXo)

Here is an account attributed to Buzz Aldrin:

"In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.'

"I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute [they] had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O'Hare [sic], the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility . It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."

 [reference: Commoonion]

-----------

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
 

Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)

-----------

Please check out eCard.

If my people pray

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord

 Psalm 33:12  (NIV)

America is worth fighting for!
  

Keep praying for America ....

-------------
-------------

Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand? (2012)

Pray4America (part 6) - Christmas in Iran 1980 (2012)

Pray4American (part 7) - For such a time as this (2013)

Pray4America (part 8) - Fear no evil (2013)

Pray4America (part 9) - America, the Beautiful - 1893 to 2013 (2013)

Pray4America (part 10) - Real Hope for America  (2013)

Pray4America (part 11) - New Year Reset  (2013)

Pray4America (part 12) - George Washington's Knee-Mails (2014)

Pray4America (part 13) - Apollo 13 Reflections and Prayer (2014)

Pray4America (part 14) - We are Americans (2014)

 

------------------

------------------

Photo from:  Wikipedia/First Man on Moon 1969 Issue-10c 

Pray4America (part 13) - Apollo 13 Reflections and Prayer

Wikipedia/Apollo 13

This is my 13th post for this thread.  So  the number 13 will be the theme of this post.

Apollo 13 ...   April 13 ....

After the successes of Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 that had landed men on the moon, three would be a charm for Apollo 13, even if its number can be considered unlucky.

But on April 13, 1970 (according to the reckoning of standard time zones in the US), this unlucky malfunction happened, as dramatizes in the following movie clip:

(reference:  http://youtu.be/kAmsi05P9Uw)

For a listing of significant events of this ill-fated flight, check out:  Apollo 13 Timeline

But like in many times of distress in our nation's history, our leaders have called for prayer, not only in times of peril like Apollo 13, but also for prayers of divine protection, such as the historic Apollo 11 moon landing.

Below is a clip about prayer during the Apollo missions:

(reference:  http://youtu.be/tpmCC6wswmE)

Apollo 13 has been called the "successful failure."   The world had watched this drama unfold on live TV from a nearly fatal catastrophe in space to a nail-biting rescue, where nobody died.
[reference:  Apollo 13 - The Successful Failure ]  

(It was also the makings of a great movie of its namesake - Apollo 13 (1995).)
  
 That said, there is not always deliverance in this life.  As for the space program, we have had the tragedies of Apollo 1,  Challenger, and Columbia, which remind us of our mortality.  (And this is a topic for another post.)

Yet, in times of trouble, many Americans as well as those throughout the world looked to the heavens - to the Creator - for help.

 ---------

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Psalm 107:19-21 (NIV)   

--------- 

And for our present perils, here is a prayer for deliverance:

Heavenly Father -

During crises and grave danger in the past, we have called on You, Lord God, for help.  And gracious Lord, You have answered us and changed the course of history.  May we never forget Your mercy during these times as well as Your goodness during peace and prosperity.

Forgive us for living like practical atheists, like You don’t exist.  While shutting You out of our daily lives, we sometimes only come to You as a magic wand of deliverance, especially from the peril caused by our disobedience.

May we repent of our unbelief and for treating You like an idol.  May we recognize our need as we do not live by bread alone, but by every word the proceeds from Your mouth.  And though the grass withers and the flower fades, Your Word  abides forever.  

We ask for your deliverance for our heroes, home and abroad, in their distress – as You did during the perils of Apollo 13.  May we daily walk with You and be Your instruments for healing in our land.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen

---------

May we remember our Creator in the good times as well as the crises as we continue to ...

Pray for America

---------

---------

Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand? (2012)

Pray4America (part 6) - Christmas in Iran 1980 (2012)

Pray4American (part 7) - For such a time as this (2013)

Pray4America (part 8) - Fear no evil (2013)

Pray4America (part 9) - America, the Beautiful - 1893 to 2013 (2013)

Pray4America (part 10) - Real Hope for America  (2013)

Pray4America (part 11) - New Year Reset  (2013)

Pray4America (part 12) - George Washington's Knee-Mails (2014)

---------

---------

Photo from: Wikipedia/Apollo 13

Science 101 (part 3) - From Galileo to Apollo

Wikipedia.com/Apollo 11 Insignia

Man on the Moon - July 20, 1969

July 20th marks another anniversary of the moon landing of Apollo 11.  Neil Armstrong took the first steps and said these words while a large part of the world was watching -

Much has been written and recorded about his epic event.  And for the greatest moments, check out: Apollo 11: First Men on the Moon | The Greatest Moments in Flight | Space.com

The Saturn V carrying Apollo 11, the first crewed mission to the Moon, soared into space 

Almost a year ago, August 25, 2012, Neil Armstrong passed away, "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."  (reference:  Neil Armstrong Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com)   The video below is a "Blue and Beautiful" tribute.

Physics and Engineering for Apollo 11

It was a remarkable achievement of science and engineering as well as piloting skill and will power to take on this great leap of human exploration.

How did this all work? Here is abglimpse that explains some of the physics involved - How Hard Is It to Land on the Moon? New Space Game Gravitates Towards Space Physics « Mad Science

The physics of Galileo and beyond ...

Much of the moon shot was made possible by understanding the laws of physics.  And Galileo was a pioneer in modeling the effects of gravity on masses.  In the1500s, Aristotle's description of nature had reigned for 2000 years.  But Galileo challenged this model with his hypotheses - all objects fall (with no air resistance) fall at the same rate.

Such is seen below as this experiment carried out on the Leaning Tower of Pisa:



And Galileo wins!

For fun, try this game:  Wolfram Demonstrations Project: Galileo's Experiment at the Leaning Tower of Pisa

On the moon - practically speaking - there is no air resistance.  Here during  the Apollo 15 mission, Commander David Scott drops a feather and hammer.

Bazinga!    Galileo wins, again!

Galileo has been attributed to the assertion of the Equivalence Principle that says the inertial mass is proportional to the gravitational mass.

So we have an example of two experiments that corroborate the Equivalence Principle from the Tower of Pisa and the moon. (reference:  Millersville University - Experiment of the Month - Inertial and Gravitational Mass)

What's next?

STEP into the Future ...

A more sensitive experiment is taking shape in the STEP program:  The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP).

Wikipedia - Spacetime Curvature

The proposed science experiment in space boasts an accuracy in measurement of 1 part in 10 to the18th power - that is, 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.  When or if this satellite launches, we will have an opportunity to gather more data. (reference:  STEP – The Satellite Test Of the Equivalence Principle (PDF) )

With this small STEP, will three be a charm and Galileo wins, again?

You betcha.

---------------------
---------------------

Previous posts on this subject:


Roger Bacon - a scientist ahead of his time (2009)

October Sky 2010 (2010)

Touching the Face of God ... (2011)

For want of a thermistor the Moon was lost .... 41 years ago (2011)

AI (part 1) - American Ingenuity (2012)

AI (part 2) - How Curiosity got our groove back (2012)

---------------------

Previous posts in this series:

Science 101 (part 1) - Vernal Equinox  (2013)

Science 101 (part 2) - The Sound of Music? (2013)

---------------------
---------------------

Photo from:  Wikipedia - Apollo 11 Insignia; Spacetime curvature