Stunning Slow Motion Video of Apollo 11 Launch

Image: Mark Gray, Spacecraft Films

Footage of the Apollo 11 Saturn V launch taken from the launch tower, as Mark Gray provides a very descriptive and informative narration.

I really like how the material is sucked below beneath the engines, and the endless flow of water! The whole video is absolutely stunning. The video is embedded below the fold.

One Small Step in Color

Image: NASA

Image: Smithsonian

Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon were not just recorded in the well known black and white grainy video. There was an additional camera aboard the Apollo 11 lunar module "Eagle," the automatic Maurer 16mm Data Acquisition Camera (DAC) (right). The camera was mounted next to the window in the module, and recorded in color. As Neil Armstrong made his historic first steps onto the Moon, Buzz Aldrin recorded with the camera. The DAC was designed to run at several speeds, and afterwards the camera was set to a time laps mode at 1 fps, to conserve the limited amount of film while recording the entire extravehicular activity.

The video from the DAC during the first steps is available on YouTube, and is embedded below the fold. If you look closely, you can notice Buzz Aldrin's reflection in the lunar module window.

40 Years After Apollo 11

Today, 40 years ago, Neil Armstrong first laid foot on the Moon, and spoke the words, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." This was the first time a human laid foot on a body in space outside the Earth. Now, with the help of technology and the internet, we can celebrate the monumental event, and experience the moment in different ways.

Probably the biggest project in this celebration is the We Choose the Moon website, built by the J.F.K. Presidential Library and Museum. This website presents the events of the Apollo 11 mission as they happened 40 years ago. And after the mission is over, the information will be available freely at any time.

NASA has also compiled many features on their website for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo missions. What I found most interesting among these were the recently released images of the Apollo landing sites taken from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Their high resolution allows the features from the landing to be discerned, and in some, even footprints from the astronauts show up clearly. NASA has also released Apollo 11 spacecraft audio and put up restored video of the moon landing.

In addition to these places, there are many other ways to find out more about the Apollo 11 mission and the Moon at this time.


Images: NASA


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