Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Sept 16, 2007 21:45:31 GMT -6
In the Shadow of the Moon
This was a very good documentary.
From the Movie:
Buzz Aldrin, who made the first landing with Neil Armstrong, to Gene Cernan, who made the last landing in 1972, the producer Sington and his colleagues got 10 Apollo astronauts to share some of their deepest thoughts.
"I called the moon my home for three days of my life, and I'm here to tell you about it," said a pensive Cernan as the camera rolled. Then he shrugged as if he didn't believe himself. "That's -- that's science fiction."
No narration, doesn't need it.
It's all from the lips and hearts of the astronauts themselves, with their own...personal experiences of the mission. From what they felt during liftoff, to their private thoughts and something special that Buzz Aldrin did just before stepping onto the lunar surface. A first!
The accounts of lift off from the astronauts was amazing. The intense vibrations coming from below was overwhelming and made it almost impossible to manipulate controls or push buttons. The explanation of sensing the "Gimbaling" or movements of the rocket motors to keep the Saturn V straight and upright during the liftoff was facinating.
Many of the astronauts were stoic and serious, but others are funny and goofy as in real life. Armstrong choose not to appear in this work, as he declines any interviews regarding the Apollo 11 mission. I wonder why.
At nearly two hours, it wasn't long enough. One could do an entire film on each of the nine lunar missions. There is just too much content to squeeze into just one film. With many special never before seen segments, it's a geeks spacegasm.
I highly recommend it, and it is a certain purchase after it comes out on DVD.