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50 years of NASA
Guest_PhilCo126_*
post Apr 2 2008, 01:07 PM
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Indeed 50 years of NASA ( not NACA its predecessor wink.gif ... )
http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publis...pe=2&logo=1

the other Phil
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ilbasso
post Apr 2 2008, 02:59 PM
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I saw this right after reading that NASA says "more workers than expected could lose their jobs at KSC" - article here

My brain hurts when I think how much money we waste on cr*p here in the US - not the least of which is the millions of dollars the presidential candidates are spending to smear each other - and to think about how far that money would go toward really important work in space exploration...


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Greg Hullender
post Apr 2 2008, 03:41 PM
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Of course most of the savings we get from shutting down the shuttle is eliminating those jobs. Nearly all the cost of a shuttle launch is salaries -- not fuel, not parts. That bloated work force is precisely why the shuttle failed; it's why a reusable vehicle ended up costing 3x as much as expendable ones.

If the layoffs will actually be more than expected, that's a good thing. It means NASA could have more money for other things.

--Greg
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Stu
post Apr 13 2008, 03:46 PM
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Neil Armstrong's life to be made into Hollywood movie


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nprev
post Apr 13 2008, 04:07 PM
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High time...but it's gonna be a challenge.

Neil Armstrong is iconic to be sure, but his reclusive and taciturn nature doesn't really make for exciting film-making. (Not a criticism of the man by any means: we all are who we are, and maybe that's the only fundamental right there is.)

All that said, there are some intriguing possibilities for such a film. His stoicism can be contrasted with his (inevitably correct, when it counts) responses to all the emergencies and critical situations he's faced...would be interesting to explore his personality in this context. There's some good stuff in The Right Stuff about him, as recollected by Chuck Yeager and others; hopefully his Edwards days will be part of the film.


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Stu
post Apr 13 2008, 04:28 PM
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Best Case Scenario: the Producer and Director do this properly, are faithful to the story of Armstrong's life, and go for accuracy over excitement. Viggo Mortensen is chosen for the role, because he's got the gravitas and depth of character necessary to portray someone as serious and introspective as Armstrong.

Worst case Scenario, and Confident Prediction: the Producer and Director read "First Man", think "Boring!", toss it on the sofa and re-write it to the story of an Apollo that never was. They choose a glamour boy to play Armstrong, and sacrifice accuracy for the sake of gee-whizz. As a result, by the time they've finished "jazzing up" this movie, Armstrong will be portrayed as a laughing, jutting-jawed good ol American hero, totally unrecognisable from the man we all actually know him to be, and Apollo will be cheapened.

Cynical? Me? wink.gif


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post Apr 13 2008, 04:52 PM
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Argh...I sure hope not, O Poet Laureate, but the temptation to do the Worst Case will certainly be there.

American cinema has matured quite a bit, at least among the indies. With any luck, the producers will go for an existential look: what could be more dramatic then staring at a broken wingtip, a tumbling Gemini, or 15 seconds of fuel left to land on the Moon, and watching as he snatches victory from the jaws of defeat in each of these situations?

True heroism should triumph over hype & crap in a just Universe; whether it will here is of course yet to be seen. For some reason, I also think that Mr. Armstrong might well veto any portrayal of himself that differs significantly from his own self-image...and I'm pretty sure that he really knows who he is. wink.gif


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ilbasso
post Apr 13 2008, 08:58 PM
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If they do get Viggo to play Armstrong, they're going to have to use a hefty dollop of stuff to fill in his chin dimple! Maybe that new putty they developed to fill in divots in Space Shuttle tiles.

I wonder if whatever actor plays Armstrong is going to try to duplicate his accent, which seemed stronger in Apollo days than it has when I have heard Armstrong speak in recent years.

This seems almost like a no-win scenario for us old f**ts for whom everything we knew about Armstrong is indelibly burned into our brains, and for us techno-geeks who want to see things accurately displayed. I liked "Apollo 13," for the most part, but Hollywood just can't control itself when it comes to trying to make things on screen even more dramatic than they were. I have visions of the "1201 program alarm" incident turning into loud klaxons and flashing red lights, with Neil and Buzz screaming at each other, "O my God!! What do we DO??"


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nprev
post Apr 13 2008, 10:53 PM
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QUOTE (ilbasso @ Apr 13 2008, 12:58 PM) *
This seems almost like a no-win scenario for us old f**ts for whom everything we knew about Armstrong is indelibly burned into our brains, and for us techno-geeks who want to see things accurately displayed.


Yeah, I feel you...but isn't the main point to tell the tale for the youngsters to learn and emulate?

There will undoubtedly be dramatic embellishments; it sucks big-time from a factual standpoint, but that's the Hollywood theory of retaining audience engagement. Point is that we're gonna need a whole lot of people like Prof. Armstrong sooner than we think...gotta tell the story while he's still around to tell it.


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Stu
post Apr 14 2008, 07:33 AM
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Wouldn't it be WONDERFUL if Michael Bay directed the Apollo film? Just imagine the stirring shots of the crew walking in dramatic backlit slow motion across the gantry to the CSM, helmets under their arms... Armstrong stepping onto the Moon then sinking to his knees, fists clenched, before looking up at the Earth and, with tears in his eyes, giving a slow motion, dramatic backlit salute as he whispers "Mom... Dad... your boy made it to the Moon, just as you wanted..." ... Armstrong and Aldrin planting a dramatically backlit Stars and Stripes in the lunar dust, giving it a crisp salute as it ruffles and sways and flaps in the wind... Armstrong and Aldrin giving each other a huge, male-bonding hug in the LEM before blast-off, swapping a tearful but manly "I love you, man" before the LEM blasts off in dramatic, backlit slow motion...

Popcorn anyone..? smile.gif


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djellison
post Apr 14 2008, 07:35 AM
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Nooo - what it needs is the handheld camera affect ( which doesn't work on the big screen, at all, without nausea kicking in ) - and then you never really show them Armstrong - just his leg, or his arm. Meanwhile you wish every other cast member would get into the LLTV and kill themselves. Call it 'Lunar Roverfield' or something.

Doug
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Guest_Oersted_*
post May 8 2008, 08:52 PM
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Interesting documentary coming up, in blueray no less:

When We Left Earth, The NASA Missions DVD Set

http://shopping.discovery.com/product-71602.html
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