Posts: 729 From: Longview, Texas, USA Registered: Apr 2000
posted 07-31-2004 06:51 PM
Wally Schirra's humor - 21 March 1965 Ranger 9 returned 5,814 images before lunar impact. The target was Alphonsus, a large crater about 12 degrees south of the lunar equator. Transmission of 5,814 good contrast photographs was made during the final 19 minutes of flight. Millions of Americans followed the spacecraft's descent via real time television coverage provided to the three networks of many of the F-channel images were provided for this flight. Later the images were shown to the press as a continuous-motion movie, leading astronaut Wally Schirra to yell ‘bail out you fool!’ just before the final frame.
[This message has been edited by dtemple (edited July 31, 2004).]