posted 07-10-2009 09:28 AM               

They're taking no more phone orders for Collins, but you can get up to two books signed per time through line. The guy on the the phone welcomed people to go through line more than once.

posted 07-13-2009 09:31 PM               

To ensure that the astronauts are able to meet all customers, they will only sign the books being sold at the event.

posted 07-15-2009 02:42 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The National Air and Space Museum's website is clear about other books -- for any of the astronauts:

To ensure that the astronauts are able to meet all customers, they will only sign the books being sold at the event.

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posted 07-15-2009 06:21 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Fra Mauro:
I'm going to the event and I really hope that people follow the rules.

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posted 07-19-2009 11:57 AM               

Contrary to what the museum's website implied, the astros were indeed signing copies of their books which were not purchased at the museum. If you waited to buy the books there, you had to wait in two lines - one to buy the books, another for getting them signed. Even if you preordered and prepaid for the books, you still have to wait in the first line to pick them up.

posted 07-19-2009 02:25 PM               

We were also told that the signing ended promptly at 2 p.m. and would NOT be extended. We were, however, allowed to go up to the rope line and take photos, so a lot of people left the line and the nice girl I met (Heather; very cool) went to take photos. I was then so upset I walked out of the museum, cried, had lunch, went back inside.

Probably 40 minutes after I got out of line, an overhead announcement was made that the signing line was being cut and no new people could get in that line. Hmm, not thrilled about that. Had I known that the line really wasn't cut off when I was told it was, I might have stayed in line, but it was 1:00 p.m. when I got out of line, so I didn't think I'd still make it to the front of the signing line.

Moving on... I wandered around, took photos of stuff, and went to the outstanding Alan Bean "Painting Apollo" exhibit. I got out of that at 2:30 and guess what? The astronauts were still signing! At that point I was really mad at the museum staff. They were really poor at communicating with the public, mostly because we continually got bad information. I'm sure someone will come along and defend them and that's fine, but I honestly think they did not have this as well organized as they should have, especially since the info the staff gave out varied from staff member to staff member.

Oh and by the way, at 2:30 p.m. I bought a copy of "Painting Apollo". I'm especially impressed by that, considering they were sold out over two hours earlier.

posted 07-19-2009 03:38 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by AJ:
I'm sure someone will come along and defend them and that's fine, but I honestly think they did not have this as well organized as they should have, especially since the info the staff gave out varied from staff member to staff member.

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When they did cut off the line, they told those in the signing line that no matter how long it took, everyone already in line would get their books signed (which is why the astronauts were signing beyond the original cutoff time of 2 p.m.).

With regards to signing other books and other items, I did see at least a few other books get signed, but I also saw them turn quite a few others away. One lady in particular tried to have Aldrin sign a book already signed by Armstrong -- she had apparently asked the staff for permission, was told no, and then proceeded to try to get it signed anyway (at which time she was told no again, even more forcefully). The particularly odd part about that situation was that before then, she had asked me who each astronaut was -- I got the impression she was not the book's owner.

Speaking of dealers, an older gentleman who apparently had gotten through the signing line early, reportedly tried selling signed copies of "Carrying the Fire" to those still standing in line -- for $100 each. Museum security escorted him out, and then he tried again on the sidewalk, only to be further made to leave.

But those were the few exceptions to an otherwise enjoyable morning. To all the collectSPACE readers and members I saw -- far too many to list, easily over 50 people -- it was great seeing each of you!

I had pre-ordered my books with no intention of standing in line to have them signed, but encouraged by being in good company, I had the museum pull my order and I waited with everyone else. I was glad I did -- though Aldrin was signing up a storm (his twitter update mentioned signing over 1,000 copies -- and I can believe it!) -- Collins and Bean were gracious with their time.

And then there were the other special guests -- Andy and Vicki Chaikin were there, as was former shuttle astronaut Don Thomas. I got a great photo of Lois Aldrin with her daughter and assistant posing with Columbia. And Pat Collins, Mike's wife, is always a pleasure be around.

posted 07-19-2009 04:10 PM               

I called the museum earlier in the week to make sure it was OK to bring our own copies of the books to the signing rather than having to buy them at the museum. I was told we could, as long as they were the current books being signed. So we brought two copies of each book with us and that proved huge.

An enormous line had already formed by the time we got into the museum, probably around 10:15. We got in line at the far west end of the museum, past the Transportation Gallery for those who know the museum well. Chatter quickly started and we learned that the line we were in was only for those buying books. I investigated this further and confirmed there was a much shorter line for those already with books, so we got in that line, which was probably about 1/5 as long.

Once the signings got started, all went pretty smoothly. All three astronauts were in good spirits, and I even heard Bean tell people "thanks for coming." The staff rushed us along through the signing line, but we were able to take a good deal of pictures once we got up to the table. All three guys shook our hands and said a quick hello. I think they might have been a bit overwhelmed by the turnout, too.

We went to check out Bean's exhibit upstairs and when we came out, probably around 12:45, we noticed the lines were still huge and all three astronauts had taken a break from signing! I can't imagine that sat well with the hundreds still waiting in the lines.

posted 07-19-2009 05:23 PM               

I got there around 9:30 am (doors opened at 10). Once I got through security, I went over to the line and it was already really long. I was in line by shortly after 10, and by the time I had bought my books and then gotten through the autograph line it was around 1:30 pm (so, 3 1/2 hours waiting).

It was VERY nice of Pat Collins to come out along the autograph waiting line and introduce herself to everyone. She was very gracious and a joy to talk to ... I mentioned how nice it was that she came out when I got up to Mike Collins' table, and we had a nice, albeit short, chat. Just before me in line, some dork tried to get Collins to sign a WSS litho. Ugh.

Overall, I had a good time. I had some nice conversations with other folks in line. I had a good chuckle over the guy who told his kids that "these are the guys who landed the shuttle on the moon".

My only regret is that I didn't know you could bring your own books -- that would have shortened the experience by easily over 2 hours. Oh, well ... still a good time.

posted 07-19-2009 05:41 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
I can see how the announcements could have been -- and obviously were to some -- confusing. They did make several announcements that the line was closed after they had already cut off the line. I guess people were still trying to get in.

When they did cut off the line, they told those in the signing line that no matter how long it took, everyone already in line would get their books signed (which is why the astronauts were signing beyond the original cutoff time of 2 p.m.).

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posted 07-20-2009 08:20 AM               

I was able to go to the opening of Alan Bean’s exhibition on Thursday which was great. Alan was very friendly to everyone (not a surprise), and I was thrilled to finally meet him. I was also thrilled to Meet Andrew Chaikin and Victoria Kohl as well. They are both great people.

For the Sunday signing, we got to the museum at around eight o’clock or so, and there were about 10-15 people there already. People flowed in steadily until about 9 when we actually lined up at the door. A couple of tour buses came through and unloaded which accounted for the lines extending to the sidewalk. When the museum opened, my wife and I adopted a “divide and conquer” strategy and she got a place in line while I bought the books. We were fortunate to be among the first 40 people in line so we saw the astronauts come in, and the crush of press that surrounded the fist signers. We were somewhat rushed in the line, but that was to be expected given the number of folks there and I didn’t feel it was unduly so. I will say that Buzz, Mike Collins and Alan Bean were very friendly and chatty given the constraints.

For me, I think things went well overall. I can’t speak to the quality of information given out by the staff. What I can say is that everyone of them was pleasant, patient and helpful, and I appreciated them very much. I was very pleased to meet all the astronauts, Andy and Victoria, and some fellow space enthusiasts in the line.

posted 07-20-2009 08:35 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by thump:
And speaking of the idiot that was selling the books through the line, and then outside, for a $100, this is a**hole also followed Alan Bean down the street to the hotel. Not sure what the conversation was, or what it was like when they got to the hotel, ut this is another example why most of these men have stopped, or vastly curtailed their signings...

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posted 07-20-2009 09:12 AM               

Apparently they were very strict about using the lottery ticket system. Directors at the Air & Space did not get in. Collins' by far was the best speaker. Aldrin was the only speaker using a teleprompter and it sounded like a political rally or a revival. Armstrong as always was the "engineer" and it was nice to see him pay his respects to Goddard. Kraft came off a bit caustic.

posted 07-20-2009 09:54 AM               

The lines were long, both for the book purchase and the book signing, but the reward was great. I got to the museum before 9 am (west entrance) and after the museum opened at 10 am got into the book selling line -- I ordered and returned books to Amazon as I was under the impression that the authors would only sign books purchased that day at NASM. I was wrong as you could bring the three books of the day into the booksigning.

Both lines extended from one end of the museum to the other end.

Thinking about it now, I spent from 9:00 am to 1:50 pm in lines--outside the museum and inside-- 4 hours and 50 minutes (but worth it) and another 45 minutes that evening. (on edit)

If the astronauts were able to sign 4 books per minute, 1,000 books would take 250 minutes (4+ hours without a break at this pace).

As I got to the head of the line at 1:50 pm, the NASM employee truly thought the signing was going to stop at 2:00 -- I just made it. Then came other announcements, "If you are already in line," etc.

It was probably a combination of the weekend day at the most visited museum in the world with some of the most famous people in the world and an anniversary of one of the most important milestones.

After the book signings -- one line was so much more efficient than three lines -- I spent some quality time at Alan Bean's art display. I actually toured it twice. My two favorites are "The Hammer and the Feather" and "In Flight" (Alan Shepard golfing). The originals are breathtaking.

I got to see three Wright planes -- The Wright Flyer, the Vin Fiz, and the 1909 Wright Military.

After an hours rest on the Mall, we returned to the NASM to get our tickets to the wonderful evening presentations and reflections.

I got to talk with many of my collectSPACE friends during the day. I hope everyone had a memorable day like I had.

Garry

posted 07-20-2009 05:51 PM               

Some pretty crummy news at work meant that I had a little more time free than I expected to. So the two of us went up a day early and spent most of the day on Saturday (my 34th birthday) at NASM, which we hadn't been to before. While there, we asked an employee in the book area of the museum store about the signing. He said he was planning to arrive at 7 am and expected there to be a substantial line already by that time. That surprised me, but it led me to reevaluate my plans to arrive at 9 am, and I was later glad I did. I have never been to any type of signing before and didn't know what to expect.

We were staying just a block from the museum and started walking over there just before 7 am. We could see before we got even half a block that there weren't more than 6 or 7 people already waiting, so we went and got a very quick breakfast and then headed over. We arrived at 7:15 or so and were maybe tenth in line. The line grew steadily.

As has been stated before, the flow of information from whoever was organizing the signing, to the employees and volunteers at the museum, to the public had definitely broken down somewhere along the line. In a couple calls to the museum and a couple conversations with employees, I got conflicting information, and no one seemed terribly certain of anything. I was told I had to buy the books there, but that I might be okay bringing the books with me if I had bought them at the museum store and had a receipt. It was also clearly implied to me that the line for buying books and the signing line would be one and the same, which turned out not to be the case. After arriving, a couple employees told us that they might open the doors early, which didn't happen, and one lady in line near me had been told on the phone that the doors would open and books would be sold at 8:30 AM (and boy, she didn't shut up about it from 8:30 to 10:00!). Finally, there were lines forming on both the mall side and the street side of the building; this made for something of a free-for-all when the doors on both sides opened and people streamed in from two directions. I definitely think the organization and communication could have been handled better without too much effort.

But anyway...

When the doors opened, we headed for the area where the signing would be held. I got in line to buy my books and sent my son to get our spot in the signing line (we were both close enough to the front of our respective lines that I could keep an eye on him from where I stood). After I got our books and joined him, the signing was only 30 or 40 minutes away. The one aspect of the signing that was well organized (and maybe this is typical, I don't know) was the actual signing line, which seemed to proceed steadily while still allowing a moment or two to speak with the astronauts.

Buzz Aldrin was up first, and after he heard that my son really enjoyed his recent song "Rocket Experience" (I had been talking to Lisa Cannon about it a moment before; my son must have wanted to hear it 15 times on our 5 hour drive to DC) he rapped a few lines just for my son, which Jay got a big kick out of. Buzz seemed to enjoy talking with the kids more than the adults. We got one book signed and I am looking forward to reading it.

Next in line was Mike Collins, the main reason we made the trip. Jay had hoped to get his well-loved "Flying to the Moon" book signed, but given the rules and the situation, I didn't think it would be right to put Mike Collins in the position of having to either refuse to sign it and disappoint a little kid, or sign it and set a bad precedent. So we didn't even ask, but I did get Jay his own copy of "Carrying the Fire" that he can keep until he is old enough to read it. My usually outgoing, talkative kid clammed right up when confronted with the sight of his favorite astronaut right across the table from him. I mentioned that Jay had read "Flying to the Moon" (it took him weeks to read -- he's a great reader, but it was a pretty tough read for him; I think it was probably written for kids a couple years older -- but he really enjoyed the book and was very proud of himself when he finished) and he asked Jay whether it was a good book. Jay managed to squeak out that yes, it was a good book, and he got a handshake.

Then it was on to Alan Bean, who was quite friendly and approachable. I didn't spend too long, though, because this was the end of the line so if I had stopped to chat, it would have been ME holding up the line, which I did not want to do. (The show of his artwork upstairs at the museum is WELL worth the time. I had seen pictures of his art before but it was great to see it in person. Even Jay enjoyed it...it was fun getting up close to try and spot pieces of patches and foil, etc., and then stepping back to look at each painting as a whole.)

And that was it: 11:20 AM and we were ready to go get lunch and sit down! I was glad I had gotten there early; we had a loooong wait, but we were never seriously in doubt that we would get the books and autographs we were hoping to, and we were glad to be finished early enough to head over to the Udvar-Hazy center before driving 5 hours home. All in all it was a thrill for both Jay and me to get the chance to meet these three astronauts and get our books signed. Neither of us had ever met any of the Apollo astronauts before and we are glad we got this opportunity. I do feel badly for those who tried to and were unable to either because of bad information or the sheer size of the crowd. And I also have to give the astronauts major credit; had it been me and I walked in and saw a line like that waiting for me, I think I'd either cry or leave or both! But they may be used to that.

Like the poster above, "I'm glad I read about this event on collectSPACE."

And now, since this post is not yet long enough, a few pictures (with immense thanks to the gentleman behind us in line, who was kind enough to take these and email them to me):

posted 07-22-2009 10:02 PM               

When I got to the signing area there was a really big line (about 150 people in front of me) which I and everyone else got in. You then learned that this was the line for buying the books and there was a second line for those that already had their stuff to get signed. My wife and daughter got in the signing line and I waited a little over an hour to purchase my books. I then joined them to wait our turn for the signing which was about a half-hour. The line moved very quickly ( too quickly for me) and while in line you were told to open each book to a certain page and place the dust jacket at that page. When you got to the signing area you gave all your books to a staff member who then placed them on a table next to Buzz. His handler put each book in front of him to be signed and then passed each signed book to the handler for Mike Collins. After Mike Collins signed the book it was passed to the handler for Alan Bean. Once Alan signed the books they were all stacked up and handed back to you by a handler – and you needed to keep Alan’s book open so the gold pen ink could dry. The whole thing was completed in less than a minute or so and did not leave any time to get a posed picture or talk at all – all of which is understandable considering the size of the crowd.

While waiting in line my daughter and I were interviewed by a local talk radio station and a local TV station. After exiting the line we were interviewed by another TV station from Germany. We felt like celebrities! The basic question was what do you think the vision is for the NASA program?

After taking my signed books to the car I came back and was able to stand behind the signing line and take as many photos as I wanted. This was fun though frustrating as someone was always walking in front of me just when I had a smiling face on an astronaut.

After taking my photos we checked out the Alan Bean exhibit – incredible – and the many other exhibits. As the day went on the book signing line stretched the length of the museum. I felt bad for those in line as it seemed unlikely most of them would be able to buy their books in time to get in the signing line before the cut-off time. This brings up one complaint – they should have sold the books in the gift shop as well rather than just at this area since the gift shop has numerous registers and could have sold the books much efficiently. As it was all books that were in the gift shop were moved to the sales area for the signing event – and then returned at the end of the day.

As far as books being signed all I saw were the books being sold Look to the Stars & Magnificent Desolation for Buzz, Carrying the Fire for Mike, and First Artist on Another World for Alan. I brought along a copy of Liftoff hoping Mike would sign it but was told by hi shandler he would not. The only other book I saw being signed was hard-cover copy of Carrying the Fire which Mike did sign.

I’m sorry for the frustration experienced by the others but for my family and I it was a fun and exciting event. I owe much thanks to the staff member who suggested getting there so early.

posted 08-05-2009 01:15 PM               

The original Bean signature is fine but I could do with out the mirror image. I would never wish to re-sell the book anyway, but it is really too bad. I have emailed the NASM to see if they will exchange it, but it was only yesterday and have yet to receive an answer. It is the first time I have dealt with the NASM so I hope something can be done. But I regret not going though Novaspace as I originally had planned.

posted 08-05-2009 05:39 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
So, it may just be an an unavoidable situation...

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