posted 11-07-2009 05:37 AM               

The evening soiree held at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral served to preview the weekend's activities, as the show's astronauts and celebrity guests mingled with space enthusiasts -- many of them collectSPACE members and readers -- sharing stories, food and drink in a relaxing and joyous atmosphere.

ASF executive director Linn LeBlanc and chairman Al Worden welcomed everyone for what they promised will be a very memorable weekend...

posted 11-07-2009 06:04 AM              

The video is about 24 minutes and is edited from a 45-minute discussion.

posted 11-07-2009 01:49 PM               

The reception Friday night was wonderful. The only problem being that there were so many people to talk to that there was never time to actually eat! But somehow it was easy to keep the wine glasses refilled...

My wife Jane and Jim Lovell:

Dr. Rhea Seddon - what a pleasure to talk with her! (And yes, fellows, she really does look that good in person.)

Leslie Bean, Dee O'Hara, and Alan Bean:

Jane and I got into an extended discussion about dogs with Leslie Bean, during which we showed her pictures of our terminally-cute dog, Butters. This morning at the autograph show, Alan greeted me with, "Show me the pictures of Butters! I heard all about him after the party last night!"

posted 11-07-2009 03:20 PM            

Spent more $$$$ than planned, looking forward to tonight.

posted 11-07-2009 05:17 PM               

From left to right (hopefully I got this right): Fred "GACspaceguy" Karst, Jackie "GACspacegirl" Karst, Tim "KSCartist" Gagnon, Paul "bigcrash3" O'Neal, John "JohnRaiders" Hall, Roger "OLDIE" Hyson, Gerry "GerryM" Montague, Dave "BigWaveDave" Mulligan, Linda "Linda K" Kindzierski, Jason "JasonIUP" Perash, Rob "Rob Joyner" Joyner, Mel "MCroft04" Croft, Sarah "Sarahnaut" Duffy, Nora "Neke" Horsfall, John "Go4Launch" Bisney, Leon "Leon Ford" Ford, JL "Jay" Pickering, Ken "Ken Havekotte" Havekotte, Jan Willis, Robert "Robert Pearlman" Pearlman and Donnis "lunarlegacies" Willis.

The collectSPACE table in the exhibit hall...

posted 11-07-2009 11:39 PM               

It was an honor to be in the presence of all the astronauts and Apollo 12 support personnel who attended, but it was nice to briefly share the frame of a viewfinder with Armstrong.

posted 11-08-2009 09:41 AM               

Up to then, however, I had a truly marvelous time. It was an honor and a great pleasure to meet a number of astronauts whom I had never met, particularly Fred Haise and Walt Cunningham. Alan Bean actually remembered me from another event earlier this year and that made my day.

posted 11-08-2009 05:39 PM            

AAMS 2009 Photos

posted 11-08-2009 05:44 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by ilbasso:
I heard from reliable sources that HE actually contacted ASF and asked if he could participate.

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posted 11-08-2009 06:11 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
It was an honor to be in the presence of all the astronauts and Apollo 12 support personnel who attended, but it was nice to briefly share the frame of a viewfinder with Armstrong.

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posted 11-09-2009 03:10 PM               

I scored the show 11 out of 10. The ASF team (many of them volunteers) planned and executed an outstanding 3-day event that reflected their immense hard work. The autograph show was pretty quiet on Sunday and this possibly reflected the fact that many show attendees were there for much more than mere autographs. The weekend gave ample scope for interaction with the astronauts and I particularly enjoyed talking test flying and racing with Hank Hartsfield and Hoot. It was great being "recognised" by Freddo at the Friday drinks and he's always nice to chat to.

It's hard to convey the atmosphere of the Saturday dinner. There was an unseemly scrum of photographers when Neil arrived that gave the security people some worries, but I didn't notice any other stalking going on. The remembrance of the Apollo 12 mission was funny, emotional and respectful. The excellent speeches captured the history of the mission, the humor of Pete Conrad and crew team-spirit. The roll-call of astronauts and Apollo workers in the room served to highlight how Pete, Dick and Alan's peer-group felt about the mission.

At dinner I was lucky to be sat on the same table as Bill Anders and Bob Sieck, a very modest former shuttle launch director and Gemini/Apollo spacecraft test and launch operations engineer. Interesting conversations around current/future space operations, THAT "Earthrise" photo, gliding and warbird flying amongst other things. The time passed too quickly but thanks to my fellow table guests for agreeing to rotate seats.

Of course it wouldn't have been the same without meeting the good people of cS and I have made many new friends.

posted 11-09-2009 04:40 PM               

Virtually all the astronauts were friendly and approachable. I hadn't met Hoot Gibson and his wife Rhea Seddon or Fred Haise before and both were great about taking photos with the items I had signed and with them personally. I also enjoyed a brief conversation with Bill Anders, who was gracious, at least to me, in posing for a picture with me at the dinner. I urged him to do a signing, but he said he would only sign an item if a large donation were made to his Heritage Foundation, which is preserving aviation history.

It was fun to see some reunions -- Anders with Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan with Tom Stafford, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden with some of his former crewmates, and even Buzz Aldrin with Neil Armstrong (Buzz went over, shook his hands, and had a few words).

Before the dinner I was looking at the auction items, which were laid out on tables on the perimeter of the room. I saw a man who looked vaguely familiar so I introduced myself. Turned out it was Bob Cabana, former astronaut and now KSC Director. We had a nice chat and he introduced me to one of the ASF scholarship recipients. After the dinner, as I went outside to go to my hotel room, I spied in the dark Cabana and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden in a deep discussion -- wonder what they were talking about?

The reception Neil Armstrong received at the dinner was like he was a rock star -- no wonder he needed some security agents with him. He was swarmed by well-wishers and photographers before the dinner started. His talk was spot on, covering his own personal relationships with the Apollo 12 crew and the fact that they made their pinpoint landing look easy and "fun." It was a great expression of the clear friendship he felt for the Apollo 12 crew. Armstrong's presence was clearly the icing on the cake for a wonderful and warm event honoring Pete, Al, and Dick.

I enjoyed sitting with our esteemed leader Robert Pearlman at the dinner, along with pilots from Switzerland and the U.S., as well as a couple from Pennsylvania who were both originally from overseas. In the next table, beside Jack King, was a Portuguese couple. It was truly an international event.

Robert, when he wasn't recording, texting or taking photos, and I debated the best path for the space program -- he's a "moon first" guy and I'm for the "flexible path."

I asked Charlie Bolden when we could expect a decision from the White House and he said he didn't know. Bolden is very humble, introducing himself "Hi, I'm Charlie Bolden" to those he didn't know, even though most there recognized him and knew who he was.

posted 11-09-2009 10:57 PM               

The only what I would call lines I saw Saturday were for Cernan and Lovell. A few times I saw a line of maybe four or five for Bean, but everyone else was almost immediately available which was surprising considering the many people there. I've been to a few of these shows now and always welcome the newbies. Saturday was no exception regarding Griffin, Seddon and Garriott. All three seemed genuinely happy to be there and posed for photos with everyone who asked. From what I saw, everyone there was extremely approachable and accessible, posing for photos with patrons behind and in front of their tables.

Everyone was matched up fairly well - Lovell and Haise (A13), Gordon and Bean (A12), Garriott and Lousma (SL3), Cernan and Stafford (G9/A10), Stafford and Brand (ASTP). Scott and Worden (A15) were separated only by Mitchell. Duke and Aldrin really seemed to enjoy being tablemates throughout the day. Ed Gibson filled out the Skylab section next to Garriott and Lousma, with Bean sitting directly across the aisle from him.

I kidded Rhea Seddon about the ASF's decision of having her endure her first show sitting next to the likes of Hoot. Of course I said it loud enough for Hoot to hear and he joked that actually everyone else had wanted to sit next to him but the ASF thought Seddon would have gotten upset being that they are married! I went on to mention that I had met Hoot and their daughter at the 2003 AHOF induction. We talked about family for a few minutes and then Seddon said that unfortunately their daughter takes after Hoot. And then Hoot nailed it, "She's perfect!"

I first met Scott Carpenter back in Nov 2001 and have met him many times since. Even had our photo taken together on his 79th birthday. He is honestly one of the most sincere and humble men I have ever met. It was indeed an honor to once again shake hands with a living legend.

After I got autographs from Garriott, Griffin, Seddon and Stafford I "boldly" spent some time with the Star Trek actors. Michael Dorn is taller than I had thought and now sports some fairly big glasses. He was nice enough to take a photo of myself with Marina Sirtis, who has never looked lovelier. LeVar Burton talked a few minutes about filming parts of Roots on St. Simons Island. He had a good laugh when I told him that a few of my elementary school classmates had been chosen to be extras which made the rest of us upset because we had to stay in class and do school work!

I took advantage of the lunch break and hopped on the KSC tour bus to the viewing gantry where I got some photos of Atlantis on Pad A, even though she was covered by the RSS. I was also able to meet Mark Lee after his Astronaut Encounter appearance and got a couple of autographs along with a photo together.

Many thanks to Robert for taking the time to make some very nice name tags for all of us cSers who were there. I even got a few "Ah, so you're Rob Joyner" comments out of it! It was good to say hello and spend some time with many fellow cSers - you know who you are! The group photo turned out great and I hope there will be even more of us there next November, as well as at the 2010 AHOF weekend, (perhaps a table together?). Thanks to all who posted video and accounts of Neil's rare KSC appearance. Robert, that photo is a keeper! Wish I could have stayed but someone didn't tell Neil that November 7 is my Mom's birthday!

posted 11-10-2009 06:40 AM               

This is not intended as a rant, or a desire to get anyone riled up, but merely as a bemused observation: When I was reconciling all my charge slips from the show, all of them were from "Astronaut Scholarship" except for one, from "STARBUZZ LLC."

posted 11-10-2009 08:05 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by gliderpilotuk:
There was an unseemly scrum of photographers when Neil arrived that gave the security people some worries, but I didn't notice any other stalking going on.

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posted 11-10-2009 08:46 AM               

My daughter has been interested in all things space for almost 2 years now so we're just encouraging her to learn as much as she can. She has made us into space fans as well.

We're delighted in the fact that our 5 year old recognized Scott Carpenter but has no idea who Dora the Explorer or SpongeBob is! LOL

We met Francis French (and got his book) and Steve from Farthest Reaches. Mrs. Gordon Cooper and her daughters were also so kind to our daughter.It is really nice to see such a good atmosphere at a show like this.

We have seen/met Alan Bean three times this year and he remembered meeting us! He even recalled what he signed for her this past summer. She told him that he's her favorite astronaut.

At the end of dinner, Mrs. Bean saw that Abigail had fallen asleep in her stroller and she had the waitress box up some cheesecake to go because she heard that she was more excited about dessert than hearing Neil Armstrong!

We also met Robert briefly outside while taking the sleeping kiddo back to the room.

posted 11-10-2009 08:56 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by albatron:
Pays to know one of the security guys when you want your picture taken eh?

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posted 11-10-2009 12:33 PM               

What a surprise to see this picture of Dr. Garriott signing my Saturn 1B spider beam bulkhead at our sponsorship tables. It now contains signatures in representation of all the flown manned Apollo/Saturn 1B flights with two complete Skylab crews.

It was a pleasure and lots of fun in sharing our sponsorship tables together with you and Tim G. during the 2-day ASF show here at the KSCVC. This was my 3rd show with the ASF, and needless to say, it gets bigger and better each year!

Theresa and I would like to extend a big thanks to all the cSers that came by and said hello to us. It was great seeing everyone, meeting new collector friends, and with never-ending chats about our passion for space exploration, aerospace history, and collecting.

Unfortunately, we had to decline our invitation tickets to the Apollo 12 dinner gala Saturday night, but heard it was a blast! With the "first man" attending, I know it made a very special evening for all that were able to attend.

I've only had the opportunity to meet Armstrong three times in my career, so-to-speak, in 1974 during Apollo 11's 5th anniversary here at KSC. The second, and perhaps the most memorable, was in 1993 during the Project Gemini astronauts' induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame here in Titusville.

At the time, my assistant was able to secure an Armstrong autograph for me after the ceremonies, but I did enjoy spending a little bit of time with the first moonwalker "behind the scenes" so-to-speak. As we discussed briefly at our show tables, Robert, I'll have to dig out some of those old photographs of Armstrong and myself together.

posted 11-10-2009 08:56 PM               

She was like a Mother, a sister, a best friend, and much much more, all rolled into one.

posted 11-11-2009 04:49 AM              

"First man and last man"

"Charlie Bolden, current NASA Administrator, with Apollo 11 CDR and LMP"

posted 11-11-2009 08:42 AM               

I went through them and found a picture of Armstrong, Cernan, and Bolden with me lurking in the background! Downloads for personal use are only $5 (although prints can also be ordered).

posted 11-11-2009 09:18 AM               

I was sitting about 15 feet directly behind Armstrong for the dinner and just found 6 or 7 good photos from Karl Ranstrom's images of both Neil and I in the same shot where both of us are clear and in focus.