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Topic: Photo of the week 251 (August 22, 2009)
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heng44 Member Posts: 3387 From: Netherlands Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 08-22-2009 03:25 AM
Forty years ago today, the Apollo 14 astronauts were already in the middle of training. Seen here are backup CDR Gene Cernan and backup LMP Joe Engle during geology field exercises in one of the lava tubes of the aptly named Craters of the Moon volcanic field in Idaho. Ed Hengeveld |
robsouth Member Posts: 769 From: West Midlands, UK Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 08-22-2009 08:26 AM
What a great team they would have made on the moon. NASA really should have flown Apollo 18 and let Engle and Gordon walk on the moon. |
AstroAutos Member Posts: 803 From: Co. Monaghan, Republic of Ireland Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 08-22-2009 10:23 AM
I agree (although it probably wasn't NASA's decision to scrap the last three Apollo missions.)I feel especially bad for Engle considering he was originally slated as LMP for Apollo 17 but was removed as NASA wanted a geologist on the final Apollo mission, but hey, that's life! Great photo, Ed... |
ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-24-2009 03:43 AM
quote: Originally posted by AstroAutos: I feel especially bad for Engle considering he was originally slated as LMP for Apollo 17 but was removed as NASA wanted a geologist on the final Apollo mission, but hey, that's life!
Just curious. What does Joe Engle say now about it? |
PowerCat Member Posts: 193 From: Herington, KS, USA Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 08-24-2009 05:43 AM
I talked with Joe at a presentation at the Kansas Cosmosphere this summer. He said he indeed wished he could have walked on the moon, but understood NASA's position.He was very gracious and admitted the hardest thing to deal with was telling his kids that he wasn't going to the moon. |
Tom Member Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 08-24-2009 08:47 AM
quote: Originally posted by robsouth: What a great team they would have made on the moon. NASA really should have flown Apollo 18 and let Engle and Gordon walk on the moon.
If NASA went ahead and flew Apollo 18 to the Moon, wouldn't Schmitt remain with Gordon on that mission, with Engle flying with Cernan on "17"? |
robsouth Member Posts: 769 From: West Midlands, UK Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 08-24-2009 02:55 PM
Exactly, so both Gordon and Engle would have walked on the moon but on different missions.
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Fra Mauro Member Posts: 1587 From: Bethpage, N.Y. Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 08-25-2009 10:48 PM
Those missions should have flown. The biggest savings would have been not to have built the flight hardware in the first place. |
Apollo Redux Member Posts: 346 From: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 09-02-2009 06:23 PM
quote: Originally posted by PowerCat: He was very gracious and admitted the hardest thing to deal with was telling his kids that he wasn't going to the moon.
Gracious indeed. A shame he didn't make it. |