Emphasizing the importance of preserving the legacy of the Apollo landings, this unique record documents the background of the event footage itself. Revealing the vital role the medium of television played during this integral period in space history, this investigation draws from in-depth research of the NASA archives as well as outside sources such as the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Demonstrating the skill and knowledge of the RCA and Westinghouse technicians of the 1960s, this study illustrates how their advancements not only revolutionized space exploration but electronic news as a whole. From the earliest known proposals of television coverage on lunar missions through the constant battle of internal politics, this survey also covers the processes of the slow scan conversion and the eventual transformation of the footage into color. Transforming a niche topic into an intriguing subject, this accessible reconstruction provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of space travel for both established fans and curious newcomers.
About the Author Dwight Steven-Boniecki has worked in the television industry in several different countries for more than 20 years.
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. (June 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1926592166
ISBN-13: 978-1926592169
Colin Anderton Member
Posts: 151 From: Great Britain Registered: Jan 2005
posted 11-25-2009 03:28 PM
I was watching some CBS coverage I have of Apollo 9 a few days ago, and I was astonished to hear that NASA announced during that flight that they "might" put a TV camera on the moon to show the Apollo 11 moonwalk.
How extraordinary that they were only thinking about it at this late stage!
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 11-25-2009 03:32 PM
TV was always considered as part of the missions as early as 1961. NASA did, however, deem it "non-mission-critical", meaning the success of the mission did not depend on the camera being on board or not.
What they failed to realise was the HUGE PR tool the camera would become. As Stan Lebar related to me, once the TV camera was turned, to the average Joe watching at home, the TV camera became THE MISSION.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-08-2009 09:15 AM
It is my pleasure to announce the website to complement the upcoming book release: LiveTVFromTheMoon.com is now online and awaiting your visit!
Jay Chladek Member
Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
posted 12-09-2009 10:26 AM
quote:Originally posted by Colin Anderton: How extraordinary that they were only thinking about it at this late stage!
Considering the camera that flew to the moon was the one used for the black and white footage of A9 during the spacewalk (from what I recall from the DVD screening at Spacefest), I would say at that point it was still definitely a "might" as that was the flight test of the camera. If it hadn't worked, well I'm sure NASA probably would have come up with something as the internal video camera by that point had already flown on Apollo 7 and Apollo 8. Since no spacewalks were planned for Apollo 10 (and A7 and 8 had none), A9 was about the only time to give it a test in the harsh environment of space.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-09-2009 01:37 PM
While there was debate over the TV camera prior to Apollo 11 I'm fairly confident there would have been little resistance to it once Apollo 8 had flown. One unknown source of pressure on Washington to have live TV came from the us networks. They put enough heat on for the TV systems. Westinghouse was working under a when mentality rather than an if mindset.
One interesting memo I uncovered was from Deke Slayton who wrote that the EVA start time was not dependent on Tracking Station windows. As to any hard core dismissal of TV on the flight, not much exists. There is however a lot of argumentation for the benefit and desirability of TV's inclusion.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-09-2009 01:37 PM
Having said all that, there were two distinct camps in NASA: those who saw TV as a benefit and a right of every single tax payer, and those who saw it as a nuisance which had no benefit at all to mission success.
I think the last milestone of resistance was passed once the public reacted to the Apollo 8 telecasts.
Jeff Member
Posts: 474 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
posted 12-17-2009 07:59 AM
I’d like to comment on the use of TV for the Apollo 11 mission. I received the Live From The Moon DVD set from Spacecraft Films a few days ago. It contains an interview with Chris Kraft about the use of TV on 11. Apparently, as late as January 69 the decision was still up in the air. Kraft had a meeting and invited “enough of the right people to ensure he’d get the answer that he wanted”…which was to have the camera flown. However, the answer he received was that because the camera didn’t serve any scientific purpose it should not be carried. Kraft was “flabbergasted” by the decision because he felt the tax payers deserved to see it. Kraft goes on to say that he had enough “game power or whatever you want to call it” to call the shot, which is what he did. In the same interview Stan Lebar, who was the lead engineer from Westinghouse that designed the camera, credits people like Kraft and Max Faget for understanding the PR and historical significance of the event.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3118 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 12-17-2009 05:29 PM
Jim McDivitt seems to have had some influence on the use of live TV on the later "J" missions. When he was in London for Autographica in April 2008, he talked about some opposition from the scientific community to the TV camera being mounted on the lunar rover on Apollo 15. He couldn't understand their attitude and told the people concerned: "You guys are nuts! We're having the TV on the rover." A very wise man.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-17-2009 05:36 PM
Hey Blackarrow, I was the fellow who asked him to tell that story! When I told him I was researching the book he related that story to me. Had I known you were also in the lecture I'd have said hello to you - unless I already did - you weren't the one who told me about the Dyna-soar book you picked up, were you?
spacecraft films Member
Posts: 802 From: Columbus, OH USA Registered: Jun 2002
posted 12-17-2009 05:47 PM
Ironically the person who presented the opinion that TV should not be carried on Apollo 11 (according to Kraft and Lebar) was Ed Fendell, who would later run the camera operation on the Rovers.
I asked Ed Fendell about this. He says that they all say it was him but it wasn't. I still don't know whether it was or wasn't. But I have my own opinion...
Jeff Member
Posts: 474 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
posted 12-17-2009 05:59 PM
Thanks for jumping in Mark. I thought maybe I misinterpreted the statements from C Kraft.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-18-2009 03:14 AM
The one thing I better make clear is that there was ALOT of debate within NASA about taking the TV camera. However, from the get-go TV was included in nearly every proposal and outlay for a lunar mission. Work on TV cameras was consistent from the inception of Apollo through to the actual missions.
What didn't happen (at least I found absolutely nothing which suggested such) is NASA issuing a clear directive to halt the R&D/Manufacture of the TV cameras.
For example, NASA apoproached Westinghouse to design the lunar camera - Westinghouse didn't approach NASA. Somewhere inside the bickerinf and debating, enough foresight was given to ensure TV was written into mission plans.
What did play a vital role in the various debates was the weight factor. It went from carrying two TV cameras, to one single one, to one CSM camera, to one internal LM camera - finally to the configguration which was carried aboard Apollo 11 (and then the remaining missions).
One important factor often overlooked in NASA's decision to carry the TV camera was pressure from the TV networks on Washington to demand live TV. Partly this aspect was covered in a TV Guide article which focused on Apollo 7 and 8. The enormous public reaction to the TV on those missions did alot to change minds within NASA - including the biggest hurdle, that of the astronauts themselves.
Thanks to people like Robert Seamans, Chris Kraft, Tom Stafford we got to enjoy TV on all the missions, and color alot earlier than had been planned!
Jeff Member
Posts: 474 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
posted 12-18-2009 10:31 AM
Dwight, I don't dispute any of the facts from your last post. Although, Robert Seamans resigned from NASA on 2 Oct. 67. He did give them a 3 month notice... which meant he was out of the picture so to speak between Apollo's 4 and 5, but I'm sure he had some input on the decision to fly the camera on 11. You are obviously better versed in this area then I'll ever be. I was simply responding to your statement from 9 Dec where you said "I think the last milestone of resistance was passed once the public reacted to the Apollo 8 telecast." I don't doubt that the public had an enormous impact on the use of the camera. However, it still remains that the decision was an ongoing debate within NASA throughout January 69, according to Chris Kraft. In fact, because the meeting NASA held in January to discuss the use of the camera decided not to fly it... he had to use his power and demand that the camera would fly. I just visited the website and pre-ordered the book on Amazon, and look forward to another Apollo related book to add to my ever growing collection.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-18-2009 11:13 AM
Jeff, I didn't read anything you said as a dispute, I just realise it sounded like I was saying everything was sweet after Apollo 8. I think after 8, the benefit of TV was pretty much hammered home. Those that maybe had no opinion prior, may have fought just that little bit harder after the lunar orbit flight. Looking back it seems as outright idiotic that no TV was even considered.
Jeff Member
Posts: 474 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
posted 12-18-2009 03:50 PM
No Worries Dwight. And I agree, it’s unbelievable that not taking it was even a consideration.
GoesTo11 Member
Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
posted 12-18-2009 05:33 PM
quote:Originally posted by Jeff: And I agree, it’s unbelievable that not taking it was even a consideration.
Imagine what the moon-hoax cranks would have been saying all these years if we had no TV from the missions!
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-19-2009 02:59 AM
That's what I kept thinking! One small factor regarding the book is that I tried to address the hoax claims (such as who filmed Armstrong, who filmed the LM launch) without actually mentioning the words "hoax" or "Conspiracy" - i.e. consciously avoiding giving them any mention whatsoever. Mainly because I figured they have enough of a platform to voice their "opinions" and there was no way I was going to help promote that at all.
Jeff Member
Posts: 474 From: Fayetteville, NC, USA Registered: May 2009
posted 12-19-2009 06:26 AM
The funny thing is, I haven't seen anything on the web from the hoax conspiracy believers on how we faked the LRO shots of the Apollo landing sites. If they ever just listened to what they say... they would see how absurd their claims are. All they're trying to do is get exposure in media. However, there are times when they're exposure in the media doesn't upset me... much like that incident when Buzz clocked that clown that confronted him and wanted him to swear on a bible that the landing really happened.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-19-2009 07:18 AM
The good thing is, especially on YouTube where most of the hardcore Hoax folk reside, is that the LRO has supplied them with a nice swift slap in the face. To the point where in order to preserve their fantasy that everything was fake, so too, now, are the LRO images as far as they claim. The good thing is the LRO pics keep coming. Alot of fence sitters are now swayed by the new images. A quiet hope is that Live TV From the Moon will also help end challenges to the authenticity of the missions by expolaining how the TV signal was sent from the moon. Unfortunately, the video record is the one the hoax crowd use the most as it easiest to find "fault" with (even though it is only the color wheel artefacts, grainy images and LOS). The best "theory" I have had the pleasure of reading is that the quindar tones actually were part of some elaborate image recognition system which would hide what NASA really saw on the moon. I kid you not.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 12-25-2009 04:53 PM
Vale Stan Lebar. Your inspiration and contribution to the most iconic TV images of the 20th Century will never be forgotten.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 06-03-2010 03:33 PM
It is my pleasure to announce that the book has, as of today, been officially released!
I hope all the hard work makes an enjoyable reading experience for you!
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3118 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 06-03-2010 04:50 PM
Amazon UK is saying that this book is "currently unavailable" and have added "We don't know when or if this item will become available." I will cast my net wider.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 10-19-2010 06:41 PM
When Neil Armstrong first set his foot onto the lunar surface, an estimated 600 million people (one fifth of the world's population) watched the event live as it happened. Most of those people would be able to tell you exactly where they were at that historic moment. However, the story behind the small TV camera which captured those images on the moon had never been explained in a comprehensive manner. That is until now.
"Live TV From the Moon" is the first book to explore the long development and planning of the TV systems which ultimately presented the world with a window into arguably the most important event in human history. The road to TV on the lunar missions was not without controversy. Author Dwight Steven-Boniecki notes, "There were two sides within NASA. One felt the American taxpayer had financed the missions and therefore deserved to view the missions as they happened, while the other side felt the inclusion of television was an unnecessary addition which would be a hindrance to mission operations. In the end, the prop-TV side won out, and the world was privy to watching nearly every aspect of the lunar missions live."
Interviewing key players in the TV camera development for Apollo, Steven-Boniecki presents the story in a manner which is not weighed down by technical details. The book also includes many photos and diagrams, including TV telecast timelines for every Apollo mission. The book comes with a bonus DVD featuring a fascinating documentary about the Westinghouse Lunar TV Camera Team, the search for the Apollo 11 tapes conference from 16 July, 2009 and color slide shows of the book's photos with interviews of key TV personnel.
"Nearly everyone has seen the footage of Apollo 11," Steven-Boniecki notes, "but there were also six additional missions which subsequently saw television improve from grainy black and white to full color. Live TV From the Moon covers the later missions in detail as well."
"Live TV From the Moon" took 5 years of research spanning locations around the world such as JSC, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and the Australian and Spanish tracking stations. It is available now from Apogee Space Books.
Dwight Member
Posts: 576 From: Germany Registered: Dec 2003
posted 06-25-2011 12:43 PM
One year since its release and "Live TV from the Moon" and it is still going strong. To all those who made it such a success I humbly say thank you.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 10-11-2011 09:29 AM
Last August, the AWA organization (Antique Wireless Association) awarded its annual prize based on nominations from members. "Live TV From the Moon" won the Taylor Award for Preservation of Television History.
The Antique Wireless Association (AWA) is one of the largest international non-profit historical societies devoted to the study and preservation of the History of Electronics. Located in Rochester, in the USA, now incorporated in the state of New York, it was founded in 1952, by the American radio amateur and historian Mr. Bruce Kelly Nowadays the Association membership peaks at over 5000 either in the USA as well all over the world. Further to its extensive calendar of activities such as: antique radio exhibitions, publication of journal and reviews, preservation and archiving studies, organization of one of the largest radio museum, the Association board of directors have included also in the same several recognition awards to someone who has done outstanding and significant work of long duration related to the preservation and documentation on the History of radio and related matters.
Following are that major recognition of achievement and service awards...
Taylor Award: in memory of John Taylor, RCA TV developer is for preserving television history.
posted 11-25-2009 09:11 AM
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