posted 03-25-2010 03:39 PM               

Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 13 at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

The celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo Program continues as Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex remembers the launch of Apollo 13 - the lunar landing mission termed "the successful failure." Forty years ago, the eyes of the world were on the crew of Apollo 13 as astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise bravely endured an onboard explosion en route to the moon. Guests at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will have the opportunity to hear stories from the fearless Apollo 13 astronauts first-hand during a celebration commemorating the successful return of the mission on Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10, 2010.

The celebration begins with backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 13 and Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke signing copies of his book "Moonwalker" at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Friday, April 9 at 3:30 p.m. While serving as the backup Lunar Module Pilot, Duke caught the German measles and inadvertently exposed astronaut Ken Mattingly to the disease. Mattingly, who was scheduled to be the Command Module Pilot aboard Apollo 13, did not have immunity to the disease. He was replaced by Jack Swigert three days prior to the launch. In 1972, Duke flew to the moon aboard Apollo 16, along with Mattingly, and became the tenth man to walk on the moon. Books will be available for purchase at The Space Shop.

Guests at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will have the opportunity to come face-to-face with the heroic crew of Apollo 13 during a special Astronaut Encounter on Saturday, April 10 at 10:30 a.m. Veteran NASA astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise will be reunited at Kennedy Space Center - only a few miles away from where they launched 40 years ago on that unforgettable journey. Lovell and Haise survived four days in space using the Lunar Module Aquarius as their lifeboat and journeyed almost 250,000 miles as they rounded the far side of the moon on their harrowing voyage home, making them the furthest-traveled humans from Earth. The astronauts will share their inspirational stories of spaceflight, including their experience aboard Apollo 13.

The book signing and the special Astronaut Encounter are included with admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

posted 04-07-2010 03:35 PM               

On the 14th, Dr. Richard Shope and his Urban Science Corp of Mimes will perform a special presentation of Apollo 13 with students at the L.A. County Science fair at 7 p.m. This is a problem solving show for youth.

On Thursday, April 15 from 6-9 p.m., LM decent engine designer Jerry Elverum will speak to the AIAA Dinner meeting about the development of the Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine and the future of man in space.

posted 04-09-2010 07:54 AM               

In short, it was fun and well worth the $13 ticket price, if just for the opportunity to take photos like the following...

posted 04-09-2010 11:00 AM               

Exclusive Apollo 13 Event: Historic Heroes - April 12 At Hilton Chicago

Don't miss an exclusive event featuring Apollo 13 crew members and flight directors!

In a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Roger Launius, of the National Air and Space Museum, Commander James A. Lovell, Jr. and Lunar Module Pilot Fred W. Haise, Jr. will join Apollo 13 Flight Directors Eugene F. Kranz, Gerald D. Griffin and Milton L. Windler to reflect on the historic mission.

Monday, April 12
Hilton Chicago
720 South Michigan Avenue
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Presentation begins at 6:30 pm

This event is open to the public.

Half Off for Members!
$15 Adler members, $30 non-members
Advance registration required.

All tickets are general admission and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

posted 04-12-2010 12:41 PM               

It was a fabulous evening with highlight participates Lovell, Haise, backup crewmember Charlie Duke, and lead flight director Gene Kranz.

In addition, Al Worden, the current ASF chairman, spoke and served as the evening's moderator with a special tribute made by ex-shuttle astronaut and KSC Director Bob Cabana.

The special anniversary event started with a drive-by tour of Launch Pad 39A, liftoff site of Apollo 13 in 1970, with host Bob Sieck, a former Apollo chief engineer and shuttle launch director. Also with us was Scott Carpenter on the pad tour along with many notable space folks.

After parking at the Banana Creek's Apollo Saturn V Center, next up was a firing room introduction by Linn LeBlanc, the ASF executive director, followed by a firing room show and briefing by Kranz. Also with us in the firing room were many former astronauts in attendance.

After a lovely dinner underneath the Saturn V moon rocket, there was an Apollo 13 vintage artifacts silent auction for show attendees only. Of the "13" lots offered, the ASF raised over $18,000 for future student scholarships.

posted 04-14-2010 12:12 AM               

The guest list was impressive: Lovell, Fred Haise, Buzz Aldrin, Bill Anders, Alan Bean, Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan, Jack Lousma and flight directors Gene Kranz, Gerry Griffin and Milt Windler. Two unannounced surprise guests were Neil Armstrong and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. Also present were Apollo 13 movie actors Bill Paxton and Kathleen Quinlan. Announced guests who were unable to attend included Mike Collins, Frank Borman and Glynn Lunney.

The Adler Planetarium juts out on a peninsula into Lake Michigan and has a spectacular view of the lake and downtown Chicago. The museum was open specially for the event, which started with a cocktail party at 6 p.m. There was a notice about no photography and no autographs (I still took some pictures!)

I first bumped into Bill Anders and we continued our friendly discussion about his autograph policy. He insists on his $2,500 price for a signature, suggesting that the sum is really a charitable donation to the Heritage Flight Museum with the autograph thrown in on the side. I mentioned that many of us cannot afford that big a charitable donation. We talked about fake signatures on the market and he asserted that he did not sign at least one of the items in upcoming Regency-Superior auction. He mentioned that he was looking for a Yuri Gagarin autographed item but was suspicious about some of the lots. As before, Gen. Anders was friendly but not ready to change his mind about his fees.

I briefly talked with Tom Stafford and asked him jokingly whether he was tempted to land the lunar module on Apollo 10 instead of going down only to 45,000 feet. “Too heavy” was his reply, referring to his lunar module. He also explained that Apollo 10 was a dress rehearsal for Apollo 11, with the same flight directors and capcoms, as well as flight plan, with the exception of the landing. While stooped and elderly appearing, Gen. Stafford remains quite sharp.

Jack Lousma has always been one of the friendliest astronauts and we shared reminiscences of Ann Arbor, Michigan where he lives and where we both went to school (at different times). We commiserated about the sad state of University of Michigan football.

It was my first encounter with Milt Windler and his wife, who were both quite approachable. He explained that the flight directors during Apollo each trained for specific parts of the mission. In response to a question, he said he was “Maroon Flight” but that shuttle flight directors aren’t named by colors because they ran out of colors.

During the reception some of the exhibits were open, including one about the dangers of landing on the moon (temperature extremes, radiation, lunar dust, meteorites, etc). I overheard Gene Cernan jokingly tell Jim Lovell, who was showing him the exhibit, “If I knew it was that dangerous, I’m not sure I would have gone!”

The official photographer took a picture of me and a couple of other guests with Fred Haise. I later gave Haise an original AP wire copy I had from 40 years ago on the night of the explosion, which said the crew “was in grave danger.”

The dinner was held in a large hall of the planetarium overlooking the lake. Each of the special guests was introduced one by one. During the introductions I was seated at a side table, I looked up, and was surprised to see Neil Armstrong standing 20 feet away in the wings, then walking up to the podium to loud applause. He had not been previously announced as a guest, although he had attended previous anniversary events for Apollo 8 and Apollo 12, as well as his own mission. I was able to snap one quick picture (against the rules).

The dinner was moderated by television journalist Bill Kurtis. A brief film was shown followed by speeches by some of the guests. Milt Windler discussed the effects Apollo 13 had around the world, uniting all peoples. Alan Bean talked the piloting skills of the Apollo 13 crew, noting how hard it was for the crew to execute four required rocket burns without the command module guidance system. He said he and Pete Conrad practiced such maneuvers in simulators and rarely were able to do four correctly.

There were also a few funny remarks. Bill Anders noted that Apollo was a response to the Cold War and told Charlie Bolden that “what you need is a few more dirty commies!”

Gene Cernan paid a moving tribute to Marilyn Lovell and the other wives, remarking that the only thing harder than going to the moon was staying behind. Tom Stafford, who spoke next, said, “Following Gene Cernan on the podium is like being Zsa Zsa Gabor’s sixth husband!” Stafford went on to thank Chicago for the warm welcomes he and Gene Cernan had received after their flights.

Neil Armstrong spoke just briefly, literally saluting Lovell and Haise after praising their skill. Actor Bill Paxton spoke about the late Jack Swigert, the third Apollo 13 crew-member who was named to the prime crew just days before the mission because of Ken Mattingly’s measles exposure. Lovell later mentioned that Swigert had helped develop important failure procedures for the command module.

The program closed with a three man discussion between Bill Kurtis, Jim Lovell and Fred Haise. The special guests were quietly but quickly escorted out as Lovell thanked everyone for coming, preventing any interactions or pictures with regular guests after the program.

posted 04-15-2010 12:23 PM               

To greet everyone there will be a 1/48 scale (over 8 feet high) Saturn V and Gantry fuming - preparing for launch! Table displays include Apollo seats, oxygen tank (acting as a drink cooler!), hand controllers and seats, two pieces that were a part of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, and the first Apollo boilerplate spacecraft to fly BP-12 and even BP-22. They will be open for inspection and photography. Borders books will be onhand to sell Apollo space books, too.

Their will be a special open day at Columbia Center, with a reception to honor the new "Storytellers showcase".

Festivities begin at 11:00 a.m. at 12214 Lakewood Blvd, Downey CA 90242. Cost is $15.00 for a Subway sandwich meal, and everyone will get a tri-fold Apollo 13 brochure.

posted 04-15-2010 10:50 PM               

Having heard "Shaky" and "Freddo" give other talks on Apollo 13, I was pleasantly surprised that their discussion covered other aspects of the mission than I had heard before. Mattingly and Kranz on the dais added variety to the mix, and all four men fed off each other's comments. One interesting thread was how differently the re-entry and communications blackout was experienced on the ground and in the Command Module.

The NASM sent out an email blast at about 12:30 pm this afternoon that there was a flurry of cancellations for the overflow tickets this morning, and that there was an opportunity to try again for seats in the overflow area if you responded immediately. Those tickets went quickly. Surprisingly, nearly 1/3 of the seats inside the theater were marked as reserved. I couldn't determine who the guests were for whom those seats were reserved, but it was somewhat dismaying to see several dozen empty seats after all the special guests were seated, and knowing that there were many other people who couldn't get in at all.

My big thrill for the evening came as we waited outside the NASM for the doors to open. At about 6:15, Bill Anders strolled up to the door, I presume to see if he had come to the right entrance. As he walked away, I greeted him and he patted me on the shoulder!

posted 04-16-2010 07:00 PM              

Will be going to airport about 9:30 p.m. tonight to pick up my good friends John (True North) and Louise Farine from Bathurst, New Bruncwick, Canada; and their son Mark who is flying in from Ottawa University. We met John and Mark at Burbank 2004 and became good friends. Visited them in Bathurst July 2007.

Wonderful friends can be made through the common interests in this blog. Thanks Robert.

P.S. you may remember I lost or had stolen my 1960 Post Slide Rule autographed by many astronauts. Sure wish I had it for tomorrow (Lousma and Lovell were already on it) but it is still gone.

posted 04-16-2010 10:06 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by DChudwin:
I just got back from the Apollo 13 40th Anniversary Dinner at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

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1. Special guests at Apollo 13 40th Anniversary event April 13 at Adler Planetarium, Chicago (right to left) Gerry Griffin, Milt Windler, Gene Kranz, Bill Anders, Alan Bean, Gene Cernan, Tom Stafford, Neil Armstrong, actress Kathleen Quinlan, actor Bill Paxton.

2. Neil Armstrong waiting in the wings to be introduced at the Adler Planetarium on April 13.

3. Neil Armstrong speaking to the sold-out dinner at the Adler Planetarium on April 13 for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 13.

4. Poster for the Apollo 13 Anniversary at the Adler Planetarium

5. Apollo 13 dessert

6. Logo for Apollo 13 40th Anniversary

posted 04-18-2010 01:06 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by ilbasso:
Surprisingly, nearly 1/3 of the seats inside the theater were marked as reserved. I couldn't determine who the guests were for whom those seats were reserved, but it was somewhat dismaying to see several dozen empty seats after all the special guests were seated, and knowing that there were many other people who couldn't get in at all.

---

The VIPs are always treated to a reception with the speakers in the upstairs gallery that has rotating shows. The Al Bean art exhibit was there until January. These are for higher level contributors and are closed to the general public. If you're downstairs waiting in line, you can usually hear the music and laughter. They are then lead down the hallway and enter upstairs to fill in the reserved seats. I suppose they have to save more than they need, although all of the NASA brain-trust were in Florida Thursday for the President's address.

My wife was feeling a bit exhausted do to the extreme heat for April and could not attend. I happened to meet a US Airways pilot on a layover who was dragging around his carry-on bag. He was looking for any type of ticket and I was glad to give him my extra ticket. We talked about shuttle launches we have seen over the years He even saw one as he was piloting a flight to Florida!

posted 04-19-2010 05:11 PM               

I saw several collectors and cS posters there.

It was an extremely enjoyable weekend and it was great to get out and see everybody.

posted 04-20-2010 10:21 AM               

Jim Lovell gave a short statement at the end of the presentation that indicated his displeasure with the Obama administration's recent decisions. He made his remarks, straight and to the point, and left the audience to reflect on what he said.

posted 04-20-2010 08:08 PM               

It was my second trip to the Cosmosphere and their fantastic museum -- and I urge everyone to make a pilgrimage to this fantastic space geek heaven if you have not done so. It is rather jaw dropping to see the amazing artifacts they have on display, and the wonderful mix of Russian and American artifacts. Running into people like Jeff Bezos from Amazon isn't a bad perk, either!

It was fun to see old friends and make new ones. And even more fun to see so many friends have their artifacts on temporary display for the Apollo 13 event as well -- from Larry McGlynn, David Meerman Scott, Leon Ford, Robert P. and others, it sure was special to see those items displayed with such professionalism. A great example of the hobbist/enthusiast and professional museum cooperating to provide an expanded experience. (Plus the Cantwell Exhibit is still on display and continues to draw gasps and amazement from visitors who are experiencing it for the first time. If you haven't seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out).

posted 04-20-2010 09:00 PM               

Another surprise for us was that Bob Gilliland, the first pilot of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird came to pay a visit. He had just returned a couple weeks ago from a special tour with Jim Lovell, Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan along with Steve Ritchee. he was so pleased that he has joined our advisoree panel.

...and one of the retirees presented ALF with a HUGE section taken from the Apollo 6 heat shield. measuring about 6 inches by 9 inches across the base, it was taken from the inner wall of the spacecraft to the char of the AVcoat! This can be seen here at the office!

J M Busby
Aerospace Legacy Foundation

Credit: Aerospace Legacy Foundation/Dan Slater

posted 04-22-2010 10:04 PM               

No the building isn't curving around - the camera looks to the right where Command modules were started - to the end on the far left where the finished spacecraft left the building. Old engineers crowd around former boss Dale D. Myers in center, before going to lunch at tables to left.

Bottom photo is the entrance way as it appears today. The high bay of 290 is at right with an Earth painted on the building.