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Author
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Topic: Apollo 11 pre-flight dinner in crew quarters
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-06-2019 09:34 AM
  
According to Deke Slayton ("Deke" p. 240 HB ed.) he attended "a quiet dinner" on the evening before the launch of Apollo 11 in the crew quarters with the prime and back-up crews and "the support guys."In the more contemporaneous "First on the Moon" (p. 42 of the Little, Brown HB ed.) we are told that Slayton, the prime crew and the back-up crew were joined by "a half-dozen other astronauts who had worked closely on the {Apollo] 11 mission." Probably the most noteworthy aspect of that dinner was who was not present: Dr. Charles Berry put the cat among the pigeons by suggesting President Nixon should not attend in case he gave the prime crew a cold, But I have been unable to find a definitive list of those who did attend the dinner. I am assuming that the four support crew members (Mattingly, Evans, Pogue and Swigert) were there. There were also five Capcoms not already on the back-up or support crews (Duke, McCandless, Garriott, Lind and Schmitt) but if all attended, that would have been 16 in all. Duke makes no mention of the dinner in his autobiography, and although I asked Fred Haise, he doesn't actually remember attending the dinner at all. Is there a definitive list of who attended the dinner? Better still, were any photos taken? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-06-2019 12:25 PM
This photo shows Pogue, Aldrin, Armstrong, Anders, Evans, Mattingly(?), Collins, Lovell, Slayton and Haise(?) at the dinner table the night before launch. That sure looks like Haise from the back. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-06-2019 01:32 PM
That is Mattingly sitting to the right of Collins. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-06-2019 04:03 PM
Much obliged - that answers most of my question, although I wonder who (if anyone) was seated out of frame to the left.You may be right that the individual on the lower left is Fred Haise, but on a narrow balance I think it may be Jack Swigert. Photos of the period suggest Haise's ears are a little more prominent. I wouldn't bet the ranch on it! |
NavyPilot
Member Posts: 36
From:
Registered: Nov 2015
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posted 05-06-2019 08:45 PM
Is that Ron Evans or 007 Charles Buckley at the end of the table? |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-06-2019 08:52 PM
Turns out that it is Fred Haise.
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ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2043
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 05-06-2019 08:52 PM
This photo is obviously one of a sequence taken at the table that day. Perhaps Ed or JL might have a photo looking the other way down the table? |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 2983
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 05-06-2019 08:58 PM
Yes, Mattingly is by Collins and I am sure the other must be Haise to Deke's left, since Fred was the backup LMP. My guess is that it does look like him from a back-head shot. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-06-2019 09:23 PM
Hard to believe there was an empty seat at that table.
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heng44
Member Posts: 3413
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 05-07-2019 04:10 AM
Sitting at the table were (clockwise starting with Armstrong): Anders, Evans, Mattingly, Collins, Lovell, Slayton, Haise, Pogue and Aldrin. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-07-2019 10:28 AM
quote:
Originally posted by LM-12:
Hard to believe there was an empty seat at that table.
Deke Slayton wrote that he invited "the support guys" to join him and the prime and back-up crews. There were four in the support crew, and only Jack Swigert is missing from these two photos. Perhaps that "empty chair" was intended for him. I can't tell if there was a place setting, so could Swigert have been the photographer? Of course, the empty chair may have been placed there, at the head of the table, in case the President decided to turn up after all... I'm relieved that the second photo turned up (thanks, Ed!) confirming that was definitely Fred Haise. Good job I didn't bet the ranch on Swigert. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-07-2019 10:44 AM
There were two other tables in the dining room. They can be seen in one of the Apollo 11 launch day breakfast photos. The Apollo 9 crew sat at one of those other tables for a pre-flight dinner. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-10-2019 10:39 AM
Here is a photo of the Apollo 10 pre-flight dinner. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-10-2019 11:18 AM
That's a happy-looking bunch! |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1624
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 05-10-2019 11:36 AM
That photo includes a rare image of the backup crew--Eisele, Cooper and Mitchell. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-10-2019 11:42 AM
The support crew for Apollo 10 was Engle, Irwin and Duke. Duke is at the table. That might be Engle talking to Stafford. I don't see Irwin. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-10-2019 01:36 PM
For the record, here's a further picture in the Apollo 11 sequence which I have unearthed. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-10-2019 02:01 PM
On launch day, only Anders and Slayton were at the table with the Apollo 11 prime crew for the pre-launch breakfast. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-11-2019 09:02 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Fra Mauro:
...Eisele, Cooper and Mitchell.
Harrison Schmitt is sitting behind Gordon Cooper. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-12-2019 06:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by heng44:
Sitting at the table were (clockwise starting with Armstrong): Anders, Evans, Mattingly, Collins, Lovell, Slayton, Haise, Pogue and Aldrin.
That reminds me: uniquely, on Apollo 11, there were FOUR support crew members. One was Ken Mattingly. However, Deke Slayton wrote in "Deke" (p.237) that although Bill Anders was on the Apollo 11 back-up crew, he had indicated that he would not be seeking a future crew assignment because he had accepted a position with the National Space Council, effective August 1969. As a result of that, Slayton "had Ken Mattingly working as a parallel back-up with [Anders]." That seems to be a unique arrangement in Project Apollo. In effect, Mattingly seems to have been more like a fourth back-up crew-member than a fourth support crew member. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-13-2019 07:03 AM
Haise is looking toward Aldrin. Haise was the backup LMP on Apollo 8, so you could caption the photo with a thought bubble over Haise saying "Man, that could have been me!"
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Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1624
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 05-13-2019 08:10 AM
For the Apollo 10 photo, Eisele is standing behind Mitchell. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 05-15-2019 11:41 AM
Some mission emblems can be seen displayed near the dining room table during the pre-flight meals. The Apollo 13, Apollo 14, Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 emblems can be seen in photos. Perhaps there were others. The Apollo 16 emblem was hanging on the wall. The Apollo 15 emblem was hanging at the curtains.
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Philip
Member Posts: 6002
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 05-15-2019 01:26 PM
Curious to know which wristwatch Mattingly was wearing in that photo with Michael Collins... The latter wore an Omega Speedmaster on steel mesh JB Champion bracelet. |
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