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Author
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Topic: Neil Armstrong and Bob Crippen tour Atlantis
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-07-2012 03:41 PM
   
Neil Armstrong and Bob Crippen tour AtlantisOn April 27, 2012, in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 (OPF-1) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Neil Armstrong, who in July 1969 became the first man to set foot on the moon as commander of the Apollo 11 mission, toured space shuttle Atlantis with Bob Crippen, the first space shuttle pilot. Atlantis is being prepared for display at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and is scheduled to rollover to the complex in November. The complex is targeting a July 2013 grand opening for Atlantis' new home.  
Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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MCroft04
Member Posts: 1634
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 05-07-2012 05:52 PM
The photo of Neil in the commander's seat is great! Looks like he would enjoy flying her. |
APG85
Member Posts: 306
From:
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 05-07-2012 10:24 PM
Fantastic! Looks like they are enjoying themselves. Great stuff! |
dabolton
Member Posts: 419
From: Seneca, IL, US
Registered: Jan 2009
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posted 05-07-2012 11:48 PM
Did Neil Armstrong have any input on the designs of the shuttles? |
onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 05-08-2012 04:01 PM
Armstrong, as far as I know, was not involved in the shuttles' design, because at the time he was serving as an active astronaut in the Gemini and Apollo programs and was already retired and teaching in Ohio (1972) when the shuttle program's final design and funding were announced (during the Apollo 16 flight, where memorably future STS-1 commander Young commented on it).Armstrong was, as an enginner and pilot, involved in the design of the self-adaptive flight control system used in the X-15 program, an important shuttle predecessor. Certainly Joe Engle can vouch for the contributions Armstrong and the X-15 made when Engle returned from the edge of space for the second time during STS-2. He was, most importantly, a member of the Rogers Commission investigating the Challenger accident and contributed his pilot and engineering experience to the eventual final report on solid rocket booster and other shuttle system revisions for a return to flight. Those photos are special; there's 100+ years of piloting and space experience between these two Navy fliers. |
drjeffbang
Member Posts: 110
From: Virginia
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 05-08-2012 06:29 PM
I've noticed in a few recent pictures Mr. Armstrong is not wearing eyeglasses anymore. Did he have some type of corrective surgery done? |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 05-08-2012 10:32 PM
Yeah, Young responded to CAPCOM on 16 (I don't know if was Ed Mitchell or Jim Irwin) when the new budget was announced, "Good, we need the shuttle" or something like that. I always thought that was ironic that he'd later take the first test flight of it.Would have been great to see Armstrong take a "Glenn" style mission on a later shuttle, but I can't imagine NASA would've ever risked putting him into space again for fear of something going wrong to arguably the most famous Astronaut of them all... |
APG85
Member Posts: 306
From:
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 05-09-2012 03:08 AM
Could start a whole new topic here: "Apollo Astronauts you would have liked to have seen Command a Shuttle flight". I kind of wish Fred Haise would have taken a ride... |
Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 675
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 05-09-2012 08:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by MCroft04:
The photo of Neil in the commander's seat is great! Looks like he would enjoy flying her.
+1In the first pic what is the insignia and words on their shirts? |
ea757grrl
Member Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 05-09-2012 10:38 PM
quote:
Originally posted by APG85:
I kind of wish Fred Haise would have taken a ride...
To the end of my days I will wish that had happened. |
goldbera
Member Posts: 25
From: Melbourne, FL
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 05-10-2012 02:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Paul78zephyr:
In the first pic what is the insignia and words on their shirts?
Crippen's shirt has Naval Aviator (astronaut?) wings, but I can't quite make out the text. Maybe "Golden Eagles"? |
BMckay
Member Posts: 3220
From: MA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 05-10-2012 02:49 PM
Hey that is not fair. I took a tour of Atlantis last week and never got to sit in the commanders seat. Neil Armstrong, The Stanley Cup and others but no me...It was in many ways sad to see her like this. It was really interesting to see the inside of the shuttle and what made her tick. I am glad she will be put back to make her look flight ready. |
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