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Author
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Topic: Photo of the week 660 (June 17, 2017)
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heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 06-17-2017 02:18 AM
   
 Max Peck's brother Gregory  visits the Flight Crew Training Building at the Kennedy Space Center on March 7, 1969. At left are Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Actor Gregory Peck starred in the space movie "Marooned," which was released later that year. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 06-17-2017 04:23 AM
What a fine actor he was. Good one Ed. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2454
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 06-17-2017 04:27 AM
Marooned was a great film though the original book by Martin Caidin was better. Still a mystery is the technical fault alluded to by Wally Schirra and never explained by him. |
Headshot
Member Posts: 864
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 06-17-2017 07:22 AM
So this visit occurred during the Apollo 9 mission. Wonder what the flight crew was doing when the picture was taken? |
Jonnyed
Member Posts: 396
From: Dumfries, VA, USA
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 06-17-2017 09:10 AM
Ha! And what's with the "flower" near Peck's right shoulder?! Love the '60s! |
Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 06-18-2017 12:21 AM
Met Mr. Peck, as well as David Janssen, few men whom were real classy gentlemen. David said he was "not quite" as cool as Cary Grant, but I digress.
Movie won Oscar for Best Special Effects. |
Ronpur
Member Posts: 1211
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012
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posted 06-18-2017 07:25 AM
Armstrong and Aldrin with Dr. Keith!! |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 06-18-2017 12:09 PM
Just noticed the two badges that Peck was wearing on his left-side chest area. The
biggest one is an official "MAROONED" motion picture badge issued by Columbia Pictures. It depicts an Air Force Titan 3-type rocket of which mine is numbered 203. The other smaller badge is an access-restricted area badge permit, I believe, for providing certain entrance into secured areas of Building O&C and the Flight Crew Training Building or facility. |
Philip
Member Posts: 5952
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 06-19-2017 03:33 PM
Well spotted... |
taneal1
Member Posts: 230
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Feb 2004
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posted 06-19-2017 03:33 PM
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
Still a mystery is the technical fault alluded to by Wally Schirra and never explained by him.
I can't say that this is the "technical fault" referred to by Wally, but...Caveat: It has literally been decades since I read the book. The Russians launch from a significantly higher latitude than NASA. To maximize payload, this results in an orbital inclination equal to the latitude of the launch site. Thus, the orbit of the Soviet craft would normally cross the Mercury's orbit at a large angle. However, when the Russian rescue craft is launched it intentionally violates the launch azimuth safety limits in order to achieve about a 45-degree orbit rather than the usual 65-degrees. Later, the Russian makes a plane change that puts him in the same orbital plane as Mercury 7, about 32.5 degrees. NASA is stunned that the Russians can orbit a craft with the capability to accomplish this large of a plane change. After the rescue, the Americans observe the Russians retrofire and comment that he's "going home." Not to the Soviet Union he isn't. The Vostok had no lift capability to change its landing site. The northernmost point of his orbital track would put him on the southern soviet border with an excellent chance of landing in China or the Middle East. Cosmonauts do receive emergency training for a water arrival, but I wonder if the Soviets would have risked this? Considering that they participated in the rescue of a US astronaut, they would more likely request a landing somewhere in the Texas desert for example. The Soviets would have planned ahead for this, and if their rescue was successful, a US astronaut would have returned in their Vostok learning much about that vehicle in the process. An agreement to keep 'hands off' the Vostok could be made, and the cosmonaut could stand guard until a Soviet team arrived at the landing site, and report anything more than a casual inspection. One other thing that I just remembered; if I recall correctly, after the Mercury hatch is closed in preparation for launch, Pruett opens the "snorkels" for fresh air. Now that I've done some rumination, I may just find myself a copy of this book and do some reading! |
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