Convention: Satellite 2

Thanks to Paul Cockburn for pointing out this Glasgow event. It’s an SF convention, with Iain M. Banks as Guest of Honour, but it’s also celebrating the moon landing’s 40th anniversary (over the weekend of 25 and 26 July).
Space related guests include US Apollo historian Frank O'Brien, who will be bringing some unique Apollo mission memorabilia while BBC Scotland’s David Woods will be giving a talk at Satellite 2 based around his book How Apollo Flew to the Moon.

www.satellite2.org.uk

Web Site: BBC Moon Landings Archive

As an antidote to the rather poor new moon documentary fronted by James May, you could do a lot worse than check out the extensive BBC Moon Landings Archive now online.
There’s a host of archive video material that offers unique insight into how the space program was covered on TV between 1969 and 1972, with a few other later moon-oriented documentaries. They range from three minutes (a Today programme radio extract from 1971) to almost two hours (the superb Apollo 11: A Night to Remember from 2006 and rebroadcast on BBC4 last Sunday).
There’s hours of fascinating material here to be explored.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/moonlandings/index.shtml

Review: James May on the Moon

As mentioned previously, it’s annoying that the BBC’s flagship documentary celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing is a ‘personality’ led piece that even puts presenter James May’s name before the subject ‘the Moon’. The piece becomes then not about it’s putative subject (‘the Moon’, remember?) but actually all about May’s own personal experiences. So we get May on the ‘vomit comet’, flying planes and trying on space suits. Why? In what way does this illuminate what happened 40 years ago? Sure, it must’ve been a great experience for May, but it’s no use to the rest of us. ‘The realisation of a childhood dream’ indeed, at BBC licence fee payers’ expense. And I say that as someone who visited Cape Canaveral over 10 years ago…
Sure enough, Top Gear presenter May is banging on about cars two minutes in, and delivering ‘macho’ stats about the U2 spy plane. Once it settles down, the interviews with the (ex)astronauts are fine, even if May’s prattling is annoying. I’ve always been fascinated by the question: what does an astronaut do once he’s been to the moon? What does May do? Meets Alan Bean and starts admiring his car! Gimme a break. Informative: Not.
It’s like television for idiots. Now he’s playing Simple Simon on the ‘vomit comet’. And this is a serious documentary? No, it’s not. It’s fatuous ‘entertainment’ for people not really interested in the facts of the moon landing. It’s for your semi-detached punter who is happy to half-watch an idiot like May clowning around on a plane while prattling on about monkeys. ‘That was obviously terrific fun,’ May tells us. Maybe for you, James, but not for us. His description of the building of the Saturn V rocket is positively moronic. He compares that marvel of modern engineering to the gear box of a car: does the man have a single-track mind? Later, the centrifuge ‘smells like an old Jag I once owned’. Later still, he's geeking out over the Lunar Rover.
Everything that is wrong with James May on the Moon is symptomatic of modern media culture: it has to feature a celebrity (who may or may not be interested in the subject—to give him his due, May is clearly an aficionado); it has to be light and fun and not too fact-filled; and it has to feature a ‘personal mission’ for the presenter during which they might discover something about themselves.
Documentaries like this don’t celebrate their subjects, they make the celebrity presenter the subject and he eclipses everything else. That’s a great shame and this documentary is a huge missed opportunity. I, naively, expected so much more of the BBC.

If you want to check it out, it's available via iPlayer for a few more days: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00lfdbv/James_May_on_the_Moon/

Image Credit: BBC

Video: Faking the Facts

In a time when some basic facts of the world are being questioned by politically or religiously motivated groups, it is troubling when people add to the confusion by producing fake documentaries to bolster a false premise. Yep, read that again…
I may get into the whole ‘were the moon landings faked’ debate at a later point, but for the time being I’d like to direct your attention to Opération lune/Dark Side of the Moon (a 2002 French ‘mockumentary’ available on YouTube under the title ‘Moon Landing A Fake or Fact’).
While pointing out the unreliability of all media and encouraging people to think for themselves are all laudable aims, there is a danger that a fake documentary like this can only give succour to those who believe that the moon landings were indeed faked.
Although it gets sillier as it goes on and ends with a series of ‘blooper’ moments from some of the faked interviews (you’ll be surprised at some of the people who participated), Dark Side of the Moon is chillingly convincing at the beginning.
Alert viewers may spot ‘witnesses’ called David Bowman and Jack Torrance (characters from Kubrick movies 2001 and The Shining, not to mention 'Ambrose Chapel' from Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956) who supposedly helped Stanley Kubrick falsify the moon landings on the sets of 2001: A Space Odyssey. That’s amusing, but the YouTube comments alone show that many who have viewed this film simply perceive it as ‘truth’.
UK TV broadcast Alternative 3 (about a political conspiracy to establish a settlement on Mars) in the 1970s and Peter Jackson made Forgotten Silver (about a long-lost New Zealand film director and his work). Both were fake documentaries about things that didn’t exist, and they were clever ideas.
However, there is a danger in producing a too-clever, too-convincing documentary/mockumentary about something where there is a real active cohort who are trying to undermine the truth. That’s only helping ‘the enemy’ to undermine reality.

Icon: Richard Nixon

There’s something profoundly disappointing about the fact that it was Richard Nixon who presided over the entire Apollo period as US President. Dicky was always tricky, even before Watergate brought him down. The optimism and promise that defined Kennedy and the 1960s, and that helped in no small way to launch the Apollo program itself, was thoroughly dissipated by the 1970s and went into total reverse after 1974. I can’t help but wonder if Nixon’s personal and political cynicism helped to end Apollo in 1972, as he both personified and contributed to a public atmosphere that was the exact opposite of Kennedy’s go-ahead 1960s’ ‘we can do anything’ vibe.
Given the state of the world now, it seems unlikely that same enthusiasm for all things space can be harnessed to ensure a speedy return to the moon. However, perhaps just such a ‘grand adventure’ is exactly what is needed to distract everyone from their more Earthbound cares?

Image Credit: NASA

Web Site: Lunar Litter

Ever wondered what mankind left behind on the moon, apart from footprints? The Lunar Legacy Project has the answer in their comprehensive ‘artifact list’ that itemises every item the various moonlanding missions left behind. There are 85 items (at least) at Tranquility Base (where Neil Armstrong set down) alone.
Apart from the obvious (Apollo 11 Lunar Module Descent Stage, anyone?), there’s Armstrong’s ‘space boots’, mission patches, a TV camera, and a ‘urine collection assembly’… Imagine what some of that lot might be worth on eBay!

Lunar Legacy Project List: http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/lunarlegacies/artifactlist.html

TV: Anniversary Season Starts Sunday

Ignoring the James May nonsense (see my post below), the BBC's celebratory moon TV season kicks off on Sunday night with this:

The Moon
Sunday 21 June
10:30pm - 11:30pm
BBC4

Sean Pertwee recalls our fascination with the moon, which led up to Neil Armstrong's giant leap for mankind in 1969, and the subsequent lack of interest leading to the cessation of lunar expeditions in 1972.

Launch: Lunar Probes Take Off!

Today’s launch of two lunar probes by NASA promises to pave the way for the return of man to the moon: a long-overdue development.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and a crater observation probe will gather data that may help NASA scientists and mission specialists to select a future landing point for a new manned mission. The data will also be used to select possible areas for long-term moon habitats, perhaps setting up the equivalent of the International Space Station on the moon.
The poor crater observation probe will be smashing into the moon itself in the hope that the ‘debris plume’ will reveal evidence of ancient water ice. This is important, as buried frozen water could be vital to the long-term prospects of any manned lunar base.
The launch of the Atlas rocket containing the probes had been delayed several times due to the regular Florida thunderstorms.
While it’s great to see the first steps being taken in man’s return to the moon, I can’t help feeling they’d better hurry up if I hope to see man set foot on the lunar surface again in my life time. It’s been 40 years since Neil Armstrong arrived there and we’ve managed to squander that opportunity quite comprehensively.

BBC Report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8107197.stm
NASA LRO Page: http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Image Credit: NASA

TV: BBC Moon Season [July 2009]

Apart from the two ‘documentaries’ fronted by James May, this season of programmes across various BBC channels looks very promising indeed.
It’s a shame that so many documentaries these days have to be conceptualised as a ‘personal mission’ on behalf of some ‘celebrity’ presenter, rather than relying on the subject matter itself to sell the show. Why on (or off) Earth does James May have to “makes his own very personal mission to travel to the ends of the Earth in two one-off documentaries” in order to “celebrate this most momentous historical event”? I doubt I’ll be watching those two efforts, but the rest sound interesting:

NASA – Triumph And Tragedy (2 x 60 minutes)
BBC Two
Examining NASA's achievements and humankind's race to understand the universe. Two 60-minute films see award-winning archivists uncover forgotten material as well as featuring original first-generation negatives of more familiar footage, digitally restored to its original glory. The restored footage reveals space walks, moonwalks, exaltation and despair through the eyes and ears of a special band of brothers. Blended within the footage are revealing and insightful interviews with those who were there: the astronauts, family members, staff and journalists.

Being Neil Armstrong (working title) (1 x 60 minutes)
BBC Four
In the four decades since he first set foot on the Moon, Neil Armstrong has become increasingly reclusive. Andrew Smith, author of the best-selling book Moondust, sets out across America to find out who the true Neil Armstrong is, and why he won't speak to anyone about his historic journey.

Apollo Wives (working title) (1 x 60 minutes)
BBC Four
Ten extraordinary women, all in their 70s, come to Arizona for a very special reunion. They are very different from one another, but all have one amazing thing in common – each was married to an Apollo astronaut.

Space Dogs (1 x 60 minutes)
BBC Four
The secret history of dog cosmonautics in Russia is revealed, featuring unique archival footage, including the first "dog flight" into space, taken inside the space capsule.

The Moon (1 x 60 minutes)
BBC Four
1972 was the year a great love affair ended and the human race fell out of love with the Moon – just three years after the world was gripped by Neil Armstrong's giant leap for mankind, the last man left the moon. We've never been back. This film tells the epic story of our love affair with the Moon – what inspired it, how it faded away and how we're now falling in love all over again.

Sky At Night – Mapping The Moon (1 x 30 minutes)
BBC Four
Look at the moon – you can easily pick out craters, mountains and lava seas. In this special Sky At Night Sir Patrick Moore guides us through the most familiar celestial object in the night sky while Dr Chris Lintott gives tips on how to observe the moon.

Sky At Night – Moon Special (1 x 30 minutes)
A new and exciting era of lunar exploration is dawning, with more and more probes being launched to try to unlock the Moon's darkest secrets. Sir Patrick Moore finds out about British ambitions to go to the Moon, while Dr Chris Lintott travels to NASA. He investigates plans to blast a crater in the lunar surface and meets the astronauts who may be the next men on the Moon.

Sky At Night – A Night To Remember (1 x 120 minutes)
BBC Four
July 1969 saw what is possibly humankind's greatest achievement, the first landing on the Moon. Using archive sound, satellite footage and rare film taken by the Apollo astronauts, Sir Patrick Moore presents the story of our first journey to another world.

Days That Shook The World – First Man On The Moon
BBC Four
It is 20 July 1969 and in Houston, Texas, man is about to take his first steps on the Moon. In a gripping anatomy of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing – one of the most important days in human history – viewers can see the events hour by hour as they unfold.

All-in-all, a very tempting line up…

Image Credit: BBC

Game: Lunar Lander (1979)

Much remembered from my childhood is the 1979 Atari Lunar Lander videogame. Many hours during summer holidays were spent/wasted attempting to land a simple vector graphic version of the NASA Lunar Excursion Module [LEM] on an equally simple vector lunar landscape (when I wasn't playing Boot Hill). I dread to think how much money in 10p pieces must've gone into various Atari stand-alone consoles (this was, of course, long before you could play these games in the comfort of your own home).
The original game is available in various places on the internet, but I quite like this slightly more flashy (though still retro) version: http://lander.dunnbypaul.net/
The true potential of videogames was revealed to me a few years later when I discovered Dragon's Lair, but that's another story...

Movie: Moon (2009)

All I've seen of this new movie (directed by Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie) so far is a trailer and a couple of clips. It seems very reminiscent of one of my all-time favourite movies, Silent Running (1972) with a hefty dose of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) thrown in. Conveniently, both those movies book-end the Apollo moonshot program itself... The star of Moon, Sam Rockwell, is an interesting actor, so we'll see whether this new low-budget lunar movie can live up to the classics of the past.

Check it out at: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/moon

Man in Moon: Introduction

It’s odd to think that the Apollo space program that culminated with the landing of a man on the moon on July 20 1969 is now ancient history. This year’s 40th anniversary is the ideal excuse for a series of dramas, documentaries and drama-documentaries, as well as a whole host of non-fiction books, celebrating the achievement of Neil Armstrong and the many others who helped get him to Tranquillity Base. That’s why I’ve started this blog: as a place to explore my own fascination with the now-historical moonshot.
I’ve always been fascinated with space travel. Having witnessed Armstrong’s initial moonwalk (in news footage, not live presumably) a mere two months before my second birthday, I was clearly excited by the whole thing. According to my Dad, I bounced up and down, pointing at the TV, chanting: “Man in moon! Man in moon!”
That interest has never faded. Although the Apollo program ended in 1972, when I was around five years old, the whole enterprise still had a hold on my imagination. I recall being ill at home with chicken pox later in the 1970s, pouring over a wonderfully-illustrated library book all about the space program. That was enough to stop me scratching…
Given that manned exploration of our near celestial neighbours quickly ground to a halt, my interest became subsumed in science fiction (with Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars being my prime interests). Film and TV SF, then novels, fuelled my fascination for space in a way that the real contemporary space program could not.
While I followed Voyager and recall rushing home from school to witness the first launch of the space shuttle, nothing has quite had the same magic for me that Apollo had. Now it’s 40 years later. This anniversary offers a great chance to look back at that optimistic moment in man’s history.
In this blog I’m going to be commenting on the up-coming series of celebratory programmes that are running on TV through the month of July (and at the NFT in London), as well as reviewing the various moonshot-related books coming my way over the next few weeks.
I’m sure there’ll also be aspects of the Apollo moonshot that attract my attention that’ll be worth examining in detail. Maybe you’ll want to join me in looking back at a time when Humankind was looking forward to new adventures on the ‘high frontier’?
Image Credit: NASA