To Infinity and Beyond!

Buzz Lightyear, whose motto heads this blog entry, is the direct descendant of the Apollo astronauts who 40 years ago made history by truly going where no one had gone before. Apollo 11 launched July 16, 1969 and touched down on the moon on July 20th. If you were alive at that time, chances are you were watching the event on television. Now you can see the event even better than you could then. NASA has restored the original video using HD technology. While not all of the filmed footage has been revitalized yet, the space agency has several clips on its site of key moments from the event. But that's not all. NASA has also prepared an interactive experience (requiring Flash) that lets users trace the astronauts steps on the moon, allowing them to see where iconic images were taken and hear about events, and enabling them to see inside the lunar lander. The site also includes video, photos, and an animated comic telling the story of the mission. NASA is also doing a real-time digital re-creation of events that you can follow online, called We Chose the Moon. If you want real detail, check out the actual journal transcript of the lunar landing, recording the astronauts' transmissions and conversations. This web page also provides links to photos of the Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's gear, debriefings, flight plans, press kits and just about anything else a true space nerd might get a kick out of.

Take Me to the Moon

Most of you are probably familiar with Google Maps, the digital mapping site created by the folks at Google that lets you see the surface of the Earth from above. But in honor of the moonwalk, these same folks have put together Google Moon, a lunar surface view that lets you explore the moon's surface and trace the route of any of the six manned lunar missions. Popular Mechanics provides a detailed selection of stories discussing the moonshot, breaking it down into a series of steps that focus on how precisely each had to be performed to prevent disaster.

The Controversies: Cost

Even after 40 years, certain issues related to the Apollo missions remain controversial. From the very beginning, questions of cost versus value have plagued the space program. Despite its technical successes, some still regard the moon missions and other NASA projects as financially irresponsible. In fact this topic is the subject of a featured entry in Issues and Controversies in American History, a new database available through the library's web site. (Off-campus users will need to provide campus user i.d. and password.)

The Controversies: Conspiracies

Some people will tell you that no one has ever been to the moon at all, that the entire "mission" is an elaborate hoax perpetrated upon gullible public for any possible number of reasons. To test these assertions, the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters put Lunar Conspiracy Theories to test. Based on their conclusions, going to the moon would be a lot simpler than faking going to the moon. Phil Plait offers a very detailed analysis of the Bad Astronomy behind Fake Moon Landing Conspiracy Theories on his web site (scroll down past the ads). If you find in looking it over you discover you like his writing, we have his Bad Astronomy book in the collection. If you'd like to find out more about the moon landing conspiracy or role of conspiracy theories in American history, check out the Credo Reference database. You can either search by subject or select find a book and choose Conspiracy Theories in American History from the title list to browse the entire subject contents.

Moon Food

As a child I remember eating space food sticks (check out the vintage commercials, especially the lunar lander with realistic smoke effect and the children being launched directly into the air after eating SFS...) and Tang, just like the astronauts did... But as a grown-up now I get to eat things that astronauts wish they could have, so I'm including a link to a different kind of moon food -- moon pies, a Southern over-the-top cookie guaranteed to send you right into the stratosphere.

Fourth of July Features

In an ironic riff to royalty, Lady Liberty's crown is open to visitors again this July 4 following several modifications made for safety reasons following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This National Geographic site details the several of the alterations, as well as others that are upcoming, only the most recent in the statue's long history. Want to see what you're missing? This New York Times site offers a panoramic view inside the crown or see a video tour here by Representative Anthony Weiner. Oh Ranger provides the even more colorful story of the statue's original history, which includes how the arm arrived first, and then the head put in an appearance at the International Centennial Exhibition to raise money for the rest of the project, a perennial problem. But it was Joseph Pulitizer who ultimately figured out a strategy that funded the project by making it truly an all-American work of art while raising his newspaper's circulation at the same time.
In other Fourth of July related matters, check out this site for some information on how to take successful photos of fireworks using digital cameras. Ever wonder how fireworks ... well, work? Check out Kaboom!, a PBS web site, or if you'd like a few more details, look at Chemical of the Week's Firework's entry, which explains very specifically how different colors are created. And it's worth taking a look at this page from the National Council on Fireworks Safety if you are planning on shooting off any fireworks of your own. And finally, for a little long lost holiday fun, you might check out this video of Jean Shepherd on You Tube, it's just "The Great American Fourth of July."