that's a lot of stars

[Ronson]

It is just amazing, and rather humbling. And it makes the idea that we are the only life God has created in this entire universe seem more than a bit silly.

Not really. Conservation is a manmade construct. If you look at the universe and think "so much wasted space if only earth has life" then you are thinking as a conservationist; that the rest of the universe is wasted somehow. If a single spirit is a million times more important than a million stars, to God, then nothing is wasted.

[rogue06]

When I lived in Bolivia the view from the Altiplano is the most magnificent imaginable. It is about 12,300 feet.

Probably very little issue with light pollution as well.

[Cow Poke]

When I lived in Bolivia the view from the Altiplano is the most magnificent imaginable. It is about 12,300 feet.

I will be in Colorado Springs next week --- can't wait to see the stars from Pike's Peak!

[shunyadragon]

When I lived in Bolivia the view from the Altiplano is the most magnificent imaginable. It is about 12,300 feet.

[Cow Poke]

Thanks. I'm not exactly 'back' though. Not to any strong degree.

Well, you made a great first post! Something on which we can all agree, and be inspired to marvel.

[rogue06]

It happened around 4:30 in the afternoon eastern time.

eta - but they didn't step out until around 11PM

I coulda been clearer. I wrote "moon landing" but meant when they got out and took the first steps.

[oxmixmudd]

Welcome back, sir.

I am so glad to be living "out in the country" away from city light pollution. And I still like to lay on my back on the picnic table and just stare up at the sky.

As your eyes get used to the dark, the stars begin to emerge. It truly is spectacular, and "the stars at night are big and bright - deep in the heart of Texas".

Thanks. I'm not exactly 'back' though. Not to any strong degree.

[Sparko]

Our bedtime was earlier than Ox's and I remember my parent's waking us up to come watch the moon landing. My father had his camera set up on a tripod and took pictures off of the TV as it happened. They were later turned into slides where you could clearly see the glowing number 4 off on the right hand side (it was on channel 4).


TL lists some incredible accomplishments we made in recent years but nothing in the last half century has come anywhere close to the "wow factor" of the moon landing.

Btw, I knew a bunch of people who had telescopes and even binoculars out looking at the moon hoping that they could see them.

It happened around 4:30 in the afternoon eastern time.

eta - but they didn't step out until around 11PM

[Cow Poke]

Our bedtime was earlier than Ox's and I remember my parent's waking us up to come watch the moon landing. My father had his camera set up on a tripod and took pictures off of the TV as it happened. They were later turned into slides where you could clearly see the glowing number 4 off on the right hand side (it was on channel 4).


TL lists some incredible accomplishments we made in recent years but nothing in the last half century has come anywhere close to the "wow factor" of the moon landing.

Btw, I knew a bunch of people who had telescopes and even binoculars out looking at the moon hoping that they could see them.

We had a weird guy in our neighborhood - a REAL geek - but a nice guy. (He called his parents by their first names, which is part of his weirdness)

Anyway, he had this huge telescope set up in the park behind our house on a big tripod, and it had spotter scopes on it - I don't remember exactly the configuration.
But we could very clearly see the moon "up close and personal".

We IMAGINED seeing the men walking around up there, of course, because it wasn't anywhere near that powerful.
But as kids - we were amazed and astounded!

[rogue06]

I kind of remember sitting in front of the TV watching the moon landing. But I do remember going outside and looking up at the moon later to see if I could see anything up there, knowing there were people up there.

Our bedtime was earlier than Ox's and I remember my parent's waking us up to come watch the moon landing. My father had his camera set up on a tripod and took pictures off of the TV as it happened. They were later turned into slides where you could clearly see the glowing number 4 off on the right hand side (it was on channel 4).


TL lists some incredible accomplishments we made in recent years but nothing in the last half century has come anywhere close to the "wow factor" of the moon landing.

Btw, I knew a bunch of people who had telescopes and even binoculars out looking at the moon hoping that they could see them.

[rogue06]

I remember that with surprising clarity for it being so long ago. My normal bedtime was 9:30, but my parents allowed me to stay up late to watch them exit down onto the moon's surface. Remember, Star Trek's final season had just completed in June, and I was a major fan. I was one that had written NBC in the year before at Leonard Nimoy's request to give it another season. Just that previous spring, I had been out to see Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and just been blown away by the scenes of the Space Clipper and the Moon base and Moon shuttle. And so I had begged my parents to let me see it again. And again.

And here it was, happening right before my eyes - we were landing on the moon. And Armstrong came down off the ladder and said those immortal words. And we watched every thing they did over the next few days and as the missions progressed. I especially remember them - on a later mission - dropping the Hammer and the Feather and watching them slowly fall at the same speed, just like they were supposed to w/o an atmosphere. And watching them sort of hop around on the moon's surface. Then of course they figured out how to do digital transmission and we could hear them clearly, as clear as if they were just across the way on a phone. And of course, I remember waiting in class when Apollo 13 was re-entering the atmosphere. They had told us that if they did not get signal by a certain time, that would mean they would have burned up in the atmosphere. And we were all silent in our class just staring at the clock on the wall and hoping. It seemed an eternity. We thought they hadn't made it.

But they did.

It was and still is an incredible thing.

Apollo 13 was a white knuckle ride for the entire country.




Challenger, like a punch in the gut.

[Sparko]

I remember that with surprising clarity for it being so long ago. My normal bedtime was 9:30, but my parents allowed me to stay up late to watch them exit down onto the moon's surface. Remember, Star Trek's final season had just completed in June, and I was a major fan. I was one that had written NBC in the year before at Leonard Nimoy's request to give it another season. Just that previous spring, I had been out to see Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and just been blown away by the scenes of the Space Clipper and the Moon base and Moon shuttle. And so I had begged my parents to let me see it again. And again.

And here it was, happening right before my eyes - we were landing on the moon. And Armstrong came down off the ladder and said those immortal words. And we watched every thing they did over the next few days and as the missions progressed. I especially remember them - on a later mission - dropping the Hammer and the Feather and watching them slowly fall at the same speed, just like they were supposed to w/o an atmosphere. And watching them sort of hop around on the moon's surface. Then of course they figured out how to do digital transmission and we could hear them clearly, as clear as if they were just across the way on a phone. And of course, I remember waiting in class when Apollo 13 was re-entering the atmosphere. They had told us that if they did not get signal by a certain time, that would mean they would have burned up in the atmosphere. And we were all silent in our class just staring at the clock on the wall and hoping. It seemed an eternity. We thought they hadn't made it.

But they did.

It was and still is an incredible thing.

I kind of remember sitting in front of the TV watching the moon landing. But I do remember going outside and looking up at the moon later to see if I could see anything up there, knowing there were people up there.

[oxmixmudd]

My grandmother remembered hearing the news about the Wright bother's successful flight at Kitty Hawk. She was sitting besides me on the couch when Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon.

It never ceases to amaze me that we went from achieving powered flight to landing on the moon in the space of just one life time.

I'm a couple years too young to remember the first moon landing, but i do recall my grandmother making me watch one of the later Apollo splashdowns. She had been born in 1896, before there were really any cars around to speak of, so it was a very similar thing for her.

I remember that with surprising clarity for it being so long ago. My normal bedtime was 9:30, but my parents allowed me to stay up late to watch them exit down onto the moon's surface. Remember, Star Trek's final season had just completed in June, and I was a major fan. I was one that had written NBC in the year before at Leonard Nimoy's request to give it another season. Just that previous spring, I had been out to see Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and just been blown away by the scenes of the Space Clipper and the Moon base and Moon shuttle. And so I had begged my parents to let me see it again. And again.

And here it was, happening right before my eyes - we were landing on the moon. And Armstrong came down off the ladder and said those immortal words. And we watched every thing they did over the next few days and as the missions progressed. I especially remember them - on a later mission - dropping the Hammer and the Feather and watching them slowly fall at the same speed, just like they were supposed to w/o an atmosphere. And watching them sort of hop around on the moon's surface. Then of course they figured out how to do digital transmission and we could hear them clearly, as clear as if they were just across the way on a phone. And of course, I remember waiting in class when Apollo 13 was re-entering the atmosphere. They had told us that if they did not get signal by a certain time, that would mean they would have burned up in the atmosphere. And we were all silent in our class just staring at the clock on the wall and hoping. It seemed an eternity. We thought they hadn't made it.

But they did.

It was and still is an incredible thing.

[rogue06]

I know the exact date because, as the older generations died, i somehow ended up with her birth certificate. Which brings me to another addition to the "isn't the world now amazing?" list: i can go online and use street view to look up the address listed on it, and see the building where my grandmother was born in Switzerland without leaving my couch.

In the "less than amazing" category, it now houses an auto repair shop.

I used it a few years ago to look up the house in Michigan where I lived until I was three. All I remembered was it was a split level and HUGE!

When I saw the Google street view the house was probably not much longer than a mobile home.

[TheLurch]

That was about when my grandmother was born.

I know the exact date because, as the older generations died, i somehow ended up with her birth certificate. Which brings me to another addition to the "isn't the world now amazing?" list: i can go online and use street view to look up the address listed on it, and see the building where my grandmother was born in Switzerland without leaving my couch.

In the "less than amazing" category, it now houses an auto repair shop.