David A. Huestis
Historian
Skyscrapers, Inc.
June 4, 2009

40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing and Astronomical Potpourri in July

Movies have often provided us with many unforgettable lines. Who can forget,
"I'll be back." Or how about, "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" My favorite is,
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." And perhaps more
appropriate to astronomy and space science, "Klaatu. Barada, Nikto."

While some of these lines may not be known to all the peoples of the world,
reality often provides us with memorable phrases that will not soon be
forgotten. This month, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of mankind's greatest
achievement when these words were spoken: "That's one small step for (a) man.
One giant leap for mankind."

The date was July 20, 1969, and Neil Armstrong had just stepped off the
ladder of the Eagle (the name for his LEM - Lunar Excursion Module) and set foot
upon the lunar surface. He was shortly followed by Buzz Aldrin. Six more
missions ensued. Apollo 13 astronauts never made it to the lunar surface after
their near fatal accident, but Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 brought ten
additional moonwalkers to our desolate neighbor.

Many people remember the first two moonwalkers, but the other ten are a
challenge to most. And when I ask if anyone remembers who was the third
astronaut who remained in the command module circling the Moon, I sometimes
encounter a quizzical look and the question, "There was a third?" I have to
admit that as I prepared this brief tribute to the 40th anniversary of the
Apollo 11 Moon landing, I too was unable to name all the command module pilots.
In fact, I only got three out of seven.

So as we celebrate this crowning achievement of the US space program, we
honor not only all the people who worked so hard on the Mercury, Gemini and
Apollo missions, but also all the astronauts who paved the way for the Apollo
11-17 crews who had a rendezvous with destiny on the lunar surface.

Here is a table of the Apollo 11 through 17 crews (July 1969 – December
1972). The third named astronaut for each mission is the Command Module Pilot
who remained in orbit about the Moon as the others descended to the surface. See
how many of the moonwalkers you can name before you review the list.


Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong
Buzz Aldrin
Michael Collins

Apollo 12: Pete Conrad
Alan Bean
Dick Gordon

Apollo 13: Jim Lovell (moon landing
aborted)
Fred Haise
Jack Swigert
Apollo 14: Alan Shepard
Edgar Mitchell
Stuart Roosa

Apollo 15: David Scott
James Irwin
Al Worden

Apollo 16: John W. Young
Charles Duke
Ken Mattingly



Apollo 17: Gene Cernan
Harrison Schmitt
Ronald Evans


I am pleased to note I have had the distinct honor of meeting two of the
above astronauts: Jim Lovell and David Scott.

The Moon is often a target for our telescopes at Seagrave Observatory when
we are conducting an observing program for a scout or school group. These
youngsters weren't even born when the last man walked on the Moon – Gene Cernan.
Invariably we get the question, "Can the telescope show anything left behind by
the astronauts on the Moon's surface?" The short answer is no, but this usually
starts a discussion of the Apollo missions.

You know you are getting old when someone in the group pipes up and states,
"Oh, we learned about that in history class!!"

Not that you would notice, but the Earth is at its farthest distance
(94,508,863 miles) from the Sun during 2009 at approximately 10:00 pm EDT on
July 3. Back on January 4th, the Earth was at its closest distance from the Sun
for the year, a mere 91,404,995 miles. That difference is just over 3 million
miles. This variance is the result of the Earth's elliptical, not circular,
orbit about the Sun.

Something you might have noticed from time-to-time is that each Full Moon
may look larger or smaller in our sky. It's no atmospheric trick. The Moon's
distance from the Earth varies as well. On the 7th the Full Moon will be its
smallest for 2009, since it will be 252,433 miles from the Earth. The largest
Full Moon for 2009 occurred back on January 10th when it was at its closest
distance to the Earth, 222,149 miles. Try to get a digital image of the Full
Moon each month and compare your images side by side on your computer screen.
You'll be amazed by the amount of change in apparent size.

Be sure to watch the news media on July 22 for images of the total solar
eclipse which will occur over India, China and the Pacific Ocean. Totality lasts
for a maximum of six minutes and 39 seconds (the longest duration of totality
this century) east of Iwo Jima. Shanghai residents will see about five minutes
of totality. I'm hoping one of my Bryant University astronomy lab students, who
lives in Shanghai, will send me an image or two.

And finally, during the last four days (28-31) of July there are two minor
meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids (medium speed) and the Alpha Capricornids
(slow with occasional fireballs). Once the Moon sets around midnight one can
expect to see perhaps ten or fewer meteors per hour if you look towards the
south. You might even spot a few early Perseids, which reach peak activity in
mid-August, in the northeastern sky

Visit Seagrave Memorial Observatory on Peeptoad Road in North Scituate any
clear Saturday night and let our volunteers share their love of the heavens with
you. Check the Skyscrapers website www.theskyscrapers.org for our summer month
schedule. Admission is free.

Keep your eyes to the skies, and the next time you look up at the Moon,
remember the men who first walked upon its surface 40 years ago.

David A. Huestis