How accurate was the Apollo 13 movie?

[davf]

What most people don't realize is that the soundstage that they faked the landing shots on isn't on earth. The UFO base that Armstrong mentions in the transcripts is real and is actually the fake soundstage that the aliens built so that a cooperative NASA could keep their prolific colonization of the moon a secret. Why do you think they scaled back Apollo and we haven't been back since? It's all part of the deal with the aliens. And if you want proof, just take a look at the US Air Force's stealth program... all built on technology given by the aliens in return for keeping their cover.

 

[willpittenger]

Is that link somehow related to the general topic of the thread? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

"Is that link somehow related to the general topic of the thread?"<br /><br />Do you mean the one in my sigline? If so then no it isn't <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br />So did you click if and join the SDC folding team? <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br />It's for a good cause, might even save your life. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

"Tidbinbilla's pretty cool eh? We're fortunate having such a display. I just wish we were allow to take a nosey out on the telescopes (do they have an open day?)."<br /><br />yes it is. Thye have just expanded the visitors centre too, and they periodcally change the backdrop for the MER replica. Currently it's a high resultion panorama of where Spirit is spending winter.<br /><br />As far as I know they don't do open days. But last year I was able to to arrange a behind the scenes tour for a conference. PM me if you want more details.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[no_way]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Everything seemed move more. Tape recorders, astronauts, whatever.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote> I hope they will reshoot the scenes for anniversary edition or something in real microgravity at an orbiting facility in a few years time.

 

[willpittenger]

I did not know that was your sig. However, I still did not understand what you were talking about. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

Not from what other posters have been talking about in other branches of this thread. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[no_way]

Except that in 30 seconds little things moving around do not have time do dampen out the motion. Give it a few minutes and things look different.<br />

 

[CalliArcale]

I don't really have much to add to this thread, except that Apollo 13 was a magnificent movie (yeah, not totally accurate, but pretty damn close considering the constraints of fitting into a film format), and to point out that there has been at least one other historical space movie about the Apollo program. It doesn't take place in space, so it might not be thought of as strictly a space movie, but it's a dramatic interpretation of actual historical events pertaining to the Apollo program. I want to plug and highly recommend "The Dish", which is about some unsung heros of the Apollo program: the operators of the radio telescope in rural Australia which actually ended up the sole channel for receiving Neil Armstrong's first footsteps on the Moon. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

The Dish is great fun! Glad you liked it (thought it does not surprise me that you did ). It's one of my favourite movies. The Dish has great actors playing some fantastic parts and a sparkling, quirky, affectionate script. Those who have not seen it should. It is deliberately somewhat more losely based on history than "Apollo 13", but was extensively filmed on location at the real Dish, the Parkes radio telescope.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<font color="yellow">All of which totally ignores that the flag did not move except when it was handled by the astronauts.</font><br /><br />I have this vague memory of Walter Cronkite explaining that the flags were crafted with something like wire inside -- stiffening them and making them stand out as though they were waving. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[qso1]

Though I don't recall exactly how it was done, they used a wire to mainly just let the flag hang unruffled more or less. Once they got the wire and flag where they wanted it so to speak, they left it where it hung undisturbed for the duration of their walk. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[qso1]

The Dish, I recall that vaguely but I didn't get to see it. Time to go rent it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Run - don't walk!<br /><br />Remember it is only based on historical events (bit like "The right stuff"), rather than dramatised history (Apollo 13) or a dramatic exploration of historical events (FTETTM). With that in mind you should enjoy it. It's funny, sad, quirky, and inspirational with a great sound track to boot.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[qso1]

Sounds like a winner to me, thanks. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[3488]

The movie Apollo 13 IMO was accurate enough to be used as an educational tool as well as for entertainment.<br /><br />On the extended special edition DVD (which I have), there is the documentary Lost Moon, the official story of the Apollo 13 mission. <br /><br />I also have the Patrick Moore (BBC The Sky at Night) presented video on VHS of Apollo 13, using original NASA footage. I will try & find this too on DVD. I would strongly urge you to watch this as well. <br /><br />Patrick Moore interviewed all three of the Apollo 13 astronauts when they visited Britain in 1973 (think it was 1973 anyway).<br /><br />Watch both the movie & Lost Moon. The movie is just remarkable. True there are a few nick picking discepancies, but nothing what so ever to demean the Apollo 13 movie. The soundtrack is just simply incredible.<br /><br />The Dish (Parkes, Australia) is just so hillarious. I bought a copy in a local DVD shop. Do watch it, I urge you.<br /><br />The Right Stuff, is just gripping, but IMO it is a bit too long.<br /><br />I do not remember FTETTM. I have heard of it. Is it available on DVD?<br /><br />If anyone is interested in documentaries, try out From Earth to Miranda, the stories of the Voyager 1 & 2 spacecraft. Initially made in 1987, a year after the Uranus encounter. I know that it was updated in 1991 to include the Neptune encounter, but kept the original title. <br /><br />It has been shown on BBC television, here in the United Kingdom on a number of occassions, but can I find a DVD or VHS Video of it? Not on your flaming nellie!!! <br /><br />If anyone has more luck, please, please let me know. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

"From the earth to the moon" is a must get. It is moving, brilliant drama for everyone, not just for space buffs. You should be able to order them off the internet. My favourites are "Apollo 1, Apollo 8, Spider (building the LM), That's all there is (Al Bean/Apollo 12), Galileo was right (Apollo 15), and First wives' club. I've used the Apollo 15 program for introduction to geology classes.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

FTETTM is available on DVD. You should find it spread out onto 3 discs. I hated how the local Blockbuster had only parts 1 and 2. Someone had failed to return Part 3. I suspect they never rented out FTETTM again -- or at least until they finally realized they couldn't get along without all 3 parts.<br /><br />As for the show itself, each mission was filmed with a different emphasis. For instance, the part on Apollo 13 completely leave out the astronauts. You watch the whole thing from the point of view of the engineers. If you want the complete story for that mission, watch <i>Apollo 13</i>. Nothing I saw in the discs or packaging helped predict what the emphasis on any given mission would be. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Each episode had a different director as well, which also accounts to the very different flavour and perspective of each. I thought this a brilliant technique.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[spayss]

This is a slight different angle. Socially the event did not have the level of drama as portrayed in the movie. It was a major news story but the nation wasn't glued to it. I recall none of my friends understanding my concern or anyone else for that matter. In contrast, Apollo 11 had the country glued to it. 'The nation holds its breath..." Not really. A lot of stories from the 60's and 70's are portrayed bigger after the fact than at the time. Perhaps if a story was huge in New York or LA it assumes a warped sense of impact in history.

 

[drwayne]

Living in Huntsville at the time, with a father who worked for IBM on the IU, my picture of its importance at the time was probably a little different than most too.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[willpittenger]

I thought it confused me more than anything else. I needed more than the titles to realize the episodes were not straight forward. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

I thought Tom Hanks intro pieces set the context very well for each piece, setting the tone for each episode. <br /><br />But each to their own taste.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>