Who is Your Favorite Apollo Astronaut?

[Guanaco]

Buzz Aldrin - Yeah, Neil made the first bootprint, but has been nearly silent ever since. Meanwhile Buzz, with far less name recognition, has tirelessly dedicated himself to promoting the space program with speeches, books, signings - anything he can do to promote enthusiasm for science and space exploration. Buzz was no less brave and bold for having made his bootprint a few minutes after Neil. But he has been far braver and bolder ever since. I vote for Buzz.

 

[whatworks5u]

I'd have to say Buzz Aldrin

 

[MrShootist]

Alan Shepard. Because no one, except maybe the rest of the Mercury 7, was more deserving.

 

[tfpool]

Neil Armstrong. He was the first man on the moon, and NEVER sought to take personal advantage of the event. Talk about heroic......

 

[SONGZANDSTARZ]

I am a huge fan of the space program. I remember putting up christmas decorations when Apollo 8 was preparing for launch-I was 10 years old. I attended the 30th anniversary of Apollo 11 at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. I don't want to beleive(I WILL NOT) that the moon program was a hoax, but it's hard to ignore SOME of the claims. Anyway, a couple of guys make my list. First, John Young-for tripping on a cable that they deployed on the moon for some scientific instruments-essentially making the equipment FUBAR. By the way, did you know that he snuck a corned beef sandwich aboard Gemini 3(the first manned Gemini mission). He got into big trouble with his commander, Gus Grissom, for that. You see, he forgot to bring the mustard! True story. Next on my list is Allan Bean. Al is the reason that Apollo 12 is the only mission with no video footage. His first job on the moon was to be camera man and failed. Apparently, the insides of cameras don't like bright lights-like the sun.
All astronauts are special. In the sixties, the program and the men were almost bigger than life. I think it's nice that these brave, smart, well-trained, bigger-than-life MEN can screw-up just like the rest of us

 

[JonHouston]

Well, I have to say they all were my heroes when I was growing up. I was 9 years old when the first manned landing occurred. However, I really liked Pete Conrad for his upbeat personality and sense of humor. I loved his comment when he stepped off the LEM, "That might have been a small step for Neil, but that was a pretty big one for me...." or something to that regard. He also was on the inaugural Skylab flight that repaired Skylab for occupation - he did the first space construction mission before there was a Shuttle! He was the one that hung out there and with brute force, pulled the solar panel unloose.

Pete Conrad also stayed active in promoting spaceflight after he retired from NASA and worked on the Delta Clipper program, an experimental single stage to orbit vehicle.

I also got to meet Pete Conrad in Houston Texas at a convention sometime in the 1990's where he signed a comic book he had written, documenting his flight to the moon and back. I have that autographed comic book framed and hanging in my home!!!

 

[Ruri]

I'd probably go with Buzz Aldrin because he continued to push space exploration such as championing the delta clipper program and doing stuff like starbooster.

 

[fredgarv79]

As the great Ali G called him: Bzzzzzz aldrin. but, how can you not give it up to Niel Armstrong? he may be a bit boring, but he was the consummate professional. running out of fuel, he calmly lands apollo 11, no problem, and he is the most quoted one for sure. but I also like allan shepard, and jim lovell. And Gus if you're up there watching, here's to ya, you didn't screw the pooch.

 

[ojaldin]

Charlie Duke

 

[SEE]

It's a tough one... Everyone was/is great. Still, I think John Young and Gene Cernan stand out as the tallest of this exceptional group of giants.

 

[zog]

I agree that all of them are the "favorites" because it will be a long time before anyone else sets foot upon the moon.

 

[bbfreakDude]

Neil Armstrong. He was the first man on the moon, and NEVER sought to take personal advantage of the event. Talk about heroic......

To quote why he didn't conduct an interview with the last moon doc.

“Obviously, we did ask him for an interview,” says director David Sington on the phone from New York City, where he attended the film’s premiere. “He explained why he doesn’t do them. He sees himself as merely a representative of Apollo and of America and, ultimately, of all of us. He doesn’t say, `That’s one small step for me,’ but for a `man.’ That’s the most important thing, that a man did this, a human being did this. He said to me in an e-mail: `I don’t think my personal feelings are relevant.’

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/fe ... cumentary/

Agreed, I don't begrudge Buzz the success and attention he's generated for himself, and he's done much to generate interest in manned spaceflight but the fact of the matter is that he's a glory hound and always has been. Its quiet well known even that he wanted to be the first to set step on the moon and that he felt the LM pilot should be first.

So, to start out I would have to say anyone besides Buzz. James Lovell and the rest of Apollo 13 come to mind for their success in getting back to earth safely, but despite his cool under pressure on 13 I like him better for Apollo 8.

As for Bean? He pointed the camera at the sun as amusing as that is now. ^.^

“I pointed the camera at the sun,” Bean says. “I should have known, but I didn’t know, that you couldn’t point TV cameras at the sun. Nobody on Earth said, `Hey, you point it at the sun and it’s broken forever.’”

So, after thinking it through I'd have to say its a toss up between Armstrong and Lovell and Buzz in third.

 

[drwayne]

Keep in mind that favorite does not have to be "best".

I have always had a soft spot for Buzz - he was so - human. (Smarter than me by a large factor
to be very sure, but still human)

Wayne

 

[Shaky]

Hello All, this is my first post. Like many of you I have read just about every book on Apollo ever written (okay, maybe 2/3rds). Picking a favorite astronaut is almost impossible for me, but here are a few and why I liked them.

Pete Conrad. Probably one of the most skilled pilots, but he had a riot doing his job.

Frank Borman. This guy has the thickest skin on Earth.

Al Bean. Nicest guy anyone could probably ever meet.

James Lovell. Obviously can handle the pressure, and flew a ton of missions.

Jim McDivitt. Had the guts to turn down Apollo 8 for a more technically challenging mission in Apollo 9. Called out Cernan for screwing the pooch in his dumb helicopter crash prior to Apollo 17.

Grissom, White and Chaffee for obvious reasons.

 

[ZenGalacticore]

Harrison Schmidt, because he was the first-and last- scientist to ever walk on the Moon. And Buzz Aldrin, for the reasons that MW and others mentioned. (Schmidt also has been active in promoting manned space exploration in the public arena through the years.)

 

[Smersh]

Michael Collins.

I feel a bit sorry for him actually because everyone forgot about him, and he didn't get to see history being made live on tv like many people back on Earth did. :geek:

 

[raoul]

It should be all of them.

Dave Scott, however, for a magnificent Apollo 15, for his interest in science (geology) though he was a pilot and for giving us science lessons on the Moon when he had a minute free.

 

[onesmallstep]

Now that all of the intense celebration concerning the 40th anniversary is dying down, I thought I would go through the thread and tally the picks for favorite Apollo guy.

My only complaint about the 40th anniversary event is that all of the hoopla surrounding it completely obscured the Michael Jackson death coverage. :roll:

But anyway, the winner of the very unscientific SDC "Who is your favorite Apollo astronaut" selection goes to....


<Drum Roll please>

































<pause for dramatic effect>










































Buzz Aldrin

Followed in a close second by John Young.



Very good picks, and thanks to all who participated.

 

[Kerberos]

I hate sounding like everyone else, but it has to be John Young, just because he is a fellow Rambling Wreck (and a Hell of an engineer).

 

[onesmallstep]

Two more votes for John Young and he becomes the winner.

Hey Buzz, come back here with that trophy!!!

 

[Lunatic1]

I must agree with imjeffp with saying that Conrad and Bean brought a very "human" quality to the Apollo program. Pete Conrad, in particular, was the antithesis of the perceived view of astronauts being half machine, half engineer. For a man with such high responsibilities to be a great astronaut and at the same time, a wicked character, has to be unique in the history of lunar exploration!

 

[hewes]

Neil A. Armstrong

 

[notthatguy]

Buzz Aldrin, for punching that moon landing skeptic in the face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOo6aHSY8hU

Just awesome.

Gotta love Buzz

 

[ZenGalacticore]

Michael Collins.

I feel a bit sorry for him actually because everyone forgot about him, and he didn't get to see history being made live on tv like many people back on Earth did. :geek:

Oh come on Smersh! I don't feel sorry for anybody who got a chance to orbit the Moon! :mrgreen: I can't imagine such blissful solitude!! (Admittedly, somewhat unnerving solitude it must have been, especially when he was orbiting the far side of the Moon without radio communication.)

 

[Moses3]

All the astronauts who flew are great men. My favorite, Apollo and of all time is John Young. John, earned a degree from GT in aeronautical engineering, and went to a surface ship in the Navy. Only then did he learn to fly and become a pilot and test pilot. His determination and intelligence propelled him to apply for astronaut status. Having flown on every maned craft NASA built except Mercury, he became the senior astronaut of the second group. Leading the way to the moon and being the first to fly the Apollo alone, John has accounted for six launches from earth and one from the moon.
I believe his most magnificent moment was the test flight of STS-1 with Crippen. This flight, which scared the hell out of me as an observer kicked open the door to true space exploration and ISS. If he had not taken that darn roast beef sandwich up on Gemini, which took him outof the normal rotation for over a year, he may well have had 7 earth launches!!
After the Challanger disaster, he was openly critical of the NASA upper management, which again, put him at odds with NASA. True to his beliefs, he stayed the course with NASA, taking the position as astronaut admin. His entire career is open for review, and he has always been available for interview. We need many more like John W. Young.