information about the photo: Scientist-Astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt is photographed standing next to a huge, split boulder during the third Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA-3) at the Taurus–Littrow landing site on the Moon. Schmitt is the Apollo 17 lunar module pilot. This picture was taken by Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander.
coincidentally, the operator manual for the Lunar Rover was also just released, and can be downloaded free from NASA
Giant steps are what you take Walking on the moon I hope my legs don't break Walking on the moon We could walk forever Walking on the moon We could live together Walking on, walking on the moon
Walking back from your house Walking on the moon Walking back from your house Walking on the moon Feet they hardly touch the ground Walking on the moon My feet don't hardly make no sound Walking on, walking on the moon
Some may say I'm wishing my days away No way And if it's the price I pay Some say Tomorrow's another day You stay I may as well play
Thanks to John Torres! Who filled me in on the story of the Catalina; This Pontiac was driven at speeds up to about 120 mph. It needed to be able to tow the M2-F1 on Rogers Dry Lakebed next to NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC) now named Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) at a minimum speed of 100 miles per hour. To do that, it had to handle the 400-pound pull of the M2-F1. Walter "Whitey" Whiteside, who was working in the Flight Operations Division, was a dirt-bike rider and hot-rodder. Together with Boyden "Bud" Bearce in the Procurement and Supply Branch acquired the Pontiac Catalina convertible with the largest engine available and then sent it to Bill Straup's hot-rod shop near Long Beach for modification. With a special gearbox and racing slicks, the Pontiac could tow the 1,000-pound M2-F1 110 miles per hour in 30 seconds. It proved adequate for the roughly 400 car tows that got the M2-F1 airborne to prove it could fly safely and to train pilots before they were towed aloft behind a C-47 aircraft and released
Pontiac Catalina tow car for NASA’s M1-F2 lifting body aircraft, c.1963
This is Frenc Pavlics (the mobility genius) driving the MTA over our “Lunarium” rock field outside of the engineering building. It is controlled with a joystick controller on the right side. The GM Research Labs at the Tech Center donated the same type controller used on the Firebird III. found on http://deansgarage.com/2011/moonmen/#more-4737
I wasn't sure what the aircraft on the ground was (above it you see the B52 that it used for piggy back rides to test altitude) , but 3 readers used the comment feature to let me know it was the Northrop HL 10, used to do flight research on aircraft design for unpowered reentry from space, utilizing the speed of falling to create lift for the controlled flight of the spacecraft. More interesting than the facts of it's intended R&D use, is that it was the featured spacecraft the Million Dollar Man tv show appeared to use as the crash vehicle that made it necesary to create the bionic man. Just a fun tidbit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_HL-10
Amelia Earheart and her Cord
Bombers, love them, love the look, the stories, the awesome amount of turret guns
Crew of the Apollo 12 space rocket (Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon, Al Bean) each receive a gold Corvette coupe with 427-ci engine.
Through a special General Motors lease program, astronauts were allowed to drive any car for a year for $1. Bean and his Apollo crew ordered matching Corvettes distinguished by the black "wings" and red, white and blue logos on the front fenders reading "LMP" for lunar module pilot.
Why did they have black rear fenders?
The article states that those cars and the lease program had been arranged by Jim Rathmann, in co-operation with Ed Cole. Rathmann owned a Chevrolet Dealership in Melbourne, Florida.
We know that the Gold & Black combination is typical for Smokey Yunick's cars. And Yunick was crew chief for Rathmann for three years in a row (1960 to 1962) at Indianapolis. When Rathmann won the 1960 Indy 500, his car, named "Ken-Paul Special", was blue. But in '62, he drove the "Simoniz Vista Special" (car #44) which was sporting Yunick's Gold & Black.
Thus the colors of these three "Apollo 12" Corvettes, in the most likely possibility.
CORVETTE NEWS Feb/Mar 1970 p.16-17 "The magnificent men and their flying machines". Large picture (courtesy of Ralph Morse - Life Magazine), showing the three '69 Vettes with Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Al Bean sitting on the T-tops.
One interesting detail in the text deserves a quote: "...Especially Pete Conrad. His checklist of things to do before the flight of Apollo 12 included a call to a friend in the Central Florida Region of the Sports Car Club of America to make sure that all systems were go for his SCCA competition license. Conrad was reported to have said: I'd sure like to have it when I get back from the moon . And he was obliged by being issued 1970 license number 12 in honor of the flight..."
I didn't know it, but Nik did a post on these 2 months ago: http://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/the-astrovette/ and thourougly explained the astronaut/corvette association, and far better than I could, Nik is a far better writer. His blog is in Portugese, but you ought to install Google toolbar if you haven't yet, and that is because it will instantly translate any website from another language to your own.
Ryan x-13, possibly the only vertical launch, and vertical landing aircraft. How they landed that ono it's hook to tower.. I'm sure ground control must have helped instructions
If you want to see a really cool museum, of aircraft, spacecraft, and a lot of cool WW1 planes, next time you are traveling in San Diego, go to the San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park
