More on The Lighter Side
(Attempted and Inadvertent Apollo Humor
continued)
I 'Betcha I Can Say Anything I Want!
And he did. Won a bet too. Apollo 12 CDR Charles
"Pete" Conrad (1930-1999), being a fun-loving champion
wise guy, decided to make up his first words on the Moon under
unique circumstances. Prior to the misison, he was speaking with
some journalists, and one Italian reporter claimed the U.S.
government instructed the astronauts exactly what to say. Conrad
rebuffed this accusation, saying he would make up his own words
right on the spot. And unto Pete's death in 1999, the italian
journalist never paid-up after the immortal words...
Listen to: "Whoopee! Man, that may
have been a small one for Neil, but it's a long one for me!"
Who Says I Ain't Supercool...
Pete Conrad sells Ray Ban shades, around
1994. This photo is also the bookjacket cover of his 2005
biography "Rocketman."
Orlando Florida Boy Makes Good!
Okay, this fellow has flown every U.S.
spacecraft built since 1963, has a record six launches (seven if
you count lunar liftoff), was in the astronaut corps for over 40
years... and all he gets named after him is a Florida highway?
Well, at least it's on the way to Kennedy Space Center.
Neil Who?
Oh, What today's youth should
know... such a remarkable history to be so often mistaken,
forgotten, or misspoken.
What a Place to Catch a Cold:
"Ever sneeze in one of these?"
(Wally Schirra's Actifed commercial from 1974)
Don't Pick on My Ride:
"It's ugly, but it gets you
there." (Legendary 1969 Volkswagen advertising campaign from
the well-known New York firm of Doyle Dane Bernbach)
Werner Von Braun Was So Teutonic...
Werner Von Braun, though utterly
brilliant, could be all business. He'd always ask you for the
cut-and-dried answer:
Listen
The Cost of Being a Space Enthusiast:
Comedian: Flown space items are so
expensive!
Audience: How expensive are they?
Comedian: I have to buy them one molecule
at a time.
(Well, at least some small amount of the metal in
this coin has flown around the Moon...)
Charlie, Who Did the Target Vectoring
for Descartes?
A safe landing is all that counts. Charlie Duke
remarks on the area immediately behind the Apollo 16 Lunar
Module, Orion.
Listen
A Lunar News Flash:
"Honey, how long until we get cable
TV here?"
Hi, We're Not Enjoying This...
"Let's just hurry on back to the LM
now..."
The so-called "Buddy PLSS (Portable
Life Support System)" set-up was obviously for dire
emergencies. Similar to the buddy-breathing technique taught to
Scuba divers, this air-sharing hose link would have bought the
crew some time, if one astronaut had a survivable (read
"small") pressure leak.
Thanks for the Tip!
You're never lost if you have a map.
And he did. Won a bet too. Apollo 12 CDR Charles
"Pete" Conrad (1930-1999), being a fun-loving champion
wise guy, decided to make up his first words on the Moon under
unique circumstances. Prior to the misison, he was speaking with
some journalists, and one Italian reporter claimed the U.S.
government instructed the astronauts exactly what to say. Conrad
rebuffed this accusation, saying he would make up his own words
right on the spot. And unto Pete's death in 1999, the italian
journalist never paid-up after the immortal words...
