Weekly digest - 2019.29

50th Anniversary of Historic Moon Landing

This year we celebrate the 50th Anniversary one of the greatest achievements in human history, the human Moon landing. On July 16th 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins went on a voyage that took them to the Moon.

It took NASA only 8 years not only to build  the spacecraft, but also to invent the technology, procedures and even science which would allow them to land on the Moon. During Gemini and Apollo programs, NASA mastered the rocket launches, they learned how to bring two spaceships together and dock them on Earth's orbit. With Apollo 8, for the first time ever, human left Earth's orbit, went around the Moon and was safely brought back to Earth. And, of course, the culmination of all the efforts was on July 20 1969, when Neil Armstrong, as first human in history, set foot on the Moon.

I really wish that US government didn't stop fundings. With this speed and rate of innovations, the space travels would be now a "routine". Maybe we would be celebrating not only the Moon landing, but also the Mars one. Not to even mention innovations in other branches of science and their impact on day-to-day life.

But the history went differently ☹️  Even with limited fundings the innovation did not stop and we achieved some of those things. Thanks to the private companies, like SpaceX, the spaceflights became "cheap" and "routine". Also, we are still benefiting from Apollo program in other areas. All of that is awesome, but we have not reach the Mars yet. Hopefully we will not have to wait for long.

Interesting links

• Apollo 11 in Real Time
• This Augmented Reality app lets you visit the Apollo 11 landing site through a portal
• 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing by Google
• Apollo 11 Launch
• Apollo 11 Saturn V launch, 1969 TV broadcast
• Apollo 11 Moon Launch 50th Anniversary | CBS News Special Coverage, live stream
• Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk - Original NASA EVA Mission Video
• Narration-Free Apollo 11 Documentary Put Viewers in the Thick of It
• The Real Story Behind the Apollo 11 Computer Error
• Apollo 11 Had a Hidden Hero: Software
• Original Apollo 11 Guidance Computer (AGC) source code for the command and lunar modules
• The ACTUAL Computer from the Saturn V Rocket
• Elon Musk Told Us Why He Thinks We Can Land on the Moon in ‘Less Than 2 Years’
• LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V
• LEGO NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander
  

Image credits: NASA