Rockets, Robots & Ray Guns: 2014

My Apollo XI patch right above my monitor. I look at it every day.

The Apollo 11 Mission patch pictured above was a gift from a former brother-in-law who picked it up for me on a visit to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, a place I dream of visiting myself someday. It was affixed to a beautiful ball cap with scrambled eggs on the brim. Sadly, it was also a child's sized cap. So off came the mission patch and scrambled eggs, then for years they sat on my shelf above my computer. Last week I decided to do something about it. A couple of days ago I ordered an inexpensive ball cap off of Amazon and built myself a DIY Apollo 11 mission cap.

I WILL be wearing this on July 20th to mark the anniversary of the moon landing. I'll wear it to sleep. I'll wear it while I'm awake. I'll even wear it in the shower, but that's probably not a visual you really want to imagine...

45 years ago July 16, 1969: Where were you when Apollo 11 lifted off for the moon?

I was four years old when Apollo XI lifted off on it's historical journey. Even as a little kid I watched every bit of news coverage I could find. I couldn't get enough. I had been stricken by a bad case of Moon Fever. It was so bad that I wouldn't let my daddy gas up the car anyplace but the local Gulf station because they were giving out fold-up paper models of the lunar module with every fill up. Remember those?

Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, we can relive the joy of inserting tab A into slot B. Here is a high resolution copy of that wonderful childhood memory that you can print onto card stock and make yourself.

Gulf Oil Lunar Module Model

Here are some other superb Apollo papercraft models to build-- a perfect way to spend some quality time with the kids on a rainy afternoon.

Apollo Papercraft Models To Print

Of course everyone remembers Neil Armstrong, the First Astronaut on the moon, and Buzz Aldrin, the first astronaut on, "Dancing With The Stars." But wasn't there another guy with them? What was his name? What did he do? Cant remember, can you? The unsung hero of that mission was Mike Collins, who remained in orbit above the lunar surface in the command module while Armstrong and Aldrin cavorted on the moon. Upon their return to Earth, Armstrong and Aldrin garnered most of the fame and accolades. Mike was just the proverbial, "Man in A Can." I think he deserves far better than that. And how bittersweet was his job? The mission could not have succeeded without him, yet to be so near the moon, yet so far beyond his reach...

Sadly, the first man on the moon was also the first astronaut from that mission to pass. He was a humble, modest, courageous man.

A true American hero he was too-- not a thrill seeker, not a glory-hound, but a soft-spoken engineer who sought to expand the realm of human knowledge by flinging himself off the face of the Earth at great peril to himself and his companions. He stepped out upon an new world, the first human being to do so, and left his footprint quite indelibly upon its surface. That same footprint was left indelibly upon my four-year old imagination. I looked on his heroic feat (feat not feet) with wonder that grew into a lifelong love of science and space exploration. Here's to you Neil Armstrong, you were the real-deal with the right stuff and mankind will be forever in your debt for the giant leap you took on our behalf. Thank you sir. Rest well.

In 2006 I cold-called Buzz Aldrin's office to see if I could set up a short radio interview for sometime in the future, at his convenience, of course. I was expecting a, "No," or perhaps three or four minutes in the next nine or ten months. His secretary seemed a bit harried. Dr. Aldrin was leaving for a conference and would be gone several weeks. She asked me to hold while she made my request. I braced myself for the inevitable rejection.

When she returned, she said, "Dr. Aldrin is leaving to catch a plane, but he has a little time. Can you do it now? You can have about five minutes."

I was shocked! I hadn't even considered doing it so soon. I had nothing prepared, no list of questions, nothing but fan-boy enthusiasm. But of course I couldn't say no. I asked for a couple of minutes to set up the studio for a pre-record, and the next thing you know I'm speaking to one of my childhood heroes. He said I could have five minutes of his time. He graciously spoke with me for almost half an hour.

You can hear my interview below, as well as a Crystal Method/Buzz Interview mash-up. I'm certainly no musician, so my song is more of an oddity (A Space Oddity, perhaps?) than something youd put on at a party... Well, at least you've been warned.

Please do check out my interview, however, as well as the video below, which is a short documentary about the mission.

Check out the Buzz Aldrin/Crystal Method mash-up I cobbled together from my interview with Dr. Aldrin below. I call it "Buzz Method." The full audio of that interview appears later in this post.

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I was four years old when Apollo 11 touched down in the Sea of Tranquility and man first impressed his footprint upon the moon. I was captivated. The images of the lunar module on the surface of the moon, of Neil Armstrong taking that historic first step, of Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag are burned indelibly in my mind. I couldn't get enough moon, NASA or astronauts, clearly a chronic case of Moon Fever that stays with me to this day. While I may never get to press my footprint into the dusty lunar soil, I could, with enough cash, turn my backyard into a replica Tranquility Base. Here's a company that will not only rent you the appropriate spacesuit, but a full sized lunar module and a command capsule. Honey, call the neighbors and chain up the dog, the Eagle has landed!

In September of 2006 I had the great fortune to interview Buzz Aldrin one of my childhood heroes and the second man on the moon. Listen to Dr. Aldrin describe that historic event in his own words.