US Space Program DVD's
Apollo 11 - Men On The Moon - 3 DVD Set - $42.98
 From the moment man set foot on a body other than Earth, the world has been a different place. This exceptional chronicle of Apollo 11 features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other. In fact, several of the unscheduled transmissions contained on this disc were never broadcast. Presented on three discs, Apollo 11: Men on The Moon features the unbelieveble experience of man's first voyage to another world. All together the discs present over 10 hours of spectacular material. [Total Runtime: Over 10 Hours] DISC ONE - ON THE WAY TO HISTORY Making Ready The Saturn V launch vehicle remains the largest and most powerful successful launch vehicle in history. Thirteen times the Saturn V launched, and thirteen times it was successful. Apollo 11's Saturn V was its sixth flight. This disc features the stacking of the launch vehicle and spacecraft, stage by stage, in the VAB, checkout of the spacecraft with the crew in the altitude chamber, rollout to the pad, and operations at the pad. Departure Contains footage from launch day of the crew suiting up, transferring to the pad, and boarding the spacecraft. The TV launch is an edited Kennedy Space Center television feed of the Apollo 11 launch from T minus 56 minutes. PRODUCER NOTE: A great deal of the time you'll see footage of the Apollo 11 crew suiting up for launch - when in reality it is the suitup for the countdown demonstration test. The suitup on this disc is for launch. The TV feed was recorded at Kennedy Space Center, and all the parts that were cut out were random footage of dignitaries arriving to view the launch. The commentary covers about 38 minutes of the countdown from around 56 minutes to after launch. This piece of footage was the first we received in house, and it made me feel like I was 8 watching a Saturn launch on TV again. Chills. 15 separate Launch views are available on-the-fly using the angle button on your DVD player. Static Views features the launch from stationary cameras and the vehicle moves out of frame. Tracking View cameras follow the vehicle. Pad Camera views are close-up and slow-motion. Surround sound tracks accompany the launches. Also contains footage of damage to the pad. PRODUCER NOTE: We have been very pleased with some of the material we've been able to access through NASA, and one of the jewels is this pad camera footage. Many of these cameras were 35mm high speed cameras loaded with color film. When transferred today they look incredible. Fly Me To The Moon After trans-lunar injection, the CSM turned and docked with the lunar module, then moved away from the Saturn V third stage for the trip to the moon. The docking maneuver was recorded with the 16mm data acquisition camera. Several unscheduled television transmissions were made on the way to the moon, one at 10:32 ground elapsed time, and one at 30:28 GET. A scheduled transmission occurred at 33:59 GET. PRODUCER NOTE: We have been able to confirm that the unscheduled broadcasts were not carried by the networks in 1969, so they haven't been seen much, if at all. The color views of Earth are great. Tranquillity Base Spacecraft separation prior to landing occurred when the spacecraft were on the far side of the moon. The operation was filmed with the 16mm data acquisition camera. After separation Michael Collins examined the lunar module to make sure the legs were properly deployed. Lunar Landing was filmed through the lunar module pilot's window using the 16mm DAC camera. This segment depicts the descent with multiple audio tracks, including air to ground, onboard recorder, flight director, and LM controller loops. Lunar Landing commentary includes astronaut commentary from the post-flight debriefing. PRODUCER NOTE: We owe a significant amount of gratitude to Andy Chaikin who was able to provide the post-flight debriefing material heard as commentary. We like this even better than recording new commentary because it was so fresh. Hearing Neil Armstrong describe the final moments of landing, what he was thinking and doing, while the film runs on the screen is one of our favorites. It gave us a new understanding of the last moments of landing. Chapter Stops Launch Day Chapter 1 - Suiting up TV Launch Chapter 1 - T-56 minutes TV Transmission 10:32 GET Chapter 1 - Looking back TV Transmission 30:28 GET TV Transmission 33:59 GET Chapter 1 - From 130,000 miles Lunar Landing Chapter 1 - Comm problems Lunar Landing Commentary chapter stops are the same as the Lunar Landing ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DISC 2 - LUNAR SURFACE EVA The first lunar surface EVA was designed to test the ability of man to work in the lunar environment, collect samples for investigation on Earth, and to deploy a small number of experiments. Neil Armstrong was outside the lunar module for two hours and thirty-one minutes. Buzz Aldrin spent one hour and fifty minutes outside the spacecraft. Man's first moonwalk was considered a complete success. Television from the lunar surface was via a black and white camera. Initially, this camera was attached to the modular equipment stowage assembly (MESA) which was lowered to a position off to the side of the ladder. After Armstrong and Aldrin were on the surface, the camera was placed on a tripod and moved to a location in order to present an overall view of activities. Westinghouse manufactured the lunar surface television camera. The scan rate was 10 frames per second at 320 lines of resolution. The crew also carried a 16mm data acquisition camera (DAC) which captured an overall view of the first half of the moonwalk from a position in the lunar module pilot's window. This Mauer 16mm camera was fitted with an 18mm wide angle lens, and ran at speeds of 1, 6, 12 and 24 frames per second. Still photography on the surface used a Hasselblad 70mm camera. Disc 2 contains the television, film and still photography from the lunar surface, arranged by on-the-fly angles you can access through your DVD player's angle button. During part one, the first angle is a composite of 16mm, TV, and Hasselblad images, the second angle is the TV transmission full screen, and the third angle is the 16mm film full screen. In part two, only the first two angles are present, as the film magazine in the 16mm camera had ended. Two audio tracks are also available on-the-fly by using the audio button on your DVD player. By choosing track one you'll hear the air to ground transmission and public affairs officer. Track two is astronaut commentary from the post-flight debriefing. PRODUCER NOTE: On angle one of this track, we blew up the 16mm film so you can see Armstrong stepping from the ladder better and taking the contingency sample. Because it was on 16mm we were able to keep a good picture even at high magnification. The film of the descent down the ladder is a little soft on focus (actual source film focus is soft). During this disc, we really wanted to give the viewer the option of seeing the moonwalk in different ways, so we give you the "enhanced track" with TV, film and photos, as well as the TV full screen and the 16mm full screen. CHAPTER STOPS EVA PART ONE Chapter 1 - "And we're getting the picture on the TV" EVA PART TWO Chapter 1 - Closeups of Eagle In order to ease communication, a number of acronyms were employed. Key lunar surface acronyms: EASEP - Early Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Television Transmissions Probe and Drogue - On the way to the moon the crew turned on the television camera to broadcast a look at the probe and drogue docking equipment. These devices must be removed to clear the tunnel between the command module and the lunar module. After removal, the transmission features a tour of Eagle. Landing Site - After entering lunar orbit, the crew gave Earth a look. Apollo 11's crew were just the third crew to have ever entered lunar orbit. PRODUCER NOTE: These two TV transmissions actually occurred before arriving at the moon. They are on disc 3 due to space. Crew Demonstrations - On the way back from the moon, the crew conducted a scheduled broadcast demonstrating life aboard Columbia Crew Statements - During this broadcast, the last during Apollo 11's journey, the crew made individual statements about their thoughts on the mission. Onboard Film In this 16mm data acquisition camera film, views were taken of the ascent from the surface, the approach of Eagle after lunar liftoff, views of the lunar surface from orbit, and life aboard Columbia. PRODUCER NOTE: Somewhere along the line the story got started that NASA public affairs somehow edited the lunar ascent film because it showed the flag falling over. While it has been stated pretty conclusively by the crew that the flag did go down, the magazine shows that the camera was started late. The transfer of the entire magazine shows continuous film from the slate (exposed pre-mission on the ground) to the start of the ascent just after liftoff. Often you will see the Apollo 14 ascent film used for other missions, as it is pretty dramatic. If memory serves, the Apollo 15 or 16 film shows a piece of kapton foil that goes a mile! Apollo 17 didn't capture the liftoff because the camera button wouldn't stay on. Mission Accomplished Columbia returned to the Earth on July 24, 1969. Includes footage from entry through the recovery of Columbia and the packing of lunar samples for shipment to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. Bonus Materials EVA Training - From a training session during which Armstrong and Aldrin practiced their activities on the lunar surface. Landing Training - Since the lunar module could not be flown in Earth's atmosphere, numerous devices and vehicles were created to train for the lunar landing. This footage demonstrates two methods - at the lunar landing research facility in Langley, VA, and a flight of the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle. Preflight Interviews -From press interviews released prior to the flight of Apollo 11. Acknowledgements PRODUCER NOTE: Don't pass this up. There is some great celebration footage from mission control after the mission under the end credits! I get a lot of questions about the "flying bedstead" footage, and why it isn't Armstrong's ejection. The reasons is simple in two ways: 1 - we felt it has been exposed really well and is pretty available, and 2 - this was some "bonus" footage we ran across on another reel! A few days ago I heard a story about the Armstrong "flying bedstead" ejection. Apparently he ejects, floats down, and a few minutes later someone comes into the astronaut office and asks "have you heard what happened to Armstrong?" - About that time he walks in, sits down calmly at his desk and starts writing up a report. Calm as can be. He apparently got up, drove back to the office and went back to work. Don't know if it is true, but it is certainly sounds believable for Neil. Thanks to Kipp Teague for his assistance, and for his exceptional website of Apollo imagery. Look for it at www.apolloarchive.com. Thanks to Eric Jones and the creators of the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, at www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj. Thanks to Andrew Chaikin, Mike Smithwick, Glen Swanson, and J.L. Pickering. Thanks to Benny Cheney of Johnson Space Center, Rodney Grubbs of Marshall Space Flight Center, the staff of the motion picture division of the National Archives, and Steve Garber of the NASA History Office. Thanks to Bono Film and Video, Arlington, VA, Video Post and Transfer, Dallas, TX, and VTI, Houston, TX. Thanks for Dave Senechal for the pre-flight crew interviews. Chapter Stops Probe and Drogue TV Chapter 1 - Hatch Crew Demonstrations Chapter 1 - The Earth or the Moon? Crew Statements Chapter 1 - Columbia Mission Accomplished Chapter 1 - Entry from aircraft EVA Training Chapter 1 - Suiting up Landing Training Chapter 1 - LLRV  Contact Us All design and images © moonpans.com 2001-2004 Privacy Statement > |