Disqus - Latest Comments for levasseurj

Re: Error Finding Image

Jennifer Levasseur — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:27:40 -0000

The camera was actually stored in the descent portion of the Lunar Module, and stayed on the Moon. The astronauts deployed it from inside the LM, flipping a switch that opened a bay and put the camera in position to feed the images back to everyone on Earth.

Re: Apollo 11: Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. flag on the Moon

Jennifer Levasseur — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:52:43 -0000

What a great story, and congratulations on your anniversary!

Re: Camera, Hasselblad, 70mm, Apollo 11 - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Jennifer Levasseur — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:15:22 -0000

Sorry about that! Sometimes old errors slip past our radar. I'm getting the corrected information into our system shortly. Thanks for catching the mistake!

Re: President Nixon Visits Apollo 11 Crew in Quarantine

Jennifer Levasseur — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:35:17 -0000

Thanks for sharing your connection to this iconic photograph!

Re: Apollo 11: Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

Jennifer Levasseur — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:50:59 -0000

It's also interesting to point out here how much influence this photograph had on American culture. Artists interpreted it in their own ways, so the work of Andy Warhol is a great example of the "Moonman" being reused. Perhaps equally as famous is the use of the photograph by MTV in advertising, lead-in segments for programs, and their Video Music Award program statuettes.

Re: Apollo 11 Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin and Lunar Module Interior

Jennifer Levasseur — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:46:33 -0000

Great point Alan. The Smithsonian's collection of space food does tell an interesting story of what astronauts liked to eat in space, and especially what wasn't so popular...we have lots of orange drink and fruitcake, but not many hot dogs.

Re: Apollo 11 Lunar Module Ascent Stage Photographed from Command Module

Jennifer Levasseur — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:28:46 -0000

Thanks for the comment Tony. I wasn't aware that the Lunar Module is oriented the wrong way in the photo. Our Apollo curator, Allan Needell, explained that docking position is different for the LM, so now Paul's comment earlier makes sense. I'll see if we can get this fixed - at least on how we represent it on this website.

Re: Apollo 11 Bootprint

Jennifer Levasseur — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:43:51 -0000

You make an excellent point Edgar. Sometimes artifacts are difficult to understand without a human story to connect the viewer to that piece of technology. Images are open to interpretation, but in this case, draw the viewer to understanding the magnitude of what Apollo 11 astronauts accomplished - we can perhaps more easily understand the experience by viewing a photo than viewing an artifact.

Re: Apollo 11 Lunar Module Ascent Stage Photographed from Command Module

Jennifer Levasseur — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:40:21 -0000

Paul, I'd be interested to hear why you think this is backwards. The orientation we use for it is how NASA shows it on their websites. Orientation and viewing space photography is always problematic of course, but we're simply repeating the orientation from NASA's use and description of the scene.

Re: Film Magazine, Hasselblad, 70mm, Apollo 11, Lunar Surface

Jennifer Levasseur — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:54:16 -0000

Again, thanks for the great comment Ken. I'll add this to my digital record on the artifact and maybe work it into a future iteration of the label.

Re: Film Magazine, Maurer, 16mm, Apollo 11 - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Jennifer Levasseur — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:50:37 -0000

You're right Ken, and that's the unfortunate thing about the display area where that camera is located in Apollo to the Moon. It's VERY difficult to get to the camera and get a proper photograph of the installed film magazine. This photo is a bit of a compromise, for the moment, but a more detailed set of photos is long overdue for these items.

Re: Bag, 70mm Film Magazine Transfer, Apollo 11 | National Air and Space Museum

Jennifer Levasseur — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:46:20 -0000

Our collection of these is fairly limited, just from Apollo 11, but we should have a few more of them available in our larger collections search (eMuseum) soon.

Re: Apollo 11: Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. flag on the Moon

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:54:11 -0000

This is another well-composed photograph by Armstrong. The rich detail of the surface and contrasting colors makes this an interesting image, and possibly provided some of the inspiration for MTV's "Moonman" statuettes for its annual music awards.

Re: President Nixon Visits Apollo 11 Crew in Quarantine

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:51:05 -0000

The threat of "moon germs" seems a little odd now, but NASA took it seriously for Apollo 11. This MQF is on display at the Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport.

Re: Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:46:21 -0000

This may be the most famous launch image of Apollo 11 with the massive Saturn V rocket framed by the rocket exhaust and the surrounding marshes of Cape Canaveral.

Re: Apollo 11 Bootprint

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:42:20 -0000

Though often mistaken to be the very first bootprint on the Moon, this iconic photograph does inform scientists about the consistency of lunar regolith (surface materials). Since the Moon lacks wind, this bootprint likely has not changed in the 40 years since it was made by Aldrin.

Re: Apollo 11 Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin and Lunar Module Interior

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:37:31 -0000

While a bit blurry around the edges, this portrait of Aldrin by Armstrong shows him back-lit by the intense light bouncing off the lunar surface out the triangular Lunar Module window. I would suggest Armstrong is a very adept photographer for this and other photographs of Aldrin on view in this image gallery.

Re: The Apollo 11 Prime Crew

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:34:07 -0000

One noticeable thing from this photograph is the difference between the spacesuits of Armstrong and Aldrin from that of Collins. Since Collins stayed in the Command Module, his suit does not have a second set of hose connectors on the left side. Be sure to see Aldrin's suit on display in the Museum's Apollo to the Moon gallery and see more information on these spacesuits in our Apollo 11 objects section.

Re: Apollo 11 Splashdown Celebration

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:28:14 -0000

Dressed in suits and waving American flags, this scene of Mission Control shows this historical moment as the achievement of not just the three astronauts but also the thousands on the ground that made it happen. Notice too the nature of the workforce at this time - young, professional men dressed in shirts and ties. See how much things have changed by searching NASA's image resource websites (GRIN, NIX, NASA Images) for recent images of Mission Control...

Re: Apollo 11 Lunar Module Ascent Stage Photographed from Command Module

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:18:51 -0000

This image of the lunar module recalls the famous "Earthrise" photograph from Apollo 8, but the foreground shows a new element, the return vehicle from that first lunar landing, which carries the first samples of the Moon, and the first memories of having been there.

Re: Spiro Agnew and Lyndon Johnson Watch the Apollo 11 Liftoff

Jennifer Levasseur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:15:54 -0000

Photographs of famous people at any spacecraft launch are not difficult to find. This image of the most recent president to leave office, however, seems somewhat bittersweet in that Johnson carried the Apollo program torch from Kennedy to Nixon and was not in office when the historic lunar landing took place.