# Apollo 11 Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695 "2015-12-30T01:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/81 "2018-11-18T04:57:21Z")
> [@hail ants](#): > > when i was a teenager and learned all the details of the apollo mission profiles i couldn’t help but wonder if collins, ya know, while orbiting the moon all alone, the most remote human ever in all of human history, if he, ah, spanked it. > > of course, zero g and all, ewwwww… :d :d:d:d:d:d ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/82 "2019-03-06T19:34:25Z")
The U.S. Mint is now offering curved commemorative coins: [Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Coin Program | U.S. Mint](https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/apollo-11-50th-anniversary) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/83 "2019-03-08T05:56:22Z")
I’m not sure why people think that the general public would have insisted on recovering the bodies. If it were me or a loved one, I would rather insist on the body being left on the moon. A “moon burial” is perfectly appropriate for astronauts, honorable, unique, beats bringing back bodies in whatever condition just so that they can rot in a random cemetery, and instead of going to the grave to think (\*) of the deceased, you just have to look up at night. I think the general public would have been perfectly fine with leaving the bodies there. (\*) Totally unrelated : there’s no English verb for what you do when you go to a grave to think of the deceased/pray/stand in silence (“se recueillir” in French)? Couldn’t find any translation that seems correct (found : meditate, recollect, commune with yourself, none of which seems right). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/84 "2019-03-08T07:00:59Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > (\*) Totally unrelated : there’s no English verb for what you do when you go to a grave to think of the deceased/pray/stand in silence (“se recueillir” in French)? Couldn’t find any translation that seems correct (found : meditate, recollect, commune with yourself, none of which seems right). Reflection? Contemplation? Mourn? Grieve? Pay one’s respects? I wouldn’t go to a graveyard to meditate (which involves thinking of nothing, in particular not the deceased), but who knows what people do. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/85 "2019-03-08T13:17:24Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The U.S. Mint is now offering curved commemorative coins: [Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Coin Program | U.S. Mint](https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/commemorative-coins/apollo-11-50th-anniversary) I saw that a couple of months ago. I wanted to buy one, but that is one ugly ass coin! ---
**Author:** ![SIick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/siick/32/7329_2.png) [@SIick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SIick)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/86 "2019-03-08T18:15:10Z")
Apollo 11 liftoff from the moon [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/atw1nKmt6tE/maxresdefault.jpg "Apollo 11 Lunar Liftoff HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atw1nKmt6tE) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/87 "2019-03-08T22:52:50Z")
Sorry for the Hijack, but I just got back from Huntsville, AL on a business trip, and thought I’d chime in. I had never been to Huntsville before, and knew nothing about the city. I was staying in a downtown hotel. As I was driving west on Interstate 565 I saw an incredible sight along the highway: a full-size replica of a Saturn V rocket. That thing is _ **huge** _. Yesterday afternoon the conference ended early, so I stopped by the museum on my way back to the hotel. Inside one of the buildings is the [Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V_Dynamic_Test_Vehicle). It is horizontal, and you can walk under it. It’s awe-inspiring. I was so impressed that I want to take my family there for vacation. ---
**Author:** ![SIick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/siick/32/7329_2.png) [@SIick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SIick)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/88 "2019-03-08T23:11:24Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I’m sure this has been asked before, but I can’t seem to find the answer. > > If Armstrong and Aldrin and been marooned on the moon for some reason would Collins have had any problem getting back to Earth on his own? In other words, was the landing module, or the other 2 astronauts, needed to return the Command Module back to earth? AHA HA HA HA! Check out how phoney this is… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uazzYgghQD4/hqdefault.jpg "1969: Lunar Module docked with the Command Module") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uazzYgghQD4) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/89 "2019-03-10T21:28:14Z")
Just to mention, we saw the new documentary _Apollo 11_ yesterday. Not in Imax like it was intended, as the only Imax in Hawaii, located in an inconvenient place anyway, was showing _Captain Marvel_ instead. But still great. Recommended. When we first lived in Honolulu in the early 1990s, there was an Imax and five regular movie screens here in Waikiki. Those are all gone now. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/90 "2019-03-10T21:32:17Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Inside one of the buildings is the [Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V_Dynamic_Test_Vehicle). It is horizontal, and you can walk under it. It’s awe-inspiring. I was so impressed that I want to take my family there for vacation. FYI, you can sit and drink beer under this Saturn-V on Thursday nights (March through October). ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/91 "2019-03-11T03:45:26Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Just to mention, we saw the new documentary _Apollo 11_ yesterday. We saw that yesterday too, and I am still amazed at how it was a series of miracles that got pulled all together. Every major step of the way, I caught myself asking the same question as the OP. That is a really good movie, and I recommend it to anyone… For a story that you already know the ending to, it _really_ is a tense, spellbinding documentary. Tripler Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/92 "2019-03-13T03:51:42Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > We saw that yesterday too, and I am still amazed at how it was a series of miracles that got pulled all together. Every major step of the way, I caught myself asking the same question as the OP. > > That is a really good movie, and I recommend it to anyone.. For a story that you already know the ending to, it _really_ is a tense, spellbinding documentary. > > Tripler > Good times. We especially liked watching it so soon after watching _First Man_. I watched the moon landing live back in the day but did not remember Buzz Aldrin joking about not accidentally locking the two of them outside the LEM. How embarrassing if that had happened. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/93 "2019-03-13T14:51:06Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Sorry for the Hijack, but I just got back from Huntsville, AL on a business trip, and thought I’d chime in. > > I had never been to Huntsville before, and knew nothing about the city. I was staying in a downtown hotel. As I was driving west on Interstate 565 I saw an incredible sight along the highway: a full-size replica of a Saturn V rocket. That thing is _ **huge** _. > > Yesterday afternoon the conference ended early, so I stopped by the museum on my way back to the hotel. Inside one of the buildings is the [Saturn V Dynamic Test Vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V_Dynamic_Test_Vehicle). It is horizontal, and you can walk under it. It’s awe-inspiring. I was so impressed that I want to take my family there for vacation. The one at the Johnson Space Center in Houston is the real deal- it’s the only one on display composed entirely of flight-ready components made for Apollo 18, 19 and 20. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/94 "2019-06-20T13:57:07Z")
Bumped. Anyone who saw the recent _Apollo 11_ documentary probably noticed this NASA staffer: [First woman in launch control helps put a man on the moon | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/us/apollo-11-joann-morgan-only-woman-scn/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/95 "2019-06-20T14:06:07Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Would staying awake have been a problem? There was really very little to do in terms of “piloting” the capsule. He would have had to fire a precise burn to exit orbit and head for earth. Then, outside of routine systems checks, he could have slept for hours on end. He would then have to tweak the approach in order to have the capsule enter the atmosphere at the precise time and angle. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/96 "2019-06-20T20:58:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Bumped. > > Anyone who saw the recent _Apollo 11_ documentary probably noticed this NASA staffer: [https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/us/apollo-11-joann-morgan-only-woman-scn/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/us/apollo-11-joann-morgan-only-woman-scn/index.html) I saw the documentary and didn’t really notice her! No doubt the fact that in my career women have always been peers has something to do about that. Thanks for the article. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/97 "2019-06-20T21:14:19Z")
It’s not so much that you would immediately notice her, more that one could hardly fail to take one look around that control room and not be struck by a certain lack of diversity. I have had similar experiences in real life. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695/98 "2019-06-21T21:40:32Z")
If you can access it, the ongoing BBC World Service podcast [13 Minutes to the Moon](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2) can be highly recommended. Even when you are familiar with the story as usually told, a great blend of that layered with deep archive research and new interviews. Surely hardly the final word on what happened, but still one of those major intermediate drafts very much worth hearing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-11-question/741695.md?page=4)