# Discovery Channel's When We Left Earth: 40th Anniversary Special **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707 "2009-07-21T02:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/1 "2009-07-21T02:13:51Z")
I’m watching this right now. I’m a total sucker for Apollo mission footage. Anyone else watching? They did this all with slide rules and astoundingly rudimentary computers. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/2 "2009-07-21T02:30:55Z")
I’ve seen a lot of documentaries about the Apollo program, but I’ve heard facts that I’ve never run across. For instance: The Ascent Module on Apollo 10 was short of fuel, so the astronauts wouldn’t be tempted to go ahead and land. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/3 "2009-07-21T02:31:46Z")
My husband and I were just watching (it’s the kind of thing I would never turn on myself, but am always glad when he makes me watch) and talking about how breathtaking the footage is, and how silly “it was faked!” people are. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/4 "2009-07-21T02:34:33Z")
I’m recording it to DVR. I’m currently listening to the realtime Apollo 11 audio stream. I’ll watch it afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/5 "2009-07-21T02:41:21Z")
Wow! Great to see Armstrong participating in this one. One wonders why they selected such a private and taciturn man to the the first man to set foot on the moon. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/6 "2009-07-21T02:44:39Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Wow! Great to see Armstrong participating in this one. One wonders why they selected such a private and taciturn man to the the first man to set foot on the moon. Discovery was airing a different Apollo 11 doc earlier today. Buzz basically said that if had walked out first he probably would’ve said “Woohoo! We made it!” He then went on to say about how he urinated just before he took his first step on the moon, so he has his own first. One wonders indeed. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/7 "2009-07-21T02:44:57Z")
> [@iftheresaway](#): > > My husband and I were just watching (it’s the kind of thing I would never turn on myself, but am always glad when he makes me watch) and talking about how breathtaking the footage is, and how silly “it was faked!” people are. Before this, they aired the Mythbusters special about the moon hoaxers. They very thoroughly “busted” all the wacko theories. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discovery-channels-when-we-left-earth-40th-anniversary-special/503707/8 "2009-07-21T03:11:20Z")
Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed. Gives me chills and brings me to tears every time.