# Name of Apollo astronaut in the ST:Enterprise lean-in?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 18, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167 "2003-10-18T06:21:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 18\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/1 "2003-10-18T06:21:12Z")

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This is really bugging me – who is the Apollo-era astronaut we see in the Star Trek: Enterprise beginning ?

It’s a closeup, the gentleman is in a space suit, sans helmet, with the ‘snoopy’ cap on. He is looking left and apparently reacts with a rueful grin to something someone offscreen says to him.

I recognize this guy, but just cannot place the face with a name.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/2 "2003-10-18T06:37:19Z")

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oops: “lead-in”

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**Author:** ![Robert\_Lehnert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Robert\_Lehnert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert_Lehnert)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/3 "2003-10-18T07:05:57Z")

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I believe, and my wife concur’s, that is the late, great Alan Shepeard, the first American into space (Mercury 1) and the first American to wack a golf ball on the Moon (Apollo 17?)

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/4 "2003-10-18T12:55:21Z")

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[Shepard.](http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/iams/images/pao/AS14/10075555.jpg). :smack: That’s gotta be it. I hadn’t been considering Mercury-era astronauts. Plus everyone looks so different wearing that “snoopy” cap.

In fact, that would fit in nicely with the Enterprise theme’s [lyrics](http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/enterprisestartrek/wheremyheartwilltakeme.htm). Shepard’s words when he stepped onto moon were, [“It’s been a long way, but we’re here.”](http://www.space.com/news/spacehistory/a14_retrospective_010131.html) Nice.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/5 "2003-10-18T14:22:38Z")

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Definitely Alan Shepard.

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**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/6 "2003-10-18T16:47:41Z")

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Yep, Shepard. My late Father-In-Law did a drawing of Shepard way back in the Mercury days in a helmet. Years ago, we had it autographed by Shepard when he was in Atlanta on a book tour. We had it framed and hung in our living room.

When “Enterprise” first premiered, I saw that shot and turned to look at the drawing. It looked just like him.

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/7 "2003-10-18T17:02:33Z")

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Well, Shepard is definitely in an Apollo-era suit in the Enterprise clip, so that footage must have been shot around 1971, during the timeframe of [Apollo 14](http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14.crew.html).

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/8 "2003-10-18T18:10:42Z")

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I wonder why the Snoopy hat, though…  
Apollo 10 was Charlie Brown and Snoopy. 14 was Kitty Hawk and Antares.

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**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/9 "2003-10-18T18:33:21Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \*  
> \*\*I wonder why the Snoopy hat, though…  
> Apollo 10 was Charlie Brown and Snoopy. 14 was Kitty Hawk and Antares. \*\*

The snoopy hat was the standard issue helmet liner for the Apollo space suit. It contained the headset and boom mike for the radios. It had nothing to do with the nicknames of the spacecraft.

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**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/10 "2003-10-18T18:33:58Z")

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I’ve been idly wondering if that was footage of someone or just something that Berman and Braga had made for the opening ever since watching the show. Good to know who it is, finally.

By the way, **squeegee** , where’ve you been? I assume you’ve started watching Trek again since you saw the opening montage yet I haven’t seen you in the “Exiles” thread. (Hint)

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/11 "2003-10-18T19:15:19Z")

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Hi, **Aesiron**! I’m not quite done w/ Impulse. My SO and my son get first crack at the Tivo, so I’m still trying to get through the Wednesday’s episode on a Saturday. 🙂 I’m going to post some questions re "what the heck are those spheres?!? in the Dope Trek thread later, after I finally read the Impulse: Spoilers thread.

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/12 "2003-10-18T19:20:59Z")

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**NoClueBoy** , [here](http://www.globaleffects.com/Rental/Wardrobe/Headgear/HelmetsModern/Space/Apollo/SnoobyCaph.JPG) is a picture of someone wearing an Apollo suit (replica) and the “snoopy cap”.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/13 "2003-10-18T19:25:00Z")

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Ah…

Yeah, I thought you guys were going on about a baseball style cap with Snoopy on it. (I haven’t actually seen the opening title montage thing since about the second ep of the 1st season.)  
Ya know… he does look like Snoopy in that head condom.

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/14 "2003-10-18T19:27:29Z")

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Aha! [This page](http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/ootw/1998/ootw_980729/ob980729_ap14.html) shows Shepard suited up, with Snoopy Cap on, prepping for Apollo 14. Yep, same guy. The Enterprise clip was certainly taken within some very short time of this image.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/15 "2003-10-18T19:29:29Z")

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I see **vunderbob** also came through with the scoop on the " " Snoopy " " hat.

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**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/16 "2003-10-19T01:09:49Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by NoClueBoy \*  
> \*\*I see **vunderbob** also came through with the scoop on the " " Snoopy " " hat. \*\*

Well, if I want to **really** toot my own horn, I work for NASA. Err, well, my start date is Nov 3rd…

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/17 "2003-10-19T05:21:54Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> The snoopy hat was the standard issue helmet liner for the Apollo space suit. It contained the headset and boom mike for the radios.

Actually, they were equipped with _two_ boom mics. 😉

Hey **vunderbob** : I was on the Space Shuttle Support Team for the early flights. (Just sending the Rawinsonde data from Edwards to JSC.)

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**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-apollo-astronaut-in-the-st-enterprise-lean-in/208167/18 "2003-10-19T11:56:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \*  
> \*\*Actually, they were equipped with _two_ boom mics. 😉
> 
> Hey **vunderbob** : I was on the Space Shuttle Support Team for the early flights. (Just sending the Rawinsonde data from Edwards to JSC.) \*\*

My new job isn’t that exciting. I’m headed to LaRC to work on several projects related to aviation flight safety.

Who was he Doper that was involved in the Columbia recovery?
