# You remember the Apollo moon landings, someone tells you he envies you for that. What you do answer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** middle-earth\ **Created:** [April 2, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965 "2026-04-02T13:57:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/61 "2026-04-03T16:28:12Z")
Good points indeed, but it seems they were telling the truth this time: they really will manage to get further from Earth than anybody ever did before, as other Dopers have calculated: > [@Back to the Moon! Artemis program follow along (it's finally happening!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/679): > > Not precise, but this page [Moon Distance Calculator – How Close is Moon to Earth?](https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html) shows apogee at 404,970 km on Apr 7, the flyby is Apr 6, so I don’t think anybodies pulling a fast one on farthest ever from Earth. Not at exact apogee, but should easily surpass the 400,041. > [@Back to the Moon! Artemis program follow along (it's finally happening!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/681): > > Apparently, the apogee will be on April 6th ([calculator](https://dqydj.com/lunar-distance-calculator/)). So something like 405000 km, plus the swing from the free-return trajectory which (Mistral tells me) will take them 7600 km beyond the Moon. Which, together with this: > [@Back to the Moon! Artemis program follow along (it's finally happening!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-moon-artemis-program-follow-along-its-finally-happening/970432/677): > > The **[Guinnes Book of Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/farthest-distance-from-earth-reached-by-humans)** claims: > > > The highest altitude reached by humans is 400,041 km (248,573 mi), achieved by American astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise and John Swigert in the severely damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft. The record-breaking flight was made between 11 and 17 April 1970 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, and reached its farthest point from Earth at 00:33 UTC on 15 April, during their free-return loop around the far side of the Moon. makes it a record. And for what? Just to come back almost immediately 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/62 "2026-04-03T16:55:59Z")
I remember Laika, the dog the Soviets sent into space in '57. I remember Yuri Gargarin, the first human to orbit the earth ('61), and of course John Glenn, who was an American hero and the first American to orbit the planet. It was very exciting back then, as the cold war was in full bloom and the space race was big news. Kids were building homemade rockets; I used to draw rockets as doodles in my classes. It was a crushing defeat when the Soviets beat us out for first in space, and it was literally front page news when Glenn did it. In fact, the headline in huge type in our local paper was **GLENN DOES IT!** ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/63 "2026-04-03T17:22:56Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It was a crushing defeat when the Soviets beat us out for first in space, and it was literally front page news when Glenn did it. In fact, the headline in huge type in our local paper was **GLENN DOES IT!** FTR, Glenn was not the first American in space, he was the first to go into orbit. Alan Sheppard was the first. But an orbital flight and subsequent re-entry is a much greater accomplishment and risk than a suborbital one. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/64 "2026-04-03T20:29:50Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > FTR, Glenn was not the first American in space, he was the first to go into orbit. As noted in the previous paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/65 "2026-04-03T20:34:56Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > As noted in the previous paragraph. Of course. Perhaps I should change my title to “pedant and unnecessary nitpicker”! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/66 "2026-04-03T21:04:17Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The landing was at 4:17 EDT but the walk didn’t take place until 10:56 EDT; an awkward time for younger kids and adults who need to get up early for work. Nixon declared the next day, Monday, a national holiday. I’m not sure how many people were affected but I was working as a messenger for an accounting company on Park Avenue that summer before I went into college, and I’m pretty sure I had off As for the OP question, I’d say I feel pretty lucky to be alive then and old enough to both appreciate and celebrate it. I hosted a party that day for the landing. And I got to see Apollo 17 launch. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/67 "2026-04-03T22:52:58Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > And for what? Just to come back almost immediately It’s like traveling with a three-year old. Actually, I was surprised they didn’t orbit a few times like Apollo 8 did. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/68 "2026-04-03T23:09:51Z")
Hey, no harm done. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/69 "2026-04-03T23:51:51Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Actually it’s a free-return shot ala Apollo 13. This surprised me as Apollo 8 orbited ten times then left orbit to return. Because Artemis _ **can’t** _ brake into orbit around the moon and return. It wasn’t designed to. The capsule weighs too much for the SLS rocket to boost a large enough maneuver stage for it to do so. That’s the whole reason behind the Lunar Gateway; and yes plenty of people have criticized this for years. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/70 "2026-04-04T00:09:13Z")
You take what you can get, I suppose. I was one of those back then who naively thought Apollo would lead to more in the decade or two after. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/71 "2026-04-04T00:34:13Z")
Born 1961, I definitely remember Apollo 8. Oddly enough I don’t recall being cognizant of Gemini at all, even though I have memories going back to that period. Possibly it was due to family turmoil in '65-'66. I do remember television shows of the time that featured two rather than three astronauts. **ETA:** Another thing I don’t think most people realized was just how terribly risky the moon landings were. This wasn’t Columbus discovering the New World, or even Leif Ericson discovering Vinland; it was more like three people making it across the English Channel on inflated inner tubes. With the backing of literally the entire US federal government it could just be done; without major technological innovation it was never going to be routine. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965/72 "2026-04-04T01:10:09Z")
You mention Onion and “From the Earth to the Moon”, but not “This is Spinal Tap”. There is also, from French director [William Karel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Karel)., “Dark Side of the Moon”, a truly memorable documenteur. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-remember-the-apollo-moon-landings-someone-tells-you-he-envies-you-for-that-what-you-do-answer/1028965.md?page=3)