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[John F. Kennedy]
We choose to go to the moon.
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We choose to go to the moon.
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We choose to go to the moon
in this decade and do the other things,
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00:00:28,959 --> 00:00:32,158
not because they are easy,
but because they are hard.
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[Gene Cernan] Look at that.
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That's beautiful.
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It's got to be one of the most proud
moments of my life. I guarantee you.
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[man]
Before painting the Sistine Chapel,
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Michelangelo had to first construct
a massive scaffolding
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to allow him access to the ceiling
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without interfering
with the chapel's daily use.
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He had to develop special wax models
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so he could study the lighting effects
to be duplicated in the frescoes,
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and come up
with a special slow-drying plaster.
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He suffered constant deadline pressure
from frustrated church officials
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and the pope,
who just wanted the ceiling finished.
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The work itself
was uncomfortable and unending,
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with wet paint and plaster
dripping in the face of the man,
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who was not after all a painter
but a sculptor.
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Such challenges arise in all
the great works of human imagination,
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be they the creation of our world
rendered upon the ceiling of a church,
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or the view of our world,
evident by making the voyage
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from the Earth to the moon.
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[rocket engines]
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[takeoff roar]
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["I Wish I Was A Spaceman"
by Barry Gray plays]
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♪ I wish I was a spaceman
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♪ The fastest guy alive
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♪ I'd fly you round the universe
In Fireball XL5
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♪ Way out in space together
Conquerors of the sky
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♪ My heart would be a fireball
A fireball
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♪ Every time I gazed
Into your starry eyes
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♪ We'd take the path to Jupiter
And maybe very soon
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♪ We'd cruise along the Milky Way
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♪ And land upon the moon
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♪ A wonderland of stardust
We'd zoom away to Mars
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♪ My heart would be a fireball
A fireball
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♪ And you would be
My Venus of the stars...
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[narrator] For a long time, the only
people who gave much thought
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to the idea of going to the moon
were science-fiction writers.
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In October 1957, the Soviets launched
Sputnik, and everything changed.
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Suddenly, going to the moon
was a possibility.
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The question was, "How do you do it?"
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Four months after Sputnik,
Wernher Von Braun
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briefed the head of the National
Advisory Committee on Aeronautics.
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He presented the two best options
for going to the moon.
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Well, there are two methods.
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The first method
we call "direct ascent."
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You build an enormous rocket,
put a capsule on top...
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Boom, you go straight to the moon.
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The other method,
we call "Earth-orbit rendezvous."
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Instead of using one huge rocket,
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we perform several launches
with somewhat smaller rockets,
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each carrying a component
of the spacecraft.
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We put the pieces together in orbit.
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And off we go.
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And these two methods, these are
the only ways of getting to the moon?
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Yes.
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[narrator]
Actually, there were other ideas.
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So, we started thinking,
"What can we do right now?"
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And then it hit us.
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The moon! You rendezvous
on the surface of the moon.
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The problem isn't getting
a man to the moon.
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- That's easy.
- It's not easy.
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- Relatively easy.
- Pretty easy.
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- The problem is getting him back.
- So we say...
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You send up some ships to the moon
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with all the extra fuel and supplies
you need to get back.
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That way, when the astronauts arrive,
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everything they need to get home
is already there.
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We put a man on the moon
as soon as possible.
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- Just get him there.
- We can keep sending him supply ships.
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Until we figure a way to get him back.
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Well, that's... Hmm. That's...
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No. No, I am sorry, gentlemen.
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I'm sorry, but there is no way
on God's green earth
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we would ever, ever
do anything like that.
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I'm sorry.
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[narrator] it looked like either
Earth-orbit rendezvous or direct ascent
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would be the way to go.
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00:06:37,198 --> 00:06:40,478
And either way we go,
the spacecraft that lands on the moon
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is going to look like that?
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Yes.
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- Just like that.
- [man] No.
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It doesn't have to look like this.
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[narrator]
At Chance Vought Industries in Texas,
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an engineer named Tom Dolan
hit upon an interesting idea.
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You ever hear of a Russian rocket guy
named Yuri Kondratyuk?
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- No.
- No?
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Back in 1916, he realized something
that we seem to have forgotten today.
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00:07:03,918 --> 00:07:06,678
Getting to the moon
is going to be all about weight.
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Look at the size of this thing.
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It's got to be 60, 70 feet tall.
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A couple hundred tons at least.
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Do you really need to take
all that to the surface? No.
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What Kondratyuk wondered...
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What I wonder is...
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what if you took along
a smaller vehicle, lightweight,
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that you just used to land.
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Something...
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like this.
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Tom, you couldn't reenter
the Earth atmosphere in that.
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I know. You come back
on the spacecraft you took from Earth.
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00:07:41,758 --> 00:07:44,758
But that means you'd have to have
a rendezvous between the two of them
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- in lunar orbit.
- Exactly.
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Von Braun calls his method
"Earth-orbit rendezvous."
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I call this "lunar-orbit rendezvous."
108
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We don't even know if rendezvous
is possible in Earth orbit.
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And you want to do it around the moon?
Wouldn't that be kind of dangerous?
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I don't know.
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Would it?
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Well, Mr. Dolan, this is certainly
a very interesting idea.
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Why don't you let us think about it?
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Well, I've prepared a report.
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I have everything I need right here,
Mr. Dolan.
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Thank you for your time.
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[narrator] Chances are, lunar-orbit
rendezvous would probably have ended up
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as nothing more than a footnote
in the history of space exploration,
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00:08:27,438 --> 00:08:30,998
if a report on the idea hadn't landed
on the desk of a NASA engineer
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by the name of John Houboult.
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When he first started reading
the report,
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Houboult had
the same reaction others did.
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Lunar-orbit rendezvous seemed like
just another far-fetched scheme.
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But the more he read,
the more the idea made sense.
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By the time John Houboult
finished the report, he knew.
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This was it.
This was how you get to the moon.
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Now, over the past few weeks,
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I've been able to prepare this report
on lunar-orbit rendezvous.
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00:09:00,758 --> 00:09:02,198
I think you'll find it interesting.
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00:09:03,598 --> 00:09:04,758
Look at Houboult.
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He reads a report, and he's Moses
come down from the mountain.
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So he's a little enthusiastic.
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00:09:09,998 --> 00:09:12,518
A little enthusiastic?
He's making a fool of himself.
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00:09:12,598 --> 00:09:14,998
Did you hear what happened
in the Heaton committee?
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And he wasn't even allowed
into the technical conference.
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Well, he'll get the hint
and he'll give it up.
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I hear he's going to write to Seamans.
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- He doesn't report to Seamans.
- I know.
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- He could get canned.
- I know.
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[no audible dialogue]
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[Houboult's voice] Dear Dr. Seamans,
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Somewhat as a voice in the wilderness,
I would like to pass on a few thoughts
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on matters that have been of a deep
concern to me over the recent months.
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- I have tried on numerous occasions... ''
-"...to draw attention throughout NASA
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to the concept
of lunar-orbit rendezvous.
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Regrettably, there has been
little interest shown.
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"Now, do we want to get
to the moon or not?"
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Yes, sir. Right away, sir.
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It goes on like this on
for another eight pages,
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and then there's
a 40-page report. Good Lord.
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I can make a call. He won't do it again.
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No, hold on. I'll tell you what.
Draft a reply.
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Say that his idea has merit and
I'm going to send it along to Brainerd.
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And then see if this Mr. Houboult
isn't due a vacation sometime soon,
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because, dear God, he needs one.
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"Somewhat as a voice in the wilderness."
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Okay.
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Does it have merit?
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Well, actually,
it's an intriguing notion.
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It's a little risky,
but it could save a lot of weight.
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Now, I don't think there's a chance
in hell that lunar-orbit rendezvous
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is the way we're gonna go,
but it is interesting.
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I'll see you at 3:00.
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[narrator] In July 1962,
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the idea that didn't have a chance
in hell of succeeding...
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succeeded.
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NASA selected lunar-orbit rendezvous
as the way to go to the moon.
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Now the question became,
who would build the lander?
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My name is Tom Kelly.
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On the day after election day, 1962,
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I waited with the rest
of the Grumman lander team
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for a call from my boss, Joe Gavin.
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[urgent tapping]
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Whoever's tapping the pencil,
if you value your life, please stop.
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[man] Sorry.
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[sighs]
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Any word?
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00:11:12,918 --> 00:11:15,077
Yeah, Frank. We got the contract.
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We're just observing a moment of
silence for the companies that didn't.
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[laughter]
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Okay, look. This is crazy. Let's...
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I mean, this might not happen
for an hour or more.
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Let's go back to work
and I'll let you know, okay?
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[sighing]
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[phone rings]
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Tom Kelly.
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00:12:04,398 --> 00:12:05,357
Hi, Joe.
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We've been...
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I see.
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Uh-huh.
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Okay.
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Thanks, Joe.
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Bye.
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00:12:27,118 --> 00:12:30,517
I'm afraid you'll have to tell your
wives and kids the bad news, fellas.
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Looks like you won't be seeing
much of them for the next couple years,
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because we got the contract.
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[cheering]
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00:12:53,238 --> 00:12:56,638
- You did it, Tom.
- No, I'm trying to hit the flashing.
199
00:12:57,957 --> 00:13:00,038
The contract? You did it.
200
00:13:00,118 --> 00:13:03,478
Oh, well, we did it. We all did it.
201
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There we go.
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00:13:05,598 --> 00:13:07,078
Quite a story, really.
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00:13:07,158 --> 00:13:09,838
- Local Long Island boy makes good.
- Yeah, yeah.
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00:13:09,918 --> 00:13:11,958
Local Long Island boy
convinces government
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00:13:12,038 --> 00:13:14,598
to give local Long Island company
half a billion dollars.
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00:13:17,957 --> 00:13:20,078
The rubber balls
you'll have to pay for yourself.
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00:13:22,798 --> 00:13:24,518
[no audible dialogue]
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00:13:25,438 --> 00:13:29,038
You know, if weight wasn't a factor,
we'd have this thing done in a year.
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00:13:29,318 --> 00:13:32,517
Hmm. True enough. But weight's
gonna be the most important factor.
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00:13:35,838 --> 00:13:38,078
Of course, if we could find
some teeny-tiny astronauts,
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00:13:38,158 --> 00:13:39,158
we'd be done in a month.
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00:13:39,237 --> 00:13:40,118
[laughter]
213
00:13:40,197 --> 00:13:42,397
They've given us seven years.
We might as well use them.
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00:13:43,197 --> 00:13:44,398
Seven years.
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00:13:45,078 --> 00:13:46,678
Well, let's get started.
216
00:13:50,638 --> 00:13:53,798
Okay, specs call for five legs.
I think four would be better.
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00:13:54,317 --> 00:13:55,277
It'll be as stable.
218
00:13:55,358 --> 00:13:58,437
We won't have to worry about
interference with the thruster quads.
219
00:14:06,758 --> 00:14:08,878
Let's go with
an octagonal descent stage.
220
00:14:08,958 --> 00:14:11,678
I think a round one will be
more trouble than it's worth.
221
00:14:20,558 --> 00:14:22,277
Bob, how much do these windows weigh?
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00:14:23,677 --> 00:14:25,437
- I don't know. A couple ounces.
- Bob...
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00:14:25,518 --> 00:14:26,957
- The real ones?
- Yeah.
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00:14:27,038 --> 00:14:29,198
Five, six hundred pounds, at least.
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00:14:29,837 --> 00:14:31,357
- Really?
- Yeah.
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00:14:34,077 --> 00:14:35,078
Do we need them?
227
00:14:35,158 --> 00:14:37,678
I think the astronauts
might want to see where they're going.
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00:14:39,118 --> 00:14:40,758
Do they need windows this big?
229
00:14:44,558 --> 00:14:46,557
No. Of course they do.
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Otherwise, they wouldn't be able
to see from their seats.
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00:14:58,077 --> 00:15:01,078
- What?
- What if they don't need seats?
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00:15:03,198 --> 00:15:04,478
They have to have seats, John.
233
00:15:04,957 --> 00:15:06,997
Why? They can fly standing up.
234
00:15:07,078 --> 00:15:09,877
- Yes, but they have to land.
- In one-sixths gravity.
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00:15:10,518 --> 00:15:12,158
And legs are great shock absorbers.
236
00:15:14,318 --> 00:15:16,918
If they were standing, they'd be
a lot closer to the window,
237
00:15:17,277 --> 00:15:18,812
which would increase
their field of view.
238
00:15:18,838 --> 00:15:21,485
Which would mean we wouldn't need
such big windows in the first place.
239
00:15:22,517 --> 00:15:25,158
- What do you think?
- I think it's interesting.
240
00:15:25,998 --> 00:15:28,038
But I don't really see it. Sorry.
241
00:15:29,797 --> 00:15:30,918
Good try, though.
242
00:15:36,757 --> 00:15:39,158
Hey. Let's help him see it.
243
00:15:51,798 --> 00:15:52,758
What the heck is that?
244
00:15:53,757 --> 00:15:55,198
What we did instead of sleep.
245
00:16:08,078 --> 00:16:10,038
Well, John, I can certainly see it now.
246
00:16:19,798 --> 00:16:20,878
Okay, beautiful.
247
00:16:22,037 --> 00:16:24,318
Gotta call Joe Gavin about the budget.
One more thing.
248
00:16:24,398 --> 00:16:27,917
Thermal shields. Costing us
too much weight in the descent stage.
249
00:16:31,237 --> 00:16:34,278
You know, I don't think we need shields.
250
00:16:34,357 --> 00:16:35,317
Oh, right, Frank.
251
00:16:35,398 --> 00:16:38,798
It's gonna be 250 degrees in the
sunlight and minus 250 in the shade.
252
00:16:38,877 --> 00:16:40,638
But we don't need thermal shields.
253
00:16:40,998 --> 00:16:43,037
Sarcasm's really helpful, Jim.
254
00:16:43,478 --> 00:16:45,597
I just mean, maybe we can do the job
255
00:16:45,678 --> 00:16:48,094
with something other than the shielding
that's been used before.
256
00:16:56,358 --> 00:16:57,495
It would look kinda like that.
257
00:16:57,518 --> 00:17:00,878
Mylar film between layers of Kapton
with an outer layer of nickel foil.
258
00:17:01,998 --> 00:17:05,077
- How thin is the Mylar?
- One eight-thousandth of an inch.
259
00:17:05,158 --> 00:17:07,717
Well, well,
as long as it's good and sturdy.
260
00:17:08,357 --> 00:17:10,358
We'll use a couple dozen layers
all around.
261
00:17:10,437 --> 00:17:12,558
More where we need it, by the thrusters.
262
00:17:13,437 --> 00:17:14,758
It'll do the job, Tom.
263
00:17:17,437 --> 00:17:19,678
Okay, well, we'll see
how it goes in testing.
264
00:17:20,157 --> 00:17:21,478
Now, hatches.
265
00:17:21,797 --> 00:17:23,997
As it stands,
we have two docking hatches.
266
00:17:24,997 --> 00:17:26,038
We can't afford the weight.
267
00:17:26,438 --> 00:17:28,198
I've been on the phone with Owen
over at NASA
268
00:17:28,277 --> 00:17:30,558
and John Healey at North American,
and we all agree.
269
00:17:30,637 --> 00:17:32,758
We're going
with just one docking hatch up top
270
00:17:32,838 --> 00:17:34,597
and use a forward hatch for egress.
271
00:17:35,198 --> 00:17:36,397
That means when they come back,
272
00:17:36,477 --> 00:17:38,317
we'll have to rendezvous and dock blind.
273
00:17:38,397 --> 00:17:41,398
I know. We're gonna put a window up top
so the pilot can look up as he docks.
274
00:17:41,478 --> 00:17:44,037
Another window? Jeez.
How much is that going to weigh?
275
00:17:44,118 --> 00:17:46,517
It's got to be less than
a second docking hatch, right?
276
00:17:46,878 --> 00:17:50,237
Uh, Tom, that will require
the astronaut flying the LEM
277
00:17:50,318 --> 00:17:52,517
to make a 90-degree change in axis.
278
00:17:52,598 --> 00:17:55,957
Uh... left roll becomes left yaw,
279
00:17:56,038 --> 00:17:58,678
- but left yaw becomes right roll...
- Arnold. Arnold.
280
00:18:00,318 --> 00:18:01,958
Astronauts are smart.
281
00:18:02,037 --> 00:18:02,997
They'll figure it out.
282
00:18:10,438 --> 00:18:12,798
Okay, apparently we're not done
with the hatches.
283
00:18:12,877 --> 00:18:14,718
I just got off the phone
with Pete Conrad.
284
00:18:15,197 --> 00:18:18,398
Because of the square backpacks, we're
gonna have to put in a square hatch.
285
00:18:25,958 --> 00:18:28,517
Did you like Ed swinging around
like Tarzan yesterday?
286
00:18:31,438 --> 00:18:33,957
Yeah. A rope ladder's not going to fly.
287
00:18:34,038 --> 00:18:36,837
No. I'll call the configuration
control board.
288
00:18:37,718 --> 00:18:39,597
Put some rungs right on the forward leg.
289
00:18:44,117 --> 00:18:47,997
Okay, one more thing. It's no longer
the lunar excursion module anymore.
290
00:18:48,077 --> 00:18:49,437
Everybody feels that "excursion"
291
00:18:49,518 --> 00:18:51,277
sounds like
it's going out on a school trip.
292
00:18:51,357 --> 00:18:52,197
[snickering]
293
00:18:52,278 --> 00:18:54,198
From now on, it's just the lunar module.
294
00:18:54,717 --> 00:18:56,918
Well, I'm still going to call it
the LEM for short.
295
00:18:56,997 --> 00:18:58,797
John, you do whatever makes you happy.
296
00:19:05,558 --> 00:19:06,518
Well...
297
00:19:07,877 --> 00:19:09,438
I guess we better start building them.
298
00:19:21,117 --> 00:19:22,957
Let's make sure
we film everything we do.
299
00:19:25,157 --> 00:19:27,357
You want to show NASA
where its 500 million is going?
300
00:19:27,958 --> 00:19:32,078
Yeah. And I want to show my kids
where I was while they were growing up.
301
00:19:45,478 --> 00:19:47,678
[Tom narrating]
Every LEM would have to be handmade.
302
00:19:47,757 --> 00:19:50,237
There was no supplier
to order LEM parts from.
303
00:19:50,318 --> 00:19:53,797
And because everything on a LEM was new,
everything had to be tested
304
00:19:53,878 --> 00:19:55,677
and tested and tested again.
305
00:19:55,997 --> 00:19:57,517
The thrusters...
306
00:19:58,717 --> 00:19:59,837
the engines...
307
00:20:01,398 --> 00:20:03,237
the deployment of the landing gear.
308
00:20:04,838 --> 00:20:06,517
We had to know how a LEM would react
309
00:20:06,598 --> 00:20:09,478
when exposed to intense sunlight
or when pelted with dust.
310
00:20:12,037 --> 00:20:14,318
We had to know
how the landing gear would perform
311
00:20:14,397 --> 00:20:16,157
if a LEM came down on a slope.
312
00:20:17,318 --> 00:20:21,278
Thousands of tests,
day after day, for years.
313
00:20:25,558 --> 00:20:26,997
Some of the tests went well.
314
00:20:30,078 --> 00:20:31,957
And some did not.
315
00:21:01,677 --> 00:21:02,636
[sighs]
316
00:21:12,438 --> 00:21:13,958
Is this why the leg snapped?
317
00:21:17,238 --> 00:21:19,838
Apparently, I made the initial
miscalculation a few months ago.
318
00:21:23,237 --> 00:21:25,237
Everything's been based
on that since then.
319
00:21:30,077 --> 00:21:31,317
Mr. Kelly, I'm sorry.
320
00:21:32,157 --> 00:21:33,237
Uh-huh.
321
00:21:37,958 --> 00:21:40,397
- When did you find this out?
- Last night.
322
00:21:41,317 --> 00:21:43,598
After the test, I decided
to go over my figures.
323
00:21:47,958 --> 00:21:49,198
I understand if you...
324
00:21:52,117 --> 00:21:53,198
You know.
325
00:21:55,037 --> 00:21:55,997
Go home.
326
00:22:01,717 --> 00:22:02,677
And get some rest.
327
00:22:04,677 --> 00:22:05,637
Look...
328
00:22:07,357 --> 00:22:09,518
Did you come to me
when you found out about this,
329
00:22:09,597 --> 00:22:11,117
or did you try to cover your ass?
330
00:22:11,637 --> 00:22:14,038
You did a good thing. Not this.
331
00:22:15,437 --> 00:22:16,437
This is bad.
332
00:22:17,998 --> 00:22:21,677
But as long as people speak up
about their mistakes, we've got a shot.
333
00:22:22,678 --> 00:22:25,157
Okay? They try to sweep it
under the rug,
334
00:22:25,757 --> 00:22:28,197
and we're not gonna go
to New Jersey, let alone the moon.
335
00:22:31,757 --> 00:22:32,997
Get some rest.
336
00:22:42,558 --> 00:22:45,438
[Tom narrating] Truth be told, we were
behind schedule from the beginning.
337
00:22:45,517 --> 00:22:48,437
But mistakes and miscalculations
were only a small part of it.
338
00:22:48,717 --> 00:22:52,877
The real problem is that a LEM
isn't one spacecraft but two.
339
00:22:53,398 --> 00:22:55,557
The lower half of the LEM,
the descent stage,
340
00:22:55,637 --> 00:22:59,357
contains the engine that the astronauts
will use to control their landing.
341
00:22:59,438 --> 00:23:00,557
After the moonwalks,
342
00:23:00,637 --> 00:23:04,317
the descent stage will serve as
a launch platform for the ascent stage,
343
00:23:04,397 --> 00:23:05,598
the cockpit of the LEM,
344
00:23:05,677 --> 00:23:08,917
which the astronauts will fly
into lunar orbit for their rendezvous
345
00:23:08,997 --> 00:23:10,237
with the command module.
346
00:23:11,078 --> 00:23:13,797
Now, this particular ascent stage
belonged to LEM-3.
347
00:23:14,238 --> 00:23:17,917
LEM-1 and LEM-2 were designed
and built for unmanned test flights.
348
00:23:18,317 --> 00:23:22,077
LEM-3 would be the first to be flown
in space by astronauts.
349
00:23:23,838 --> 00:23:27,278
We worked with the astronauts
from the beginning of the LEM program.
350
00:23:29,557 --> 00:23:31,397
They showed us
what we were doing right...
351
00:23:33,237 --> 00:23:35,037
and what we were doing wrong.
352
00:23:36,957 --> 00:23:39,758
From early on, much of their attention
was given to LEM-3,
353
00:23:39,837 --> 00:23:43,038
but it wasn't until a day
in November 1966
354
00:23:43,117 --> 00:23:46,557
that NASA decided which crew
would be the one to actually fly her.
355
00:23:47,037 --> 00:23:49,277
I just got off the phone
with Deke Slayton.
356
00:23:49,597 --> 00:23:52,797
The crew assigned to take
the LEM-3 into space
357
00:23:52,877 --> 00:23:56,237
on the first manned flight
of a lunar module is as follows.
358
00:23:56,837 --> 00:24:02,077
Commander, Jim McDivitt, a Gemini vet.
One of the best pilots in the program.
359
00:24:02,157 --> 00:24:05,797
Command module pilot, Dave Scott,
another Gemini vet.
360
00:24:06,237 --> 00:24:11,237
And flying right beside McDivitt,
as his LMP, Rusty Schweickart, a rookie.
361
00:24:11,637 --> 00:24:15,997
Now, any crew is a good crew,
but these guys...
362
00:24:16,437 --> 00:24:18,158
Well, I think we're pretty fortunate.
363
00:24:18,237 --> 00:24:21,038
Because, gentlemen,
this won't be an easy mission.
364
00:24:21,117 --> 00:24:23,837
We're off the lake, Jim.
Can we talk business now?
365
00:24:23,918 --> 00:24:26,277
Well, if you insist.
366
00:24:27,597 --> 00:24:30,917
I've been going over the mission plan,
and it looks a little rough.
367
00:24:31,357 --> 00:24:32,957
It is kind of ambitious, Jim.
368
00:24:33,037 --> 00:24:36,157
Heck, it's not ambitious.
It's impossible.
369
00:24:37,797 --> 00:24:40,037
Look, everyone's focusing
on us flying the LEM.
370
00:24:40,117 --> 00:24:41,437
It's only a small part of it.
371
00:24:42,158 --> 00:24:44,277
Every mission's got a few things
never been done before.
372
00:24:44,357 --> 00:24:45,757
This one's got about ten.
373
00:24:46,557 --> 00:24:49,717
First manned launch of a LEM,
first docking extraction of a LEM,
374
00:24:49,797 --> 00:24:51,837
first men in a LEM in space.
375
00:24:52,557 --> 00:24:54,197
We just go out and fly the LEM, right?
376
00:24:55,237 --> 00:24:56,437
Wrong.
377
00:24:57,397 --> 00:25:00,157
Before we can even undock
the LEM from the command module,
378
00:25:00,237 --> 00:25:02,237
we gotta make sure
we can do an emergency transfer
379
00:25:02,318 --> 00:25:03,677
outside the spacecraft.
380
00:25:04,317 --> 00:25:05,877
Which means, Rusty,
381
00:25:06,517 --> 00:25:10,197
you're gonna have to do an EVA on
the PLSS backpack, first use of that.
382
00:25:10,277 --> 00:25:12,557
Dave, we're gonna leave you alone
in the command module.
383
00:25:13,197 --> 00:25:16,917
First time that'll happen.
Then the real fun begins.
384
00:25:17,717 --> 00:25:19,877
First, I pop the thrusters,
see if the LEM can fly.
385
00:25:19,957 --> 00:25:22,037
If it can, Rusty and I fire
the descent engine,
386
00:25:22,117 --> 00:25:23,797
take the thing on its maiden voyage.
387
00:25:24,357 --> 00:25:26,157
We go out 100 miles or so.
388
00:25:26,477 --> 00:25:30,157
God willing, the ascent engine lights,
first firing of that in space.
389
00:25:30,557 --> 00:25:32,037
Then Rusty and I head back to you
390
00:25:32,117 --> 00:25:34,237
for the first docking
of a two-man spacecraft.
391
00:25:37,877 --> 00:25:40,102
So, it's only nine things
that have never been done before.
392
00:25:42,797 --> 00:25:44,676
Come on. Give me a hand
with the trailer, will ya?
393
00:25:44,717 --> 00:25:46,837
[chuckling]
394
00:25:46,917 --> 00:25:50,197
You guys are right. It's a lot
for one mission. Maybe too much.
395
00:25:50,837 --> 00:25:53,597
We get even half of it done,
we can call it a success.
396
00:25:55,197 --> 00:25:56,557
I can't wait!
397
00:25:58,757 --> 00:26:01,414
[Tom narrating] While Scott went to
Downey to work on the command module,
398
00:26:01,437 --> 00:26:03,957
McDivitt and Schweickart
joined us on Long Island.
399
00:26:07,277 --> 00:26:09,694
So, gentlemen, do you want to go see
the vehicle and take it for a spin?
400
00:26:09,717 --> 00:26:11,597
- Gee, Dad, can we?
- Sure.
401
00:26:11,917 --> 00:26:13,557
As long as you don't
bring her back empty.
402
00:26:16,397 --> 00:26:18,734
[Tom narrating] The hardest part
of getting the first LEMs to fly
403
00:26:18,757 --> 00:26:21,997
was getting the thousands of systems
and subsystems to work together.
404
00:26:22,597 --> 00:26:25,437
Most of the time, it was like having
a ballroom full of dancers
405
00:26:25,517 --> 00:26:28,717
dancing different steps to music
that wasn't quite right for any of them.
406
00:26:33,277 --> 00:26:36,357
[system powering up]
407
00:26:36,437 --> 00:26:38,393
[man on radio] -Bring that to yellow.
- - Roger, TC.
408
00:26:40,157 --> 00:26:43,357
And TTCA, four jets down.
409
00:26:43,437 --> 00:26:44,677
Copy, TC.
410
00:26:45,437 --> 00:26:47,397
TTCA, four jets down.
411
00:26:48,157 --> 00:26:49,917
[system powering down]
412
00:26:52,317 --> 00:26:54,397
Well, that can't be good. [sighs]
413
00:27:00,757 --> 00:27:03,957
- Now, let's cycle that one more time.
- Yep. Roger, TC.
414
00:27:07,077 --> 00:27:08,157
Oh, for the...
415
00:27:17,797 --> 00:27:18,957
[metallic clang]
416
00:27:20,877 --> 00:27:23,957
You know, you look more and more like
Steve McQueen in The Great Escape.
417
00:27:24,437 --> 00:27:25,636
Funny you should say that.
418
00:27:25,717 --> 00:27:28,516
I got some guys digging a tunnel
out under the east fence.
419
00:27:28,597 --> 00:27:30,357
Should reach the trees by Sunday.
420
00:27:31,157 --> 00:27:32,597
Ready to start up again.
421
00:27:33,197 --> 00:27:34,437
I think we've got it.
422
00:27:36,077 --> 00:27:37,277
Let's do it.
423
00:27:37,357 --> 00:27:39,797
[whistling "The Great Escape Theme"]
424
00:27:50,837 --> 00:27:53,597
[man on radio] -DFI 23 cal off.
- - Copy, TC.
425
00:27:54,997 --> 00:27:57,397
- DFI power off.
- Roger, TC.
426
00:27:58,997 --> 00:28:01,397
- RNDA off.
- Copy that, TC.
427
00:28:02,676 --> 00:28:05,556
Oh, God bless it.
Tom, what's up with the radar?
428
00:28:08,156 --> 00:28:09,677
[phone rings]
429
00:28:11,237 --> 00:28:12,237
Tom Kelly.
430
00:28:13,557 --> 00:28:14,637
Hi, Lou.
431
00:28:16,237 --> 00:28:18,517
Yeah, no, I know. We'll...
432
00:28:20,437 --> 00:28:21,477
Yeah.
433
00:28:22,237 --> 00:28:23,877
I know what we're up against, Lou.
434
00:28:24,837 --> 00:28:26,157
We will make the date.
435
00:28:27,037 --> 00:28:28,757
I need to know if we can make the date.
436
00:28:29,797 --> 00:28:32,077
If we can't, I'm gonna
have to take cash from the safe
437
00:28:32,156 --> 00:28:33,357
and move to South America.
438
00:28:33,997 --> 00:28:37,117
[laughter]
439
00:28:40,516 --> 00:28:42,996
Okay. Bob?
440
00:28:43,517 --> 00:28:44,517
Yep.
441
00:28:45,157 --> 00:28:46,717
- Arnie?
- Sure.
442
00:28:47,717 --> 00:28:49,117
- John?
- Yes, sir.
443
00:28:49,837 --> 00:28:50,797
The other John.
444
00:28:56,557 --> 00:28:57,516
Sorry, Tom.
445
00:28:58,797 --> 00:29:00,757
The cockpit's gonna take
another three weeks.
446
00:29:01,636 --> 00:29:03,957
We could use a few weeks ourselves.
447
00:29:04,037 --> 00:29:05,476
[murmurs of agreement]
448
00:29:05,557 --> 00:29:07,557
If we had a week or two,
we could use it, you know?
449
00:29:08,397 --> 00:29:12,917
You know, Tom, I hear Bolivia
is really nice this time of year.
450
00:29:13,757 --> 00:29:15,837
[laughter]
451
00:29:20,917 --> 00:29:23,277
You know, this is so bad,
I can't even joke about it.
452
00:29:32,317 --> 00:29:34,974
[Tom narrating] Perhaps the main reason
we were behind schedule and over budget
453
00:29:34,997 --> 00:29:38,116
was because budgets and schedules
are based on previous experience
454
00:29:38,197 --> 00:29:39,517
with similar projects.
455
00:29:39,597 --> 00:29:41,894
We really didn't know how much
it would cost to build the LEMs
456
00:29:41,917 --> 00:29:43,397
or how long it would take.
457
00:29:43,476 --> 00:29:46,277
All we really knew was how much time
we'd been given,
458
00:29:46,356 --> 00:29:47,917
and that was running out.
459
00:29:48,317 --> 00:29:51,637
LEM-3 was scheduled to be launched
in the fall of 1968.
460
00:29:51,716 --> 00:29:54,917
To make the launch, NASA needed delivery
sometime that spring.
461
00:29:55,197 --> 00:29:58,436
We were working as fast as we could,
24 hours a day, seven days a week,
462
00:29:58,517 --> 00:30:00,196
and it wasn't enough.
463
00:30:00,437 --> 00:30:05,436
In June 1968, it was decided that we
would ship LEM-3 to NASA as she was
464
00:30:05,517 --> 00:30:07,037
and finish the work at the Cape.
465
00:30:11,397 --> 00:30:12,797
[ball bounces]
466
00:30:13,357 --> 00:30:15,556
I don't know
what I'm so worked up about.
467
00:30:15,637 --> 00:30:17,197
What's the worst that could happen?
468
00:30:17,997 --> 00:30:22,757
Well, we ship the LEM to NASA.
We never get it to fly.
469
00:30:23,357 --> 00:30:24,957
The Russians beat us to the moon.
470
00:30:25,036 --> 00:30:28,397
And within ten years, we're all living
under the iron thumb of communism.
471
00:30:29,037 --> 00:30:30,157
Exactly.
472
00:30:35,797 --> 00:30:36,757
Hey...
473
00:30:37,197 --> 00:30:39,517
Remember when seven years
seemed like a long time?
474
00:30:39,597 --> 00:30:40,837
[Tom] Hmm.
475
00:30:41,997 --> 00:30:45,117
You remember when this whole thing
was only gonna cost 500 million?
476
00:30:45,476 --> 00:30:48,557
No, I can't even remember when it
was going to cost a billion.
477
00:30:48,636 --> 00:30:49,837
[laughter]
478
00:30:52,637 --> 00:30:54,916
[Tom narrating]
Unfortunately, moving LEM-3 to the Cape
479
00:30:54,997 --> 00:30:56,836
didn't ease the pressure we were under.
480
00:30:58,037 --> 00:31:00,276
Tom, there's still at least
a hundred things wrong with it.
481
00:31:00,357 --> 00:31:02,356
- We'll get it fixed in time.
- No, you won't.
482
00:31:03,397 --> 00:31:06,517
There is no way that in three months
that thing is gonna be ready to fly.
483
00:31:08,397 --> 00:31:09,637
[quietly] Look, Jim, it's...
484
00:31:10,397 --> 00:31:11,757
It's a good machine.
485
00:31:12,636 --> 00:31:14,917
It just needs a little fine-tuning,
that's all.
486
00:31:14,997 --> 00:31:17,197
You don't have to whisper, Tom.
It can't hear you.
487
00:31:18,757 --> 00:31:21,116
Look, I want it to go up
as much as you do.
488
00:31:21,477 --> 00:31:22,957
I know we're running out of time.
489
00:31:23,036 --> 00:31:24,877
It's 18 months
till the end of the decade,
490
00:31:24,956 --> 00:31:27,477
and we still haven't had
a single manned Apollo flight.
491
00:31:27,556 --> 00:31:28,516
I know that.
492
00:31:28,877 --> 00:31:32,516
But that doesn't change the facts.
LEM-3 is not ready to fly.
493
00:31:33,397 --> 00:31:35,037
And it won't be anytime soon.
494
00:31:36,476 --> 00:31:38,877
That's gonna have to be
my recommendation to headquarters.
495
00:31:45,717 --> 00:31:48,477
With LEM-3 not ready to fly,
496
00:31:49,157 --> 00:31:52,157
after Wally and the 7 crew
go up with the CSM in October,
497
00:31:52,237 --> 00:31:55,517
that means there won't be another
Apollo flight until the spring, right?
498
00:31:55,597 --> 00:31:56,557
Right.
499
00:31:56,636 --> 00:31:57,957
Well, maybe not.
500
00:31:58,996 --> 00:32:01,517
George has come up
with a rather wild idea.
501
00:32:02,917 --> 00:32:04,356
How wild?
502
00:32:05,556 --> 00:32:07,557
Well, Frank's mission is being scrubbed.
503
00:32:08,477 --> 00:32:12,556
We've created a new C-prime mission,
which will precede your mission.
504
00:32:13,877 --> 00:32:15,357
What's the mission?
505
00:32:16,516 --> 00:32:21,237
Well, we're gonna send the command
and service module, no lunar module...
506
00:32:22,436 --> 00:32:25,077
on a flight around the moon in December.
507
00:32:26,556 --> 00:32:27,916
[scoffs]
508
00:32:29,156 --> 00:32:30,157
Really?
509
00:32:32,557 --> 00:32:33,976
And what does Frank think about that?
510
00:32:35,476 --> 00:32:36,877
I haven't talked to Frank yet.
511
00:32:36,956 --> 00:32:39,036
[sighs] I'm talking to you first.
512
00:32:40,917 --> 00:32:43,556
I don't want to lose your crew's
experience with LEM-3.
513
00:32:44,477 --> 00:32:47,396
That's why we decided to send Frank
on this mission ahead of you.
514
00:32:48,597 --> 00:32:52,437
But I wanted to see what you had
to say about it before I told Frank.
515
00:32:55,196 --> 00:32:57,396
I told him we'd stick
with the mission we got.
516
00:32:58,756 --> 00:32:59,957
Good.
517
00:33:01,116 --> 00:33:02,853
Going around the moon
sounds like a blast and all,
518
00:33:02,876 --> 00:33:05,037
but I really want to fly the LEM.
519
00:33:05,717 --> 00:33:07,996
Well, that's pretty much what Dave said.
520
00:33:08,077 --> 00:33:09,476
I called him in Downey.
521
00:33:09,557 --> 00:33:12,476
He said he really wanted to fly
the command module solo,
522
00:33:12,557 --> 00:33:14,637
get us out of his hair for a few hours.
523
00:33:18,916 --> 00:33:21,637
I don't know, though. Maybe
we're making a mistake. Maybe...
524
00:33:21,716 --> 00:33:25,516
Maybe we're missing out
on some historical voyage.
525
00:33:27,876 --> 00:33:29,037
I don't know, Jim, maybe.
526
00:33:29,957 --> 00:33:32,236
It sounds like
they're just gonna be sightseeing.
527
00:33:32,317 --> 00:33:35,637
With all the things we got to do,
our mission's fun.
528
00:33:38,836 --> 00:33:40,237
Yeah, we got a great mission.
529
00:33:40,916 --> 00:33:42,556
Providing that thing will fly.
530
00:33:47,277 --> 00:33:50,756
[Tom narrating] In the fall of 1968,
while work continued on LEM-3,
531
00:33:50,837 --> 00:33:53,116
the Apollo program
finally got off the ground.
532
00:33:53,597 --> 00:33:57,277
On October 11th, just a few miles
from where LEM-3 was being fine-tuned,
533
00:33:57,356 --> 00:33:59,357
Apollo 7 was launched.
534
00:34:00,356 --> 00:34:03,276
Two months later, Frank Borman,
Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders
535
00:34:03,356 --> 00:34:06,116
took Apollo 8 on its historic flight
around the moon.
536
00:34:07,516 --> 00:34:10,796
All that time, LEM-3 was being
worked on around the clock.
537
00:34:12,276 --> 00:34:15,756
By February 1969, George Skurla
and the rest of the Grumman crew
538
00:34:15,836 --> 00:34:18,436
had tested every circuit
and tightened every bolt.
539
00:34:20,197 --> 00:34:21,557
LEM-3 was ready.
540
00:34:26,757 --> 00:34:31,076
[no audible dialogue]
541
00:35:00,237 --> 00:35:02,636
- [Tom] I like the call sign.
- [Jim] Spider?
542
00:35:03,436 --> 00:35:06,036
- It seemed appropriate.
- How about the command module?
543
00:35:06,117 --> 00:35:07,077
Gumdrop.
544
00:35:07,637 --> 00:35:10,716
When it came from North American,
it was wrapped up in blue plastic, so...
545
00:35:10,797 --> 00:35:12,196
Sort of what it looked like.
546
00:35:12,997 --> 00:35:15,676
Maybe you should go up with us, Tom,
make sure everything's okay.
547
00:35:16,837 --> 00:35:18,276
[Tom] I'd love to go up with you.
548
00:35:21,077 --> 00:35:22,317
She's ready.
549
00:35:23,557 --> 00:35:24,757
I know.
550
00:35:26,596 --> 00:35:27,876
We better get back to the sim.
551
00:35:31,237 --> 00:35:33,636
- It's a beautiful machine, Tom.
- Isn't she?
552
00:35:33,717 --> 00:35:35,556
- You really think it's beautiful?
- God, no.
553
00:35:35,637 --> 00:35:38,276
Looks like a toaster oven with legs,
but I'm not telling him that.
554
00:35:40,837 --> 00:35:44,397
- Whoa! Hold on there a minute, Billy.
- I got to get him to the airport.
555
00:35:45,156 --> 00:35:48,716
Look, he spent the last seven years
of his life building that thing.
556
00:35:50,356 --> 00:35:51,876
Let's give him a moment to say goodbye.
557
00:35:53,756 --> 00:35:55,237
It stays up there, remember?
558
00:36:11,157 --> 00:36:14,916
Now, as far as LEM-3 was concerned,
that should have been it for me.
559
00:36:15,277 --> 00:36:18,117
I should have been able to sit back
in the SPAN room in Houston
560
00:36:18,196 --> 00:36:19,196
and watch the show.
561
00:36:21,037 --> 00:36:23,276
But in the early hours of launch day,
562
00:36:23,357 --> 00:36:25,716
the pressure in one of LEM-3's
descent-stage fuel tanks
563
00:36:25,797 --> 00:36:27,356
was reading disturbingly high.
564
00:36:37,116 --> 00:36:38,476
It's the helium tank?
565
00:36:39,356 --> 00:36:41,437
Well, actually, sir,
the supercritical helium.
566
00:36:42,876 --> 00:36:44,077
How's it reading now?
567
00:36:44,516 --> 00:36:45,756
We're still on the edge.
568
00:36:46,596 --> 00:36:47,676
Meaning?
569
00:36:48,956 --> 00:36:52,196
Meaning we'd like to be down the middle
of the tolerance band, but we're not.
570
00:36:53,196 --> 00:36:54,316
Give me the worst-case.
571
00:36:55,557 --> 00:36:57,796
When the LEM's heading away
from the command module
572
00:36:57,876 --> 00:36:59,157
and they're throttling up,
573
00:36:59,236 --> 00:37:02,236
the tank could over-pressurize
and the burst disc could blow.
574
00:37:02,317 --> 00:37:04,556
And then we would lose the helium
on the descent stage.
575
00:37:04,637 --> 00:37:07,797
Now, they would not be stranded,
they'd still have the ascent engine,
576
00:37:08,236 --> 00:37:10,716
but it would... kill the mission.
577
00:37:14,836 --> 00:37:17,397
Tom, I'll need the official
Grumman position on this.
578
00:37:20,316 --> 00:37:21,556
We're still within the limits.
579
00:37:23,557 --> 00:37:24,756
It'll fly.
580
00:37:28,116 --> 00:37:30,236
In the last few minutes before launch,
581
00:37:30,316 --> 00:37:32,916
I actually managed to put the tank
pressure problem out of my mind
582
00:37:32,996 --> 00:37:34,076
for a few moments.
583
00:37:35,077 --> 00:37:37,796
I tried to imagine what it was like
in LEM-3 just then.
584
00:37:38,596 --> 00:37:40,996
Astronauts have said that sitting
in the command module
585
00:37:41,076 --> 00:37:43,837
during the last part of a countdown
can be almost peaceful.
586
00:37:44,916 --> 00:37:47,116
Must have been
even more peaceful in LEM-3.
587
00:37:48,036 --> 00:37:49,197
At least until...
588
00:37:49,276 --> 00:37:51,876
[rocket engines firing]
589
00:37:54,316 --> 00:37:56,116
[intense rattling]
590
00:37:58,996 --> 00:38:01,293
[Tom narrating] For the next ten
minutes, it must have been like LEM-3
591
00:38:01,316 --> 00:38:03,436
was stuck in a paint mixer
in a hardware store.
592
00:38:04,236 --> 00:38:06,676
And when it must have seemed like
the shaking would never stop,
593
00:38:07,836 --> 00:38:08,796
it did.
594
00:38:26,357 --> 00:38:28,236
On the second day of the mission,
595
00:38:28,316 --> 00:38:31,317
Rusty became the first person
to enter a LEM in space.
596
00:39:32,876 --> 00:39:36,436
Later that day, shortly after Rusty
and Jim extended the landing gear,
597
00:39:36,516 --> 00:39:39,436
something happened which brought
the mission to a grinding halt.
598
00:39:39,836 --> 00:39:41,716
Okay, I got gear out in front of me now.
599
00:39:42,357 --> 00:39:45,476
Okay, landing gear deploy, uh, safe.
600
00:39:46,516 --> 00:39:47,676
Roger, safe.
601
00:39:48,196 --> 00:39:49,956
Sequence camera off.
602
00:39:50,796 --> 00:39:53,836
GET is 45: 11:35.
603
00:39:53,916 --> 00:39:55,396
DFI telemetry cal off.
604
00:39:56,036 --> 00:39:57,316
DFI power off.
605
00:39:58,996 --> 00:40:00,396
DFI off.
606
00:40:00,836 --> 00:40:02,797
RNDA off.
607
00:40:02,876 --> 00:40:05,716
DFI power off.
RND instrumentation A off.
608
00:40:12,156 --> 00:40:13,796
RND instrumentation A off?
609
00:40:15,996 --> 00:40:17,036
[gasping]
610
00:40:21,076 --> 00:40:22,836
[retches]
611
00:40:27,636 --> 00:40:28,596
Okay, Deke.
612
00:40:29,316 --> 00:40:31,636
I'm going to have to recommend
we scrub the EVA tomorrow.
613
00:40:32,396 --> 00:40:33,676
[man on radio] We got you, Jim.
614
00:40:34,636 --> 00:40:35,716
Jim?
615
00:40:36,876 --> 00:40:38,596
If Rusty doesn't do the EVA...
616
00:40:40,356 --> 00:40:42,356
I understand the ramifications, Dave.
617
00:40:44,996 --> 00:40:46,957
I don't think it's safe
for you to do it, Rusty.
618
00:40:47,436 --> 00:40:49,573
I don't think we can put you
in a pressurized suit and helmet
619
00:40:49,596 --> 00:40:51,156
if it looks like you're gonna throw up.
620
00:40:52,437 --> 00:40:54,116
We'll proceed with checklists tomorrow.
621
00:40:54,196 --> 00:40:56,956
We'll check out as many systems
as we can without undocking.
622
00:40:58,836 --> 00:41:00,196
That's just gonna have to be it.
623
00:41:01,036 --> 00:41:03,156
[Tom narrating] If Rusty
were to throw up in his suit,
624
00:41:03,236 --> 00:41:04,796
he would likely asphyxiate and die
625
00:41:04,876 --> 00:41:07,716
before Jim could get him back
into the LEM and re-pressurize.
626
00:41:08,077 --> 00:41:09,876
But if Rusty didn't test the backpack,
627
00:41:09,956 --> 00:41:12,356
the LEM couldn't undock
from the command module.
628
00:41:12,436 --> 00:41:16,596
When Jim canceled the EVA, we all
understood, but we were devastated.
629
00:41:17,996 --> 00:41:19,116
LEM-3 would not fly.
630
00:41:28,876 --> 00:41:31,516
The next day, as Rusty and Jim
went through their checklists,
631
00:41:31,596 --> 00:41:33,396
the mood around NASA was pretty grim.
632
00:41:40,596 --> 00:41:43,236
The mood lifted when one of Jim's
air-to-ground transmissions
633
00:41:43,316 --> 00:41:44,596
made everyone smile.
634
00:41:45,276 --> 00:41:47,076
Well, almost everyone.
635
00:41:47,156 --> 00:41:48,556
Hey, Houston. This is Apollo 9.
636
00:41:49,236 --> 00:41:50,540
[man on radio] Go ahead, Apollo 9.
637
00:41:50,836 --> 00:41:53,956
Uh, Houston, if some of our friends
from Grumman are listening in,
638
00:41:54,036 --> 00:41:57,276
I suggest on the next LEM, they give
an extra go with a vacuum cleaner.
639
00:41:57,356 --> 00:41:59,396
We got a few odds and ends
floating around in here.
640
00:42:00,276 --> 00:42:02,756
Roger, Apollo 9. We'll pass that along.
641
00:42:03,396 --> 00:42:06,836
[Tom narrating] Oh, well. In a few
minutes, even I would be smiling.
642
00:42:08,756 --> 00:42:10,636
You look like you're feeling better.
643
00:42:12,356 --> 00:42:14,036
Yeah, I am. I feel good.
644
00:42:15,036 --> 00:42:15,996
How good?
645
00:42:17,876 --> 00:42:18,836
Real good.
646
00:42:20,236 --> 00:42:21,916
Then what do you say you go outside?
647
00:42:23,916 --> 00:42:25,356
I think that's a good idea.
648
00:42:27,596 --> 00:42:29,436
Yeah, Gumdrop, this is Spider.
649
00:42:29,996 --> 00:42:31,996
- [Dave on radio] Roger, Spider.
- Yeah, Dave.
650
00:42:32,076 --> 00:42:34,676
Rusty says he's feeling a lot better
and he looks better, too.
651
00:42:34,996 --> 00:42:38,436
I thought maybe we should let him go
out on the porch and get some fresh air.
652
00:42:39,276 --> 00:42:42,356
Hey, man. I like the sound of that.
653
00:42:42,596 --> 00:42:43,996
[laughter]
654
00:42:48,396 --> 00:42:49,636
[Tom narrating] For 45 minutes,
655
00:42:49,716 --> 00:42:52,156
every available camera
on Apollo 9 was put to use
656
00:42:52,236 --> 00:42:54,796
filming the first two-man space walk
in history.
657
00:42:56,356 --> 00:42:58,676
While Rusty stood on LEM-3's porch,
658
00:42:58,756 --> 00:43:01,116
Dave stood in the open hatch
of the command module
659
00:43:01,196 --> 00:43:02,996
to film Rusty's test of the backpack.
660
00:43:13,196 --> 00:43:17,276
When one of Dave's camera's broke,
he went back inside to fix it.
661
00:43:21,276 --> 00:43:24,116
That gave Rusty
something unheard of on an EVA.
662
00:43:24,756 --> 00:43:25,836
Free time.
663
00:43:26,716 --> 00:43:31,596
For three minutes, there was nothing
for him to do but look at the Earth.
664
00:44:00,836 --> 00:44:04,676
With the backpack tested,
it was time to see if LEM-3 could fly.
665
00:44:09,556 --> 00:44:10,515
[thruster fires]
666
00:44:27,236 --> 00:44:28,962
[Dave on radio]
That's a nice-looking machine.
667
00:44:30,316 --> 00:44:32,236
It's not like an F-86,
I'll tell you that.
668
00:44:33,516 --> 00:44:35,116
It's an ungainly beast.
669
00:44:36,516 --> 00:44:37,956
But it really flies.
670
00:44:59,315 --> 00:45:00,556
[Jim on radio] Houston, Spider.
671
00:45:00,636 --> 00:45:02,916
We are preparing to
throttle up the descent engine.
672
00:45:03,476 --> 00:45:04,756
[Houston radio] Roger, Spider.
673
00:45:04,836 --> 00:45:07,196
[Tom narrating] It was time
to see if the decision I'd made
674
00:45:07,276 --> 00:45:09,276
just before the launch
was the right one.
675
00:45:16,236 --> 00:45:17,676
The tank will be fine.
676
00:45:18,276 --> 00:45:19,396
It'll hold.
677
00:45:24,116 --> 00:45:25,676
[Jim on radio] Throttle to 20%.
678
00:45:27,155 --> 00:45:28,636
[engine firing]
679
00:45:33,076 --> 00:45:34,196
It's a little rough there.
680
00:45:35,636 --> 00:45:38,636
[Rusty on radio] Yeah, wasn't it?
I think we swallowed a little helium.
681
00:45:39,436 --> 00:45:40,970
[Jim on radio] Yeah, let's try it again.
682
00:45:44,155 --> 00:45:45,716
Throttle to 40%.
683
00:45:51,596 --> 00:45:52,876
Houston, Spider.
684
00:45:54,236 --> 00:45:55,716
Everything looks good here.
685
00:45:56,596 --> 00:45:57,836
It was a good burn.
686
00:46:06,756 --> 00:46:08,866
[Rusty on radio]
Hey, keep track of us, will you, Davey?
687
00:46:09,316 --> 00:46:11,476
[Dave on radio]
Roger that. See you in a while.
688
00:46:12,236 --> 00:46:16,076
[Tom narrating] Jim and Rusty took LEM-3
out 1 10 miles from the command module.
689
00:46:16,636 --> 00:46:19,516
To get back to Dave, they had
to separate from the descent stage,
690
00:46:20,676 --> 00:46:21,996
then fire the ascent engine.
691
00:46:22,076 --> 00:46:23,276
[engine firing]
692
00:46:23,356 --> 00:46:25,715
[engine whooshing]
693
00:46:29,835 --> 00:46:31,075
Thirteen feet per second.
694
00:46:31,556 --> 00:46:34,355
At nine feet per second,
I have the interconnects.
695
00:46:34,716 --> 00:46:40,036
Five, four, three, two, one.
We have shutdown.
696
00:46:40,115 --> 00:46:42,956
Roger, we have a good burn.
No residuals.
697
00:46:45,716 --> 00:46:47,316
And there goes half our spacecraft.
698
00:47:10,196 --> 00:47:11,615
[Tom narrating] A short time later...
699
00:47:12,676 --> 00:47:14,675
LEM-3 redocked with the command module.
700
00:47:15,876 --> 00:47:16,836
[thudding]
701
00:47:16,916 --> 00:47:18,115
Her mission was over.
702
00:47:18,196 --> 00:47:19,916
[repetitive banging]
703
00:47:19,996 --> 00:47:22,316
Well, that's a song I haven't heard
in a long time.
704
00:47:23,756 --> 00:47:24,835
[laughs]
705
00:47:31,116 --> 00:47:33,195
- You all set, Rusty?
- Yeah, Jim.
706
00:47:33,436 --> 00:47:35,235
All right, I'll see you up in the CSM.
707
00:47:36,355 --> 00:47:37,196
I don't suppose
708
00:47:37,276 --> 00:47:40,076
they're gonna let anybody back up
they think's gonna get sick, huh?
709
00:47:44,756 --> 00:47:46,156
Well, I don't know, Rusty.
710
00:47:49,716 --> 00:47:50,676
I tell you...
711
00:47:51,995 --> 00:47:54,715
Those few minutes I had outside
while Dave was working on the camera...
712
00:47:56,635 --> 00:47:57,836
[laughs] Yeah.
713
00:47:59,636 --> 00:48:00,915
That was something special.
714
00:48:04,276 --> 00:48:06,076
I just wanted to say thanks.
715
00:48:06,476 --> 00:48:08,087
Hey, the only reason
it was even a question
716
00:48:08,116 --> 00:48:10,149
was I didn't want you to go outside
and kill yourself.
717
00:48:10,635 --> 00:48:11,475
[chuckles]
718
00:48:11,556 --> 00:48:13,436
And I'll try not to
for the rest of the mission.
719
00:48:14,116 --> 00:48:15,756
All right. I'll see you inside.
720
00:48:18,195 --> 00:48:19,435
Yep.
721
00:48:41,596 --> 00:48:43,636
[Tom narrating]
LEM-3 would fly one last time,
722
00:48:44,276 --> 00:48:45,836
but this time, she would fly alone.
723
00:48:49,836 --> 00:48:52,676
Okay, the tunnel's closed out,
the pyros are armed.
724
00:48:53,756 --> 00:48:55,075
We're all set.
725
00:49:01,156 --> 00:49:02,316
All right.
726
00:49:07,715 --> 00:49:08,996
So long, Spider.
727
00:49:17,876 --> 00:49:19,212
Hope I didn't leave anything in there.
728
00:49:19,235 --> 00:49:20,195
Yeah...
729
00:49:21,236 --> 00:49:23,676
When I first saw the LEM, I thought,
"You got to be kidding."
730
00:49:25,196 --> 00:49:26,556
It kind of grows on you.
731
00:49:28,596 --> 00:49:30,396
It really is a beautiful machine.
732
00:49:32,556 --> 00:49:34,555
Listen to me. I sound like Tom Kelly.
733
00:49:35,835 --> 00:49:36,996
[applause]
734
00:49:38,675 --> 00:49:40,977
[Jim's voice] You guys are right.It's a lot for one mission.
735
00:49:41,756 --> 00:49:43,075
Maybe too much.
736
00:49:44,276 --> 00:49:47,035
We get even half of it done,
we can call it a success.
737
00:49:50,116 --> 00:49:51,155
I can't wait!
738
00:49:55,555 --> 00:49:58,595
[Tom narrating] Apollo 9 had shown
that a LEM could fly,
739
00:49:58,676 --> 00:49:59,916
at least in Earth orbit.
740
00:50:01,155 --> 00:50:02,555
Two months later on Apollo 10,
741
00:50:02,636 --> 00:50:06,555
Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan
took LEM-4 down to within 50,000 feet
742
00:50:06,636 --> 00:50:07,996
of the lunar surface.
743
00:50:08,076 --> 00:50:12,116
Look at that. There's enough boulders
down there to fill up Galveston Bay.
744
00:50:13,036 --> 00:50:17,156
Houston, we is going, and we is
down among them, Charlie.
745
00:50:19,196 --> 00:50:23,476
[Tom narrating] Only one question about
the LEM remains, the biggest question,
746
00:50:23,555 --> 00:50:25,916
and it will be up
to the next LEM to answer it.
747
00:50:30,156 --> 00:50:31,676
When I said good-bye to LEM-3,
748
00:50:31,755 --> 00:50:35,156
I felt like a proud parent
watching a child go off to college.
749
00:50:38,235 --> 00:50:41,515
As I say goodbye to this LEM,
I feel like a parent of centuries past
750
00:50:41,596 --> 00:50:44,955
saying farewell as his child embarks
for the New World.
751
00:50:46,435 --> 00:50:48,996
To some people, that might sound
like I'm stretching the point.
752
00:50:49,556 --> 00:50:53,516
A LEM is not a child, it's a machine,
and a machine doesn't have a soul.
753
00:50:53,955 --> 00:50:56,636
We may yell at our toasters
and give names to our cars,
754
00:50:56,715 --> 00:51:00,315
but in the end, even a LEM is just
a collection of wires and circuits
755
00:51:00,396 --> 00:51:01,716
and nuts and bolts.
756
00:51:02,396 --> 00:51:05,755
I don't know.
I think each LEM does have a soul.
757
00:51:06,435 --> 00:51:08,316
It's a soul of all the people
who built her,
758
00:51:08,915 --> 00:51:11,955
designed her, first dreamed of her.
759
00:51:13,475 --> 00:51:14,636
What number is this one?
760
00:51:15,395 --> 00:51:16,475
This one is LEM-5.
761
00:51:19,036 --> 00:51:22,436
- Thank you for inviting us here today.
- You're welcome, Mr. Houboult.
762
00:51:22,515 --> 00:51:24,715
Without you guys, there might not
be anybody here today.
763
00:51:25,555 --> 00:51:27,956
- Someone would have thought of it.
- Maybe.
764
00:51:28,995 --> 00:51:31,275
This is the actual machine
that's gonna land on the moon?
765
00:51:32,115 --> 00:51:33,315
Yep.
766
00:51:34,195 --> 00:51:36,596
- What are they calling this one?
- This one...
767
00:51:37,796 --> 00:51:39,235
This one is the Eagle.
63286
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