Friday, July 20, 2007

In the Shadow of the Moon

Today Brooke, Steph, & I had wonderful opportunity to see the pre-release of the movie In the Shadow of the Moon. What an amazing movie!! Today, July 20, 2007, marks the 38th Anniversary of the first landing of humans on the Moon.

So, you're probably wondering what's this movie about. In the Shadow of the Moon is a documentary featuring never seen before NASA footage of the Apollo missions. This includes footages taken by the astronauts while they were on the Moon and in Mission Control. The filmmaker, David Sington, also include interviews from the Apollo astronauts.

The stories these men tell, bring the whole experience of going to the Moon, or almost making it, to life. As you sit and listen to them you can see the excitement and the passion in their eyes. The trials of just getting a single rocket off the ground without it exploding to launching three men around the Moon. You begin to realize the accomplishments that science, engineering, and technology have made to make all of this possible. Seeing the tools we used to get there the Apollo era makes it even more exciting is how LRO will assist in discovering the unknown. Thus once again allowing astronauts to go back to the Moon.

It's amazing to realize that the last time a human has stepped foot on the Moon was nearly 35 years ago, and we haven't been back there since. For many people, having people fly into space is taken for granted. After watching this movie, I don't think I would take it for granted anymore. The images shown from the command module makes you realize how small the Earth is in the grand scheme of things. This movie was definitely inspiring. I just hope I have the opportunity to inspiring the next generation of astronauts and explorers, and they find that space a marvelous place to visit.

As well as winning the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival this year, this movie was a big hit with its pre-release at the NASA centers today. Its release is planned for September 7th.

3 comments:

Ann said...

Wow...35 years ago? I can remember exacty where I was that day. Sitting in front of the tv at Billy & David Eggleston's house. We sat there spellbound at what was on the screen.

Of course, I was what, minus 6 at the time?

:o)

Ann

steph stockman (geosteph) said...

While watching the movie this afternoon, I felt proud and grateful to be a part of NASA today...I was again reminded why I believe I have one the coolest jobs possible

Lora said...

I finally had an opportunity to see this movie last night. I was left totally speechless. What makes this documentary so different from others about the Apollo era is that the audience can relate to the astronauts more than ever because they admit that they are regular people who just happened to be lucky enough to be part of an amazing event. The excitement, fear, spirituality, and sheer luck they experienced are portrayed through their words and expressions. What struck me most was not the courage and determination displayed by these amazing men who went to the Moon, but their humility, their gratitude for the experience and the people who helped get them there and back, their resulting appreciation for the fragile Earth that we all call home, and their awe at the way the whole world came together as ONE for the first and only time in human history with a shared feeling of accomplishment and wonder. Since I was not alive when mankind last walked on the Moon, I hope upon hope that I'll be alive to experience a similar shared sense of wonder, pride, and unity when mankind first sets foot on Mars. But in order to accomplish that we first need to go back to where it all started, the Moon.