RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE

"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).

37 years ago today: The Moon

Post author By Orac
Post date July 20, 2006
18 Comments on 37 years ago today: The Moon

Thirty seven years ago today, on July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man ever to walk on the Moon. (You can quibble and say it was July 21 by Universal Time (a.k.a. Greenwich Mean Time), but I’m an American, and to me as a child it happened on July 20.

In any case, I have two things to post that are of interest on this anniversary of the first Moon landing. First, here’s an Ã¼ber-cool website that allows you to view a panoramas of the Moon made up of high resolution photos from the original missions digitally stitched together from photos taken during original lunar landings, complete with sound files of the astronauts’ banter. I had never seen such high resolution digital photos from the moon landing before.

Second, I can’t help but point out that there was more to the first Moon landing than you may have thought. Indeed, there was someone involved with it whose role hasn’t always been appreciated and indeed has even been shrouded in mystery:

i-f96e2f63791f40594f667ae987c7754d-EneMan 200607a.jpg

I bet the EneManiacs out there thought that I had forgotten about our mascot’s usual monthly appearance (although perhaps interest in our mascot has waned a bit, as evidenced by the lack of “Where is EneMan?” e-mails this month). I suspect that now you understand why I waited three weeks.

That EneMan sure gets around, doesn’t he?

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By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

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