The Technical Record of the Apollo Program? A Space Junkyard

What happened to the technical record of NASA's Apollo Space Program? Well... nothing. There was no record, due to the social context of a "Space Race" against USSR. Now since NASA was told to go to the moon again (the Project Constellation program), it has to look in junkyards - and on eBay - to find out how Saturn V rockets used to work.

This video is a part of a segment called "Space Junkyard" that I edited from PBS' "Wired Science" show 109, first aired in December 2007. For more info, follow these links:

Wired Science:
- http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/

"Space Junkyard" segment in episode 109:
- http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/story/95-space_junkyard.html

To order Wired Science episodes on DVD call: 1-800-PLAY-PBS

Or visit Wired Magazine at:
- http://www.wired.com/

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Copyright 2007 PBS / Community Television of Southern California / WIRED Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

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Related Wikipedia links:

NASA's old Apollo Program:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Program

NASA's new Project Constellation program using Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Constellation

Saturn V rockets:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V

Wernher von Braun, the former Nazi physicist and astronautics engineer who greatly helped the USA win the "Space Race" and the "Nuclear Arms Race" ... instead of being accused of war crimes like other Nazi party members.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun

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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• QuarksAreStrange
• Wired
• Science
• PBS
• Space
• NASA
• Moon
• Apollo
• Ares
• History
• Rocket
• Saturn
• Mars

[michchap]

Thank you for posting this video. I am always amazed we were able to transport 27 men from the Earth to the Moon using what was, by today's standards, primitive technology when I see things like this. It makes me enormously proud to be an American, but at the same time it makes me wish we had the same drive and determination to go back to the Moon. I am optimistic that Project Constellation will reignite America's interest in returning to the Moon.

[QuarksAreStrange]

Maybe I just don't get it, but why should Man go back to the moon? What do we have to gain from it?

[Galeati08]

I guess we are never going to the moon, sounds fucking crazy... reverse engineer... way too many setbacks with that process

[standauffish]

Nah we never went

Listen to Buzz in this video... when asked could these parts have worked..

He says "yeah they could have been tested"

No landing nada zip...

They even 'lost' all the film footage LOL

[primaldeuce]

Nice post. Very interesting that they are having to got to junk yards to learn about something that was made by THEM and took people to the moon (so they say LOL). All this so they can do it again, funny, do you think they will take better notes this time?

[SaganClassSC05]

Great Video, except that there are two other Saturn V's on display besides the one in Huntsville.

[MrFireAss]

PLEASE people, focus on space and not the economy... the moon will bring so much business if opened to companies its RIDICULOUS!.

been there once... bout time we went back .. FAST. America needs REAL heroes again... so we can remember the ones we've lost and KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

[hellsummon]

I find it difficult to believe that all the knowledge gained when we sent men to the moon is a lost art that has to be relearned

[brianbogdany]

I hope we take better care this time go round to preserve not just the what but the why with Shuttle and eventually Ares. 50 years from now, you never know what will have to be relearned.

[zorin333]

lol looks like hella lot of job