Apollo 11 - who filmed the first step being set on the moon

Hi all,

I'm new here. I believe that we are not alone in the universe; I think it is typically human to think the entire universe came to existence just for us.
The information on your site is overwhelming so I am sure to spend some time going through it all ...

I have 2 questions on the Apollo 11 mission I could not find the answer to in the existing threads I was able to read thus far.
My first question is, if Neil is the first man on the moon, who is filming him coming down of the ladder.

Second, I believe that there is no wind on the moon (please correct me if I am wrong) so how come the US flag is waving?

I look forward to the answers, thank you!

reply to post by Woman on the moon


The camera was mounted on the lander module leg from what I understand.

The flag stands up because there is a pole running the length of the flag at the top.

The camera was inside the landing leg of the LEM as stated.

The flag had two poles in it. One running vertically, the other horizontally so that it would stick out and could be seen. Otherwise it would have just dropped down along the pole. When they drove the pole into the ground, the horizontal pole shook, causing the flag to appear to be waving.

The Moon landing was filmed in a studio here on Earth and the camera crew was shot afterwards to keep it secret. The flag waved because someone forgot to turn off the air conditioner.

At least, that is what some conspiracy nuts try to claim. Other than that, the above posters are correct. As this was a very historic moment, NASA had designed a camera into the legs for filming the crew as they exited the lander. Planting of a national flag is a time honored tradition such as when sailors landed on new shores, or when climbers arrive at the summit of a new mountain. NASA kept this in mind and designed a flag with a horizontal support to keep the flag open. The "wind" was simply movement of the pole as there is no atmosphere to speak of on the Moon. All of this information is readily available if you choose to seek it out.

As for those who continue to insist that the Moon landing was faked and filmed in a studio... OK... yes the Earth is flat, Dinosaurs coexisted with man, putting magnets in your shoes will cure you of cancer, and Scientology is good for you.

I want to see a recent picture or proof of the moon buggy left on the moon. All the explanations to the questions sound more like excuses or shut and believe. Remember we were in the cold war, why didn't we continue to go back? Poor ratings?

The first step on the Moon was filmed by the TV camera located in the MESA (Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly) G- series:
once Armstrong was out of the hatch, he just pulled a lever (see images below) and MESA fold out and down, releasing also an arm on which the camera was assembled: from the interior of the LEM, Aldrin switched the camera which was aiming the ladder.

Full list of the MESA contents for LM-5 (Apollo 11)



Schemes of MESA



Apollo 11 Lunar Surface TV Camera (scheme)


Apollo 11 Lunar Surface TV Camera

The television camera taken to the lunar surface was a Westinghouse designed and built slow-scan black and white camera with a vertical resolution of 320 lines scanned at 10 frames per second. This camera was chosen because the available bandwidth from the Moon (500kHz) was not sufficient for a standard TV signal.

On Earth, the received slow scan signal was converted to a standard TV picture (in this case, the American standard of 525 lines and 30 frames per second) using specially built scan converters. At Goldstone and Honeysuckle, the conversion was done on site. The Parkes slow scan TV signal was sent to the OTC (Overseas Telecommunications Commission) Paddington gateway exchange in Oxford Street, Paddington, in Sydney and converted there. At Paddington (‘Sydney Video’) the best of the two signals from Honeysuckle or Parkes was chosen and sent to Houston via Intelsat through the OTC Moree ground station. Charlie Goodman, seasoned communications expert from NASA was responsible for selecting which signal was sent.

www.honeysucklecreek.net...


From left: Charlie Goodman, Verne McGlynn, Richard Holl, Elmer Fredd (seated at the scan-converter), Ted Knotts, and Ray Louve.
Photo: With thanks to Dick Holl and to Robert Brand (www.exotc.com) for the photo and to John Sarkissian for the names.

At the Overseas Telecommunications Commissions’s International Exchange in Paddington, Sydney, a special room was equipped to handle the Apollo 11 TV – dubbed “Sydney Video”.
NASA’s Charlie Goodman (far left) was responsible for selecting the better video (out of Honeysuckle or Parkes) for sending to Houston via the OTC’s earth station at Moree in northern NSW.

MESA deploy


Location of MESA on LM-5 (Eagle, Apollo 11)


Armstrong practicing with MESA


Mesa side views

The MESA was deployed via the astronaut pulling the MESA deployment actuating handle "D handle" located on the egress platform "porch" of the lunar module. As the cable pulled the cam, it disengaged a lock pin from a pivot arm. A "key" prevented the lock pin from interfering with its on disengagement from a locking post on the MESA as it slid into a slot. Once this was done, lunar gravity took over and deployed the MESA downward into position. Once deployed, the MESA served as a work station for the astronauts.

www.apolloartifacts.com...


This fascinating artifact is a locking and deployment mechanism for the Modular Equipment Storage Assembly (MESA) located in quad 4 of the Lunar Module decent stage. The MESA lowered like a drawbridge once the astronauts activated this mechanism upon exiting the LM.

www.apolloartifacts.com...

www.myspacemuseum.com...

Apollo 11 Timeline





[edit on 21/9/2008 by internos]

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
I want to see a recent picture or proof of the moon buggy left on the moon.

Why? What would it prove to you? If you already have doubts about the Moon landings and don't believe all the detailed documentation that's already out there. Then how would a recent image from NASA help matters?

Remember we were in the cold war, why didn't we continue to go back? Poor ratings?

Mostly poor funding actually. We didn't go back because of the Cold War. The US Gov't preferred to spend there money on other things, like the Military, rather then continue going to the Moon. Take a look at NASA's budget and watch how it dropped sharply durring the Apollo program.

Also lack of public interest helped to kill any futher trips back to the Moon. A lot of people considered it too expensive and a waste of money. Sadly some people still do, and that's why it's taking so long to get back there.

However you should get your image of the Lunar Rover, (as well as the Lunar Module and other Apollo artifacts) early next year when the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is launched.

[edit on 21-9-2008 by jra]

reply to post by internos


thank you for all your footage!
I had no idea this information was out there for all to see.