Neil Armstrong, not MY hero.

Originally posted by letthereaderunderstand
reply to post by jfj123

 

Just how do you think a laser tracking a moving vehicle works?

Since when did they start making vehicles out of dirt and placing them approximately 384,467 kilometers from the laser source?

A vehicle with lines, cuts, & angles, yet the laser pulls the info back in, but Goddard space center can't throw a laser to the surface of the moon without a reflector?

Maybe this will answer your question.

A Retro reflector is a device or surface that reflects light back to its source with a minimum scattering of light.

Due to extreme distance, the lasers beam must stay as coherent as possible to get any type of return at all. In short, the device keeps the beam focused on it's return journey and keeps it aimed at it's point of origin.

Astronauts on the Apollo 11, 14, and 15 missions left retro-reflectors on the Moon as part of the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment.

The ongoing Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment measures the distance between the Earth and the Moon using laser ranging. Lasers on Earth are aimed at retroreflectors previously planted on the Moon and the time delay for the reflected light to return is determined. Since the speed of light is known with very high accuracy, the distance to the moon can be calculated. This distance has been measured with increasing accuracy for more than 35 years.

The experiment was first made possible by a retroreflector array installed on July 21, 1969, by the crew of the Apollo 11. Two more retroreflector arrays left by the Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 missions have contributed to the experiment.

The distance continually changes for a number of reasons, but averages about 384,467 kilometers (238,897 miles).

Now here's the best part

At the Moon's surface, the beam is only about 6.5 kilometers (four miles) wide[2] and scientists liken the task of aiming the beam to using a rifle to hit a moving dime 3 kilometers (two miles) away. The reflected light is too weak to be seen with the human eye, but under good conditions, one photon will be received every few seconds (they can be identified as originating from the laser because the laser is highly monochromatic). This is one of the most precise distance measurements ever made, and is equivalent in accuracy to determining the distance between Los Angeles and New York to one hundredth of an inch.[3] As of 2002 work is progressing on increasing the accuracy of the Earth-Moon measurements to near millimeter accuracy.

en.wikipedia.org...

With a focusing reflector, they usually can only get a single photon on the return trip. What do you expect to get with no reflector?

Now you might ask yourself what type of laser is being used?
The Astrophysical Research Consortium at Apache Point, has a laser generator in use with a 3.5-meter telescope that generates a peak power of 1 gigawatt for a short time, but just long enough to fire off a one-inch bullet of light aimed through the telescope at the lunar surface.

Let's also keep in mind that earth's atmosphere also distorts the laser's coherency.

Earth's atmosphere distorts the beam so that it disperses . Only one in 30 million of the original photons in the beam actually will hit the retroreflector. By the time the light makes it back to Earth, the beam will have expanded to 9.3 miles in diameter. Of the returning photons, only one in 30 million will hit the telescope on Earth.

www.spacetoday.org...

Do you hear what you are saying? You don't even address that there is no independent way to verify Nasa claims outside of Nasa/ESA and you are arguing shooting a laser into the dirt?

Any private institute with a sufficiently powerful laser can fire it at the retro reflectors.

The reason I'm arguing about firing a laser into the dirt is simply because that is your argument. Try your own argument out and see if it holds up. You're the one making the claim that it will work, not me. So try it and tell me what happens. You can get a small pen laser for about $5.00 US.

Does the sun reflect coherently off of the moon? Kids can ping pilots in the eyes with keychain lasers, but Goddard can't get any "coherent reading" with out a reflector that the hubble can't even see? For real? You are a riot....LOL

I'm still laughing.....I can't stop.

Tears...streaming....gut hurting.....wow....thanks, I forget people are so easy to fool....Nobody relies on themselves to see the world and I forget that....you humble me.

Like I said, hehehehe

Rest in Peace Neil

Try reading and learning. You won't be laughing anymore. I gave you a bunch of information that should answer any questions you have but I can't make you read it or understand it. That's up to you. GOOD LUCK ! You're going to need it. You have a long way to go.
The first thing you need to do is check your ego at the door as it's not a good replacement for intelligence.


[edit on 26-7-2009 by jfj123]

Neil Armstrong is the most famous man in the world! I don't hold it against him for being so secluded... the lime-light is not for everyone, and having to deal with the public eye for 40 years probably deterred him from being so public. I honor him for his accomplishment, and feel that he can make his own choices in HIS OWN LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neil Armstrong was given a great honor by Mankind. It is not the other way around. Many thousands of men risk their lives for this country. This country gave Mr. Armstrong a place in history and not the other way around. He gave humanity nothing and continues to ignore his obligation to enlighten the rest of us with his story of the trip.

Many men would have loved to take this risk, so he is no hero for that. Buzz is a hero to humanity because he takes the risk to come out and talk to those who gave him the honor of going to the moon while being bombarded by skeptics. He endures, he is the hero.

It is not Mr. Armstrong's fault however. That fault lies with those who chose him. Never again should we endow such honor on men of his irk.

For future first's, "mankind" needs to chose its hero's wisely. We need to chose people who are not so introverted that they cannot help the rest of us rejoice in the accomplishment.

I congratulate Mr. Armstrong for his luck in being chosen to accomplish one of mankind's greatest achievements. He is not a bad person but he was a bad choice to be humanities first to the moon.

Thank you Mr. Aldrin for continuing to enlighten us in the joy of walking on the moon. Please sir continue and expand, make movies do everything you can to breath life into our exploration of space and eventual survival as a species.

Mr. Armstong you will be honored more in death than in your life because of your own reclusive personality. I do not dishonor you and am glad for you, but perhaps you should see a psychologist to work on your personality traits that prevent you from sharing the joy of your accomplishment.

reply to post by Xeven

It is not Mr. Armstrong's fault however. That fault lies with those who chose him. Never again should we endow such honor on men of his irk.

...and what, pray, is his ilk? The man is the quintessential American hero, quiet, soft spoken, not in love with himself. He feels absolutely no need to puff himself up. His deeds have spoken for him.

All of them, every single one of them, deserve our respect, because they've earned it. Not only were these men astronauts, they were test pilots. His ilk? One man in a thousand have what it takes to go to the Moon, actually the ratio is probably more in line with one in a hundred thousand, Neil Armstrong is amongst the greatest in the pantheon of American heroes.

reply to post by seagull

I don't understand why Neil Armstrong is getting beaten up like this.

Could this thread be closed?

It's disgusting.

Originally posted by Sam60
I don't understand why Neil Armstrong is getting beaten up like this.

Could this thread be closed?

It's disgusting.

As disagreeable to you as the opinion is, it is an opinion and expressed as such. As well, there are many posts supporting and defending Mr. Armstrong. In my opinion, in order to truly appreciate such an event and a man it doesn't hurt to have people express reasons expressing to the contrary so as to better understand why one has an opinion in the first place.

Such is what ATS is about...allowing a diversity of opinions to be expressed for the discussion thereof as long as the discussion remains civil towards one another.

reply to post by MemoryShock

Thank you for considering my comment.

Prior to my comment, I gave thought to the points you raise.

However I still think the "bad" outweighs the "good" in this thread & it's predominantly a beat up.

I also think it's the sort of thread which could be used by the MSM to besmirch ATS.

So, we shall have to agree to disagree.

reply to post by Sam60


To add my voice to Mem's. No. As much as some of these opinions may rankle, and they do. They are opinions, and that is, afterall, what ATS is ultimately all about.

Originally posted by seagull
reply to post by Sam60

 

To add my voice to Mem's. No. As much as some of these opinions may rankle, and they do. They are opinions, and that is, afterall, what ATS is ultimately all about.

I understand your point.

I disagree in this particular instance.

But as you say, that's what ATS is all about.

Im Pretty Sure You Dont Know This Man Personally , So Im Guessing You Have No Idea What Hes Gone Through XD