On 3 August 2019,Erin Gambrill,an official volunteer with NASA,gave a powerpoint presentation on the Apollo program at C.Burr Artz Library in Frederick,Maryland.Ms.Gambrill said she had to pass a background check to become a volunteer for the space agency.She covered the Apollo history from its predecessor Mercury and Gemini programs,through the disaster of the fatal Apollo 1 fire to the first lunar landing,and the near-catastrophe of Apollo 13.So it wasn't just a rah-rah session,but an honest look at NASA's boldest missions to date.*
Her favourite mission was Apollo 8,which achieved the first glimpse humans had ever had of the far side of the Moon and the iconic "earthrise" photo showing the Earth rising over the bleak lunar surface.On that so-called "dark" side of the Moon,there is a communications blackout,so it was pretty tense until the astronauts emerged on the earthward side.Actually,the far side of the Moon gets sunshine just as the earthward side does.*
The talk was aimed at children,but adults found it plenty educational as well.Few realise,for instance,that most of the Apollo 11 photos of astronauts on the Moon were of Buzz Aldrin,since Neil Armstrong had the photographer role.The lunar samples they collected are sealed in nitrogen for their preservation,and you can only touch them using thick gloves in a bio-containment unit.*
If you answered Ms.Gambrill's questions correctly,you got a little NASA prize,such as a small Apollo capsule model or a lapel pin.At one point,Ms.Gambrill helped us make paper models of the solar system by folding a long strip of paper and labeling the creases to mark the position of various celestial objects such as the planets,asteroid belt and the Kuiper Belt.*
It was definitely worthwhile to recall those intriguing days of lunar exploration that captivated the nation and indeed the entire world.
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