2019-04-01_Astronomy

Follow Astronomy

http://www.twitter.com/

AstronomyMag

http://www.facebook.com/

AstronomyMagazine

plus.google.com/

+astronomymagazine

6 ASTRONOMY • APRIL 2019

BY DAVID J. EICHER

FROM THE EDITOR

W

e’re now in the

middle of the

exciting 50th

anniversary

period of the

Apollo Moon missions. This

will last until December

2022, when we celebrate

Apollo 17. Since that mis-

sion, humans have not been

back to the surface of our

nearest celestial neighbor.

Over the past few months,

I’ve chatted with a number

of Apollo astronauts. I’ve

been struck by their candor,

their sharp recollections,

and their amazing

stories, many of

which I had not heard

previously, despite the

vast literature on the

Apollo era.

Jim Lovell

described how he felt

about the possibility of being

stranded in space during

Apollo 13. Mike Collins

related his unique feeling of

concern as he orbited over

colleagues Neil Armstrong

and Buzz Aldrin, hoping

they would be OK during

the first-ever moonwalk.

Charlie Duke talked about

his time spent wandering the

Descartes Highlands and the

adventure of collecting rocks.

In this issue, two Apollo

astronauts sound off on their

experiences

with Apollo 9,

the first full

test of the

Apollo system in

Earth orbit, 50 years

ago last month. Jim

McDivitt, the mission’s

commander, spoke with

Associate Editor Alison

Klesman.

I chatted with Rusty

Schweickart, Apollo 9’s

lunar module pilot, and his

90 minutes’ worth of stories

were priceless. We publish

a lengthy version of the

interview in this issue, but

the full transcript will be

available on Astronomy.com.

Among the gems are

Rusty talking about what

it was like to launch in a

Saturn V rocket, having

been strapped in and sent

off by the legendary Günter

Wendt, master of the

Kennedy launchpad. The

jostling of the craft as it

lifted up, like a railroad

train skewing along tracks,

left an indelible memory.

Rusty also

talked about his

biggest risk. He

became ill in

Earth orbit, and

going ahead with his

spacewalk the next day was

a risky decision indeed.

Becoming sick again, this

time in a pressurized space

suit, would have been fatal.

But along with his friend

McDivitt, he was certain

of the choice.

Rusty also talked about

the reentry: lying on his

back, watching a tube of

glowing atmosphere

twisting and turning

behind the capsule,

and f lakes of the heat

shield coming off.

And then “bang!” —

and “bang!” again

— and two explosive

bolts released the drogue

and main chutes, and all was

OK again, coming down into

the Atlantic Ocean.

I hope the astronaut sto-

ries will allow you to enjoy

what Apollo did for us all,

whether or not you recall the

missions half a century ago.

What a unique time of explo-

ration and adventure it was.

Yo u r s t r u l y,

David J. Eicher

Editor

Chatting

with Apollo

astronauts

Editor David J. Eicher

Art Director LuAnn Williams Belter

EDITORIAL

Senior Editors Michael E. Bakich, Richard Talcott

Production Editor Elisa R. Neckar

Associate Editors Alison Klesman, Jake Parks

Copy Editor Dave Lee

Editorial Assistant Amber Jorgenson

ART

Graphic Designer Kelly Katlaps

Illustrator Roen Kelly

Production Specialist Jodi Jeranek

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Bob Berman, Adam Block, Glenn F. Chaple, Jr., Martin George,

Tony Hallas, Phil Harrington, Korey Haynes, Jeff Hester,

Liz Kruesi, Ray Jayawardhana, Alister Ling, Steve Nadis,

Stephen James O’Meara, Tom Polakis, Martin Ratcliffe, Mike D.

Reynolds, Sheldon Reynolds, Erika Rix, Raymond Shubinski

SCIENCE GROUP

Executive Editor Becky Lang

Design Director Dan Bishop

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Buzz Aldrin, Marcia Bartusiak, Timothy Ferris, Alex Filippenko,

Adam Frank, John S. Gallagher lll, Daniel W. E. Green, William K.

Hartmann, Paul Hodge, Edward Kolb, Stephen P. Maran,

Brian May, S. Alan Stern, James Trefil

Kalmbach Media

Chief Executive Officer Dan Hickey

Senior Vice President, Finance Christine Metcalf

Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing Nicole McGuire

Vice President, Content Stephen C. George

Vice President, Operations Brian J. Schmidt

Vice President, Human Resources Sarah A. Horner

Senior Director, Advertising Sales and Events David T. Sherman

Advertising Sales Director Scott Redmond

Circulation Director Liz Runyon

Art and Production Manager Michael Soliday

New Business Manager Cathy Daniels

Retention Manager Kathy Steele

Single Copy Specialist Kim Redmond

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

Phone (888) 558-

Advertising Sales Manager Steve Meni

Advertising Sales Representative

Dina Johnston, [email protected]

Ad Services Representative

Christa Burbank, [email protected]

RETAIL TRADE ORDERS AND INQUIRIES

Selling Astronomy magazine or products in your store:

Phone (800) 558-

Outside U.S. and Canada (262) 796-8776, ext. 818

Fax (262) 798-

Email [email protected]

Website http://www.Retailers.Kalmbach.com

CUSTOMER SALES AND SERVICE

Phone (877) 246-

Outside U.S. and Canada (903) 636-

Customer Service [email protected]

CONTACT US

Ad Sales [email protected]

Ask Astro [email protected]

Books [email protected]

Letters [email protected]

Products [email protected]

Reader Gallery [email protected]

Editorial Phone (262) 796-

Copyright © 2019 Kalmbach Media Co., all rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Printed in the U.S.A.

Allow 6 to 8 weeks for new subscriptions and address changes. Subscription rate: single copy: $5.99; U.S.: 1 year (12 issues) $42.95; 2 years (24 issues)

$79.95; 3 years (36 issues) $114.95. Canadian: Add $12.00 postage per year. Canadian price includes GST, payable in U.S. funds. All other international

subscriptions: Add $16.00 postage per year, payable in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank. BN 12271 3209 RT. Not responsible for unsolicited materials.

Follow the Dave’s Universe blog:

http://www.Astronomy.com/davesuniverse

Follow Dave Eicher on Twitter: @deicherstar

I’ve been struck

by their candor,

their sharp recollections,

and their amazing stories.