28 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE July 2019
MOONWALK by Peter RobertsonTHE APOLLO 11 MISSION and the first moonwalk by the
astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was an event of
unique historical importance. The Parkes Telescope in central
New South Wales played an important role in the mission,
receiving TV signals from the lunar surface and relaying them
to NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, from where
they were beamed around the world. For the first time, the
entire global communications network was focused on an
extraordinary moment in human history.The Dish
On Sunday, July 21 (the 20th in the US) the world will
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonwalk.
Those of us old enough to remember have a vivid memory of
exactly where they were when flickering TV images showed
Neil Armstrong descending the ladder on the lunar module
Eagle. Late generations of Australians became aware of the
role played by the Parkes telescope following the release of
the movie, The Dish. The film was loosely based on the events
that occurred at Parkes, and was unfairly criticised by some
for its lack of historical accuracy. For example, the power
blackout when Parkes lost contact with the command module
on its way to the Moon could never have happened given the
meticulous planning and backup systems.
The lead role in the film was played by the well-known
actor Sam Neill, who was cast as the director of the Parkes
telescope. In real life, the director was the radio astronomer
John Bolton, who had died some years prior to the film’s
release. Neill prepared for his new role by studying old photos
of Bolton, unaware that there was considerable footage of
Bolton available from various TV documentaries. But former
colleagues of Bolton agreed that Neill had given a credible
portrayal of the real-life director.From radar to radio astronomy
John Bolton was born in Sheffield, UK and educated at
Cambridge University. After graduating in 1942 he joined the
Royal Navy and saw service as a radio officer aboard a British
aircraft carrier. At the end of the war and while stationed in
Sydney, he decided not to return to England, partly because the
Australian climate had cured him of his childhood asthma.
Bolton joined the Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney, part
of the CSIRO. The Lab had been formed in 1940 to carry out
secret research on radar for the armed services. After the war
the Lab decided to investigate a range of peacetime applications
of radar and radio, including the discovery in 1932 by the
American Karl Jansky of radio emission from outer space. ThisAustralia’s very own ‘dish’ played a vital role in
bringing the first footsteps on another world
to television screens around the globe.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A few days before the Apollo 11
mission began a plane load of TV and print journalists
arrived in Parkes to prepare background material for
the event. They spent a day interviewing staff and
photographing the telescope from every possible angle.