Re: [ARSCLIST] NASA

[David Lewis <davlew@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom wrote:

PS -- I just read another article that NASA is now looking to re-acquire all
manner of parts of the 
Apollo craft from various space museums so they can copy the parts for use
on their "next 
generation" lunar craft. Wow, what's old is new. Next they'll want to switch
to disk-cutters for 
their cap-com logger! ;)

Indeed, Tom. NASA is frustrated and embarassed by the whole space shuttle
program, and now appreciates the wisdom, economy and flexibility of
Apollo-era technology, a culture they have lost contact with. There isn't
anyone from that time still at NASA, and they need the parts to study them.
Look for the Shuttles to be phased out, and rockets to be phased back in.
Cheaper, less dangerous and more in sync with their future plans, which have
to do primarily with long range, unmanned flights.

Sort of like a twelve-tone composer going back to writing like Tchaikovsky.


-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 5:08 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] NASA

Hi Bob:

According to the articles I've seen, NASA passed these tapes on to the
National Archives. In the 
late 70s, for some reason not made clear in the articles, the National
Archives passed them back to 
NASA. They have since been lost by NASA. Agreed that the MO you described
would be preferable but 
apparently that's not what happened here. Richard Hess, who I believe is on
vacation, knows more 
about the details of this because he is somewhat expert on instrumentation
formats. But I'll take a 
stab. I think the video was high-resolution, slow-scan as it was transmitted
and recorded. In other 
words, an hour-long spacewalk might take all night to transmit and record.
Apparently, this format 
was re-modulated to NTSC to feed the networks. Now what I'm not clear on,
was there a simultaneous 
low-quality feed coming live from the moon? I always thought the moon walk
was broadcast live, at 
least those grainy videos, but I was only 3 years old then (although I do
remember all of us crowded 
around the TV watching the spacemen). Actually, the unfortunate fate of
these tapes PROVES that the 
MO you described is best followed.

-- Tom Fine


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Hodge" <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 4:50 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] NASA


> Hi Tom,
>
> I realise the NTSC tapes weren't being addressed, it just seems to me
> that ANY magnetic tape or sound recording- especiailly when realtive to
> the history of the U. S. and especially when supported by taxpayers
> dollars - should be held at the LOC. Even if they themselves can't play
> them, then at least they would stand a better chance of being preserved
> and their whereabouts known..
> At least that is my experience with L.O.C. Motion  Picture Dept.
>
> Bob
>
>>>> tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 8/15/2006 4:31 PM >>>
> Hi Bob:
>
> The issue is that NASA recorded the video in a proprietary format and
> fed a converted, lower-quality
> NTSC video signal to the networks. The instrumentation tapes contain
> the high-quality video stream.
> Those tapes are lost. Richard Hess posted a link to a very detailed
> report about this a couple weeks
> ago. Search back and you'll find much more accurate details than were
> in the dumbed-down mainstream
> media stories. There was a link to a PDF about the search so far. Those
> tapes definitely appear
> lost.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert Hodge" <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>
> To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 4:18 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] RCA Metal Parts in Camden.
>
>
> I lost the link about the lost NASA tape, but has anyone at NASA
> considered  asking the Library Of
> Congress Motion Picture and Sound division for the videotape ?
> They should have it if anyone should.
>
> Bob Hodge
>
>>>> loujudson@xxxxxxx 8/15/2006 2:49 PM >>>
> a trivial part of me would love to know who the 'let and what the film
> were... to file in the useless but interesting part of the brain,
> though that part is too large already! Wonder what her internal drama
> was on that night! Got jilted, hated her filmed self, who knows
> what...
>
> <L>
>
> Lou Judson * Intuitive Audio
> 415-883-2689
>
> On Aug 15, 2006, at 10:43 AM, Robert Hodge wrote:
>
>> A True Story Of Similar Tone...
>>
>> A film starlet whose name escapes me presently had borrowed a 35 mm
>> nitrate print of one of her films from the studio  to show at one of
>> her
>> parties and when she was through with it, threw the whole print in
> the
>> ocean..
>>
>> That print was the only surviving print left of that title.
>>
>> Amazing.....
>>
>> R.Hodge