On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong made his famous first step on the moon. On the 48th anniversary of that day, visitors at Space Center Houston heard from the men and women who made spaceflight possible in its earliest days.

Through Space Center Houston’s Thought Leader Series, visitors had the opportunity to attend four panel discussions featuring members of the Apollo Flight Operations Association. The panels, held in the Mission Briefing Center, quickly reached capacity, requiring Space Center Houston to project a livestream of the events outside the theater to accommodate the demand.

The panels were as follows:

Apollo Landing and Recovery Operations and Astronaut Post-Landing Quarantine

Panelists John Stonesifer, Milt Heflin, Mel Richmond, Terry Watson and Denny Holt discussed their experiences working to recover the Apollo crew modules after splashdown and medically quarantining the astronauts after their arrival on Earth. The panel also discussed the indispensable relationship between NASA and U.S. Navy and U.S Air Force, which made successful recoveries possible. The audience was encouraged to ask questions, and the panelists discussed their experiences

Saturn Booster Operations: Saturn V Launch and S-IVB Trans-Lunar Insertion

Panelists Frank Van Rensselaer and Dean Hanks spoke about the Saturn Launch Vehicle, describing how it carried Apollo missions to the moon. The evolution of the rocket and their roles within the missions, as well as rocket logistics, was also a hot topic.

Hanks recounted the Apollo 12 vehicle getting struck by lightning a minute after launch.

“The crew warning systems were lit up like a Christmas tree,” Hanks said. Luckily, it was resolved and the rest of the mission went smoothly. 

Apollo Lunar Surface Exploration – EVA [Extravehicular Activity, or spacewalk] and Lunar Rover

Panelists Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, Gerald Griffith, Larry Schmitt, Anne Accola and Samuel Lawrence talked about planning the routes Apollo astronauts took on the lunar surface. They delved into Apollo 17 mission specifics, including emergency return routes and the origin of the lunar rover’s design.

Schmitt said working on the Apollo missions changed the way he viewed spaceflight.

“It changes your perspective on the moon,” Schmitt said. “It’s a magnificent place you can get to from here, you know people who’ve been there. It changes the way you feel about the moon to be part of something like that.”

45th Anniversary of Apollo 17 Remembered

Schmitt had piloted the Apollo 17 lunar module and relayed his experiences as one of the last Americans on the moon. Considered the first scientist-astronaut, he used his experience as a geologist to help explore and map the lunar surface. Additionally, Schmitt shared a short anecdotal story revolving around the popular belief that there are no actual pictures of Neil Armstrong on the moon. He showed the audience a picture of Armstrong on the moon holding a rock sample that, despite Armstrong having picked the sample randomly, went on to be one of the most notable specimens collected during Apollo missions.

“Thank goodness he did that, because that sample has turned out to be one of the most important samples we have in terms of understanding the potential resource base we have on the moon, particularly as a support for the mission to Mars,” Schmitt said. 

Content originally posted to the Johnson Space Center website.