Fun_People Archive
14 Jul
Techno Ooops


Date: Fri, 14 Jul 95 15:47:48 -0700
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Techno Ooops

Forwarded-by: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: kole@hydra.convex.com (John P. Kole)
Forwarded-by: seads@convex.com (Susie Blackstock)
Forwarded-by: beason@convex.com (Gary Beason)

Live! from the Johnson Space Center, the

Top Ten TECHNICAL ERRORS/ANACHRONISMS in the movie "Apollo 13"

 - compiled by a bunch of genuine NASA dweebs who actually
   noticed these things.

(Reading this list is guaranteed not to give the story away,
 but reading this next sentence will: They make it back safely.)

======================================================================
10. The NASA "worm" logo appears on a glass door.  The logo was not
    developed until 1976.

9.  One engineer checks an astronaut's addition using a slide rule.
    Slide rules are not used for addition.

8.  Jim Lovell's license plate is new.

7.  The astronauts point out the Sea of Tranquility while on the dark
    side of the moon.  It is on the other side.

6.  A technician at the cape is wearing a Rockwell International logo
    on his coveralls.  The Apollo capsule was built by North American,
    which did not become Rockwell International until after the Apollo
    program.

5.  The gantry arms for the Saturn V are released in unison, not one
    at a time.

4.  During entry, the spacecraft is shown hurling directly at the
    earth.  At that angle, it would punch a brief but fiery hole
    through the atmosphere. It should be aiming towards the horizon.

3.  The paint pattern on the Saturn V is for the test configuration,
    not the launch configuration.

2.  The astronauts look at their intended landing site while on the
    dark side of the moon.  It is a good thing they didn't land -
    no communications with Earth, it's dark and very cold.

AND THE NUMBER ONE TECHNICAL ERROR/ANACHRONISM in APOLLO 13 is:

1.  In space, from outside the capsule, propulsion jets do not make
    any noise.

 - Christopher Land

Notes:
	1) Any errors on this list are the responsibility of the reader.
	   If you point them out we may sue, so watch it.

	2) Heretofore notwithstanding and nevertheless hereby
	   contraindicating the previous sentence, any additions
	   and corrections should be passed back to me and I
	   promise to care.  Deeply.



[=] © 1995 Peter Langston []