Question on "Space, bitches. Space"

Submitted by Wolverine In Exile on

Space geek in me wonders... why do we promote the Apollo 15 mission as THE all-UM crew, when Gemini 4 was also an all UM crew? Both McDivitt (BSE Aero '59) and White (MS aero '59)received actual degrees from UM, whereas on Apollo 15 Worden and Irwin recieved Masters from UM and Scott received and honorary degree from UM (even though he did attend UM for a couple years before transferring to West Point).

Is there licensing / legal issues / bad blood about not using Gemini 4? I would think that having TWO all UM crewed space missions is an even greater accomplishment than one...

Baldbill

April 16th, 2010 at 9:02 AM ^

Too many people most likely do not even remember or recognize the Gemini missions and the importance they played to the later Apollo missions.

lhglrkwg

April 16th, 2010 at 3:13 PM ^

still though, imagine the commercial if we included gemini too.
it would go the same until the block M and 'The Michigan Difference' come up, after that they would fade back out again and the gemini would come into view and then the block M would fade back in with the subtitle 'Space, Bitches. Space'

Mitch Cumstein

April 16th, 2010 at 9:08 AM ^

Some assclowns F-ed up a mission and it becomes famous, so any mission sharing the same name becomes recognizable. Also Apollo Creed dying in Rocky IV couldn't have helped Gemini's cause.

ijohnb

April 16th, 2010 at 9:11 AM ^

ill of the likes of Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and Tom Hanks!? These men returned from the brink and all went on to have brilliant acting careers!!

Where did the Obama-Moon post go? That was an interesting discussion.

Blazefire

April 16th, 2010 at 9:16 AM ^

One of the mods thought it could end up being a political fight, which saddens me, because I thought it would be a good discussion on scientific goals and what's reasonable and what's not, which is how I meant it, but, whatever.

ijohnb

April 16th, 2010 at 9:16 AM ^

He was sparring with Tommy Morrison and took a massive left hook, died on the spot. Rocky avenged his death however, by taking out Morrison's prodige, Mason-the line-Dixon, in an exhibition bout in Poland. Man, you just can't make up stuff like that.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

April 16th, 2010 at 9:13 AM ^

Possibility: because it might be slightly less tasteful, and slightly more legally problematic having to deal with the White estate to get permission, given White's rather tragic circumstances.

gbdub

April 16th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^

The shirt is cool, but I wish we could have fixed one very annoying mistake the commercial made: the capsule is going the WRONG WAY. Apollo should have been traveling in a posigrade (that is, west to east, or left to right, in the commercial). But the commercial shows Apollo in a retrograde orbit (east to west). As a UofM Aerospace Engineer, I find this UNACCEPTABLE.

Also there is no sound in space. But if there were, it would probably be "The Victors" or the Muppet version of "Temptation".

/nerd rant

st barth

April 16th, 2010 at 10:43 AM ^

although the phrase "space bitches space" is funny in a spoken context...it does seem tasteless when promoted via print and t-shirts. but i think we are going to remain in the minority here as words like that become increasing acceptable

Wolverine In Exile

April 16th, 2010 at 10:55 AM ^

Alumni association claims a plaque was put on the surface signifying the first extraterrestrial alumni association chapter, and carried in the capsule was a small flag, and the seal of the aerospace department. The flag and seal were supposedly returned to Earth.

http://alumni.umich.edu/famous-alumni#Anchor-Astronaut-15436

Plus if you read about the Apollo 15 mission, you'll find out that that crew took A LOT of shit up there they weren't supposed to or wasn't listed on manifests. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the ultimate resting place of a vial of Fielding Yost's DNA....

Feaster18

April 16th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^

Just as a bit of background - The Apollo 15 mission and the UM connection had quite a bit of build-up around Ann Arbor before the mission. As a wee tot, I got to go (along with about 100 others) on a UM Alumni Association charter flight to Cape Kennedy to watch the lift-off, and we were taken on special tours around the facility before the launch. Still etched in my memory 30 years later, so I can't see that ad enough.

MGoShoe

April 16th, 2010 at 10:55 AM ^

...are both storied members of the NASA manned space flight program and are true Michigan Men. LtCol Ed White is literally a true American Hero.

Jim McDivitt, BGen, USAF (Ret):

EDUCATION: Graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Jackson Junior College, Jackson, Michigan, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan (graduated first in class) in 1959 and an Honorary Doctorate in Astronautical Science from the University of Michigan in 1965; Honorary Doctor of Science, Seton Hall University, 1969; Honorary Doctor of Science, Miami University (Ohio), 1970; Honorary Doctor of Laws, Eastern Michigan University, 1975.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded two NASA Distinguished Service Medals; NASA Exceptional Service Medal; two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals; four Distinguished Flying Crosses; five Air Medals; the Chong Moo Medal from South Korea; the USAF Air Force Systems Command Aerospace Primus Award; the Arnold Air Society JFK Trophy; the Sword of Loyola; and the Michigan Wolverine Frontiersman Award, USAF Astronaut Wings.

He was command pilot for Gemini 4, a 66-orbit 4-day mission that began on June 3, and ended June 7, 1965. Highlights of the mission included a controlled extra-vehicular activity period and a number of experiments.

He was commander of Apollo 9, a 10-day earth orbital flight launched on March 3, 1969. This was the first flight of the complete set of Apollo hardware and was the first flight of the Lunar Module.

He became Manager of Lunar Landing Operations in May 1969, and led a team that planned the lunar exploration program and redesigned the spacecraft to accomplish this task. In August 1969, he became Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program and was the program manger for Apollo 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16.

Ed White, LtCol, USAF (Deceased):

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science degree from United States Military Academy; Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering, University of Michigan.

AWARDS: Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

SPECIAL HONORS: Golden Plate Award; Honorary Doctorate degree in Astronautics, University of Michigan; NASA Exceptional Service Medal and Senior Astronaut Wings; Medalha Bandeirantes va Cosmonautica; Firefly Club Award; Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1965; Five Outstanding Young Texans for 1965; The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Trophy; Aerospace Primus Club; 1966 Achievement Award, National Aviation Club; General Thomas White Award.

NASA EXPERIENCE: White was named as a member of the astronaut team selected by NASA in September 1962. He was pilot for Gemini 4, which was a 66-revolution, 4-day mission that began on June 3, and ended on June 7, 1965. During the third revolution, he carried out the first extra vehicular activity in the United States manned space flight program. He was outside Gemini 4 for 21 minutes, and became the first man to control himself in space during EVA with a maneuvering unit. Other highlights of the mission included cabin depressurization, opening of cabin doors, and 12 scientific and medical experiments. He received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the U.S. Air Force Senior Astronaut Wings for this Flight. On March 21, 1966, he was named as one of the pilots of the AS-204 mission, the first 3-man Apollo flight.

Lieutenant Colonel White died on January 27, 1967, in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

M2NASA

April 16th, 2010 at 4:02 PM ^

Michigan also has instruments on spacecraft that have gone to Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, and one development currently that will go to Jupiter just to name a few.

UofM's space program is one of the best in the nation and just one of the many engineering programs that are of the finest of any university in America.

Space bitches, space.