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Tag Archives: Apollo 11

ⓜ Perspective and Hope

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This entry is part 9 of 33 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote: As I mentioned previously, in 2009 the Redemptorist Press invited me to write a series of reflections on issues of religion and science for the Sunday bulletins that are distributed in churches throughout the United Kingdom.  As it happens, the days of the week in 2009 match those of 2020 (after this year’s leap day) and the liturgical calendar also matches; thus, both in 2009 and 2020, the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time falls on 19 July. Here’s what I wrote for the third reflection: “Here, from His Observatory at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Paul the Sixth is speaking to you astronauts. Honor, greetings, and blessings to you, conquerors of the Moon, pale lamp of our nights and our dreams! Bring to her, with your living presence, the voice of the spirit, a hymn to God our Creator and our Father. We are close to you, with our good wishes and with our prayers. Together with the … Continue reading →

Buzz Aldrin

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This week Buzz Aldrin turned 90 years old !! The second man to walk on the moon on July 20th 1969. What a legacy, and an adventurous spirit he has. I was reminded of going to see him speak back in 2014 when he visited Ireland. The venue was The National Concert in Dublin, it was on November 18th. A very memorable occasion. The concert hall was packed to the rafters, the atmosphere was tangible. One of Irelands most loved broadcasters was going to interview Buzz. The interview, one of a series called Face to Face with Gay Byrne. The two men sat in comfortable armchairs close to each other. The chairs were angled towards the audience. As far as I know, the interview was not filmed but it may have been recorded. However, as yet I have not found any radio clips online. Colonel Aldrin is an extremely interesting man and he held the packed hall for over an … Continue reading →

50th Anniversary Moon Landing

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  On July 19th it was my pleasure to run two Apollo 11drawing workshops for children in Co Sligo Ireland. This was the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. Seeing the moon landing live on TV 50 years ago was a big deal to me. It influenced my life in many ways, it still does. Therefore being so close to July 20th, I included my workshops as part of the global celebration of Apollo 11 in the IAU ( International Astronomical Union) events list. You can see mine and  the events from all over the world here. Its interesting how the Apollo moon landing absolutly pulled the entire planet together as one back in 1969. A few hours of focused global awe for the achievements of three men on our behalf. We need more of that unity, we need it so much. Ocean FM based in Co Sligo interviewed me about the Apoll 11 moon landing … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: February 15 and July 21, 1969 – Apollo related visits

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This entry is part 9 of 54 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today, we take advantage of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing to jump out of the usual sequence and go to 1969.  The first part of today’s guestbook entry is from February 15, 1969, when Frank Borman made a visit. Next to his name, Col. Frank Borman, USAF (1928–) wrote, “Houston, Texas”. He came with his wife Susan and his two sons, Edwin and Fred, who also signed the book. Frank was an astronaut with NASA. He was mission commander on the Gemini 7 mission. After the disaster of Apollo 1 that killed its crew, Borman’s testimony helped convince Congress to continue the Apollo program. On Christmas Eve of 1968, Col. Borman and his crewmates on Apollo 8, Jim Lovell and William Anders, became the first human … Continue reading →

Apollo Moon Masterpiece

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Way back in time when I was just 11 years old I bought myself a copy of National Geographic Magazine. The February 1969 issue came with a large comprehensive moon map. The map is jam-packed with moon information, including the proposed sites for the Apollo Missions. This Apollo Moon masterpiece shown above is a true thing of beauty. This treasure has been on my wall for decades, an inspiration every time I look at it. The original artwork for the near and far side of the moon was hand-painted by cartographic artist Tibor Toth.   There were no computers in graphic art at the time. The map was designed by Dave Cook who also did most of the writing for the gorgeous snippets of lunar information included in every nook and cranny. Others credited with the work on the map are  Richard Furno, Dave Moore, and Jay Igno. Back then copying and pasting was just exactly that, cutting out text … Continue reading →

Keep up with the Apollo 11 – 50th Anniversary

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    There is an abundance of Apollo 11 50th Aniversary  activities flooding the internet at the moment. Here below are a few that I find interesting and perhaps you have not found them yet. Hopefully, you can access most of them no matter what country you are in  while reading this write up. Share your Apollo 11 Story with NASA a call out to the world One that resonated with me is the NASA call out for oral recordings of peoples personal memories of the moon landing in 1969. This call runs up to December 31st 2019. It is easy to do and there is a list of questions to address in your recording that helps to structure your audio. The questions help to build a picture of the impact of the first moon landing on peoples lives. A few weeks ago I recorded my four minutes worth and sent it in. It felt good to do it, some … Continue reading →

Cruinniu na nOg 2019 – Apollo 11 Drawing Workshop

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I really enjoyed taking part in Cruinniu na nOg last year. The preparation, the fun, the smiles,and the work produced. This year because of COVID 19 the events are all online.  I have found myself unprepared for it and will miss out this time. However, I am working on some online ideas and hope that these efforts will be useful in the future.  Here is what happened in two venues in 2019. Cruinniu na nOg  means the meeting of the young in the Irish language. Creative activities are funded on that special day by the local authorities all over the country. The overarching body is  called Creative Ireland. Ireland as a country therefore  backs creativity nationwide for all her children. My drawing workshop Let’s Go To The Moon – Apollo 11 became part of this government initiative to stimulate creativity. Cruinniu na nOg is aimed to encourage children to get involved in new experiences while creating and also having fun. … Continue reading →

Crater Virus infects Science Week Drawings

Recently here in Ireland we had the phenomena that is Science Week. A nationwide effort by hundreds of people to open the many facets of science to children and adults all over the country.  My offerings were workshops about the Apollo 11 moon landing called Let’s Go To The Moon – Apollo 11, Deadly Moons and Marvellous Mars. All of which I have written about in the past hit the links to check them out. This year a unique crater virus came to visit and spread itself around many drawings. Guidance Increasingly I have being introducing drawing techniques in my workshops.  Sometimes the effect has a slow uptake and other times it has an immediate viral effect. One such action is a tip on crater drawing , kids just love it. Here below we see some drawings that benefited from simple guidence. Examples of the crater virus that invaded hundreds of drawings and created smiles all over the room.   … Continue reading →


Space Week – Apollo 11

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During Space Week 2018  Let’s Go To The Moon  offered  children the chance to draw some aspect of Apollo 11’s iconic mission.  Almost 400  took part in various venues across the country.  This therefore offered me an ideal opportunity to vary the subjects of the drawing challenges for the kids. Drawing tuition During all workshops I  offer a demonstration drawing . This is done in seconds to help the children focus on the important aspects of drawing.  Each child has about 20 minutes to draw therefore focus is vital. Teaching  them to observe the subject before starting is key.  Asking the kids if they agree with me about recognisable shapes within for example Buzz Aldrin’s helmet and visor. Inviting  them to look closely at where the shadows are and  where the light is. Requesting the children  to be mindful of curves , rectangles, cylinders, cones and key markings is a good way to go. I  encougage the children not to … Continue reading →

Let’s Go To The Moon – Apollo 11 new drawing workshop

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Recently I was invited to do two workshops at St Columba’s College in Dublin.  I decided to launch my new workshop  for 2018/2019 entitled, Let’s Go To The Moon –  Apollo 11 . The college was founded in 1843. The architecture is a cross-pollination of Victorian , Georgian and 21st century on a 140 acre setting on the slopes of the Dublin mountains. The day I visited the grounds were acutely swaddled  in snow,adding to the rich atmosphere of the place and its history. The phrase deep and crisp and even echoed in my head. My workshops were part of the college Arts Week 2018. Attending were a mixture of primary school and first year second level pupils. The sessions took place in the beautiful new science building fully equipped for exploring the moon landing through drawing. The room has a lovely new 8 inch dob, which the science teacher will use to share the moon and other night time … Continue reading →

Get the Moon in your head – Learn from Galileo and Apollo 11

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          Learn from  Galileo – 1610 ‘At conjunction the moon occupies a position between the sun and the earth; it is then illuminated by the sun’s rays on the side which is turned away from the earth. The other hemisphere, which faces the earth, is covered with darkness; hence the moon does not illuminate the surface of the earth at all. Next departing gradually from the sun, the moon comes to be lighted partly upon the side it turns toward us, and its whitish horns, still very thin, illuminate the earth with a faint light. The sun’s illumination of the moon increasing now as the moon approaches first quarter, a reflection of that light to the earth also increases. Soon the splendour on the moon extends to a semicircle, and our nights grow brighter; at length the entire visible face of the moon is irradiated by the suns resplendent rays, and at full moon the whole … Continue reading →

Kicking up some more dust – Apollo 11 Memories part 2

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The Apollo 11 Moon landing in July 1969 had a profound effect on my life. It gave me an interest in astronomy and space that has stayed with me ever since. It has inspired my paintings and my outreach education efforts later in life. In September 1969 I went back to school full of anticipation that my teacher would talk about the biggest global event of the summer. For some reason I truly thought, she would tell us more about it and make a big deal of it in class. No, not a word, not a mention, nothing at all. I was beyond disappointed at the time, that has stuck in my craw ever since. Back in 1969, you did not really engage with your teacher, ask questions or bring up issues. You sat at your desk (wooden with an ink well) with 54 other children and absorbed whatever they dished out. My last year in primary school was in … Continue reading →

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