To be a bit meh about all the moon programmes?

[MoonyMcMoonFace]

I think I am. I usually love history and find space interesting, though I find it hard to wrap my head round. But I’m quite “whatever” about all the coverage. Maybe it’s just been too much?

Is there a good programme that will change my mind?

I'm with you, I have little interest in it all really.

She is - she’ll be 101 this summer!

I'm guessing people who are bored by this anniversary are younger and didn't live through those incredible times? In terms of it being advantageous, many of the items we use today were invented at NASA. And for me, the moon landings show humans' desire to learn and explore.

I was a small child when this happened...I remember my dad being very excited and staying up to watch it!

I am loving the moon Telly...it is bringing back fabulous memories.

Christ, if that doesn't thrill you, what will?
I had a friend who thought climbing Everest was 'not a big deal', and that made my jaw slacken.
But walking on the fucking moon?
That is one of the most inspiring things that's ever happened.
Perhaps Neil Armstrong should have added a bit of singing and dancing to jazz it up a bit
Jeez

I wasn't all that into it, but then we went to the local observatory on Sunday and watched a film in one of those theatres where you lie back and watch it on the ceiling. It was about the moon landing, and wow.

It was so emotional. I got quite choked up, tear rolling down my cheek. Couldn't believe it!

We came home and watched Apollo 13 that night. Same thing - found it really moving.

I'm not into space at all. Or so I thought.

So, in summary, YABU.

I'm guessing people who are bored by this anniversary are younger and didn't live through those incredible times?

Nope - born long after the moon landings and still find the while thing utterly mesmerising. Like you say, it's inspring to see how much science can acheive given the technological limits at the time, combined with curiosity and a fair bit of bravery and skill.

Would be good if science was still so highly regarded and we could put the same amount of effort/funding into stuff like climate change. But we have apps that can age your face, so y'know, swings and roundabouts...

I would like to recommend the book 'Astronaut Wives Club' by Lily Koppel. I think it wad made into a US TV show too, but I haven't seen it. But the book is amazing. Obviously it's all about the women behind the scenes, from the very first astronaut selections to the end of the space race. It gives a completely different perspective on the whole thing.

Most of the programmes have been very similar (for obvious reasons!), I find it fascinating but the multiple cookie cutter programmes pretty teedious.

I have loved the coverage. I was around for the moon landing, and I admit, like some posters on here, who are possibly the same age I was then, I found it a bit "meh, whatever" at the time.

Now I am overwhelmed by it. First the bravery of those three guys. Knowing that they were putting themselves at such risk, that if anything went wrong there was no way to be rescued. I heard a reading of the speech that was prepared for Nixon to give if they had died or been stranded and it made my eyes fill with tears. How their families bore it I do not understand.

Second the sheer audacity of the whole project, I think of the technology that was available to the engineers and scientists then, and remember that we carry mobile phones these days that have more technology available to us than the entire project had. Agree that The film Hidden Figures gives amazing insight into this.

Thirdly, there are very few events that bring the whole world to a standstill. I have lived through two of them, the moon landing and 9/11. I find rewatching 9/11 footage heartbreaking. The moon landing footage is exhilarating, heartwarming and makes me proud knowing that humankind can achieve such heights of invention which celebrate our creativity (though sad that so often our inventions are cruel and destructive). Those two events are at opposite ends of the continuum of humanity, I sometimes find it hard to reconcile our creativity and predilection for destruction.

Apollo 13 is good.

Not quite about the Moon landing, though. Is it?

You don't have to watch all programmes. It's good there's a choice.

I agree with you OP, I'm really meh about it too.
I'm old enough to remember watching it live on TV. It just looked like bagpuss to me ( I was 4!), and I still can't get excited about it. And Brian Cox is a bit of a knob

I couldn’t give a frig either, OP.

I'm with you, OP.

VVVVVV boring.

Who cares?

I find the articles about Artemis very interesting (first woman on the moon in 2025). And love the name change.

I find it all fascinating and have enjoyed the programmes I've seen on TV.

Tbh I don't think there's really been that much in. It's been very easy to avoid if you've chosen too or you've not been interested. I know many people not that interested who haven't watched any of it this month after all.

It's also not like they're on all the time. It's a special,anniversary - 50 years - so,obviously there's a little more focus on it, like there is for many anniversaries of other events.

Far more interesting than the usual nonsense on some channels that's for sure!

The moon landing footage is exhilarating, heartwarming and makes me proud knowing that humankind can achieve such heights of invention which celebrate our creativity (though sad that so often our inventions are cruel and destructive). Those two events are at opposite ends of the continuum of humanity, I sometimes find it hard to reconcile our creativity and predilection for destruction.

Incredible - and isn't it ironic that it was science and mathematics that brought about the exhilarating, heart-warming event - and religion (albeit religious fundamentalism) that brought about the worst.

There is something in that, that really makes me wonder. Especially as maths isn't usually associated with profound human creativity.

YABVVVU!
As others have said, amazing achievement.
I'm fascinated by all things space so.....

I was born after the landing. My first memories of real space travel was the Challenger disaster. Remember the excitement of a teacher going into space and the dreadful images after.

Understandably there was a lot of coverage of moon landing so it did all blend a bit for me. I watched a documentary about the people behind the scenes - the scientists, people who made the suits, did the calculations and found that really good.

oooermissus

I think maths is creative! The development of mathematical thinking in different parts of the world, what worked or didn't work as communities became more sophisticated and needed to be able to record and calculate more efficiently is very interesting. One of the reasons I have seen postulated for the fall of the Roman Empire is that their method of calculation was too clumsy and slow to deal with the complexity of running an empire.

And rather ironically, the single invention that made calculation as we know it easy and manageable - so indirectly enabling the moon landing - was the introduction of the numeral zero as a placeholder, an introduction made by Arabic mathematicians, whose descendants then perpetrated 9/11. Sort of full circle.

Well, yes, of course it is - as things like the moon landing amply prove.

I just meant that people usually associate the arts, music, drama, etc, as being the creative fields.

But, actually...

A bit overdone, almost like they're trying to convince us

I've always felt bad about this, but I really just cant find an interest in it. I think the whole thing was hyped up because of the cold war. The USSRs achievements in space are more intresting to me

I was reading about Challenger the other day. Completely grim. They were all still alive whilst it fell to earth after the explosion. NASA hugely ballsed that up

I was a bit meh about all the sport that took over the TV a couple of weeks ago. I just chose not to watch it. Each to his own.