Web site recreates Apollo 11 mission in real time
Ever wondered what it would be like if email and Twitter had been around in July 1969 for the Apollo 11 mission? Well, a recently launched Web site is about to answer that question by recreating the entire mission in real time.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has launched a Web site named WeChooseTheMoon.org that is going to recreate the entire Apollo 11 Moon mission in real time. In case you are unfamiliar with the name of the site, it was taken from a speech President John F. Kennedy gave in 1962 after he had already issued the challenge to the country to make the dream of going to the Moon a reality:
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one which we intend to win.
It may seem a bit odd to be doing something like this, but with July 20, 2009 being the 40th anniversary of the historic event, it makes for an interesting look into the past using the latest in technology. The Web site will follow every step of the mission from the moment the rocket launched through the lunar capsule landing and Neil Armstrong’s first walk on the Lunar surface. You will be able to follow Twitter updates from the ‘mission control’, receive email alerts when major events in the mission happen and on the site itself you can see numerous images from various points during the launch & journey. There will also be audio streams on SHOUTcast that will allow you to listen to recordings of the original flight.
While this is an extremely interesting experiment, it is unfortunate it is happening during the summer break for public schools in the United States. Hopefully the site will stay up as a resource for teachers in coming school years.
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