Warhol on the moon

[Namahage]

via Apollo 12!

Found this story on the Onion first but I thought this headline was a bit catchier:

Andy Warhol Left a Penis Doodle on the Moon

Watch the PBS episode

If true, this has to be one of the better "Easter Eggs" for future pioneers. The video also explains how project engineers inserted family photos aboard the lander. What other contraband is up there?

 

[cinder1992]

:blink:


he did WHAT now? either this is some sort of a hoax, or something has altered the space-time continuum.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I love the Onion News!

 

[Namahage]

This may or may not be a hoax. You can watch the entire PBS segment in the 2nd link above. It's quite interesting. It explains how engineers stashed a number of undocumented items inside the lunar lander. For me, that alone is a surprising revelation.

Then again, I'm no space expert. Is this normal?

 

[Andy44]

No, it certainly is not. Spacecraft are assembled in clean rooms for a reason; hiding objects on them can introduce contaminants and creates a FOD hazard. All items on a space vehicle like that are to be accounted for under strict configuration control. If it'snot in the CC'd drawings it doesn't go on the bus. In addition, there are written procedures for every step of construction. Not following them will get you fired so fast your ears will flap.

I really am surprised to hear Kupcyk admit to doing something so irresponsible. No matter how "hot" he thought his team was, this was dumb. Especially on a manned vehicle!

 

[Quick_Nick]

I believe it was Apollo 12 where they also snuck a camera timer to the moon, and certain 'pictures' made their way into the astronauts' checklists.

 

[statickid]

engineers are people too. i used to work at jpl and can tell you that even the most "stringent" project is still being operated by real people, and like any people, they enjoy frivolity and humor. of course the projects i saw were dealing with machines, like you said surprising for a manned flight, but i can also assure you that if something was "snuck" aboard it would have been within the design specs, and if it was brought into the clean room, they probably actually went through the trouble to sterilize and clean it. These people know their projects 100% inside and out and are responsible even if they are enjoying a laugh!

 

[Andy44]

but i can also assure you that if something was "snuck" aboard it would have been within the design specs, and if it was brought into the clean room, they probably actually went through the trouble to sterilize and clean it.

No, you can't assure me, because you weren't there, and there are no records of what, if anything, was done to these items. Documentation is extremely important. Spacecraft parts are all photographed as they are assembled to assist in future anomaly resolution.

Sneaking a camera timer in one's personal gear is one thing, but hiding items in the structure and thermal protective system of the vehicle is just asking for trouble.

And, yes, I can see why they did it, being human (sort of) myself. I also think that the 1960s space industry was a bit more loose than it is today, not having been bittin enough times by mission failures due to assembly mistakes.

 

[T.Neo]

certain 'pictures' made their way into the astronauts' checklists.

Oh come on, a little morale booster for the crew is always a good thing. :lol:

 

[Namahage]

Interesting debate.

Assuming the photos survive, when the first space museum opens on the moon they will undoubtedly be a part of some exhibit. Talk about cementing a legacy!

 

[Andy44]

Depends on how the photos were printed, and how much UV radiation they are subjected to, I'd imagine. Color photo prints generaly do not last very long, especially those made in the 60s. The pigments fade at different rates, too, which is why so many old color photos are orange-colored. Black and white silver gelatine prints could possible last for centuries. If they are buried underneath the foil insulation, they may be well-protected from UV. The next question is what does the temperature excursions do to them, and also what is the effect of long-term vacuum on chemical photo prints.

I guess, if nothing else, it would be an interesting experiment.

 

[Notebook]

Re: photos surviving.

I worked for a UK broadcaster called Thames TV(now defunct), they did a series called "Hollywood" around 1978. Made by two real characters Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, nice chaps.
We handled a lot of nitrate 35mm negative, this was pre-sound, so was full width, no sound-stripe. Had to modify our telecine machines to play it.
What amazed me at the time was the quality of the images, some of it was over 70 years old and had just been stored in the original cans. It was transfered to video-tape and speed corrected.
Don't know how modern cellulose based film will hold up, but at least its not as flammable.

N.

 

[Andy44]

Nitrate film is scary flammable. It's more dangerous than gunpowder. Under certain conditions it can spontaneously combust. But that old stuff, properly preserved, is amzing in quality. Take a look at glass plates from the 1860s; they are super high res. As photography became more convenient and faster, we've traded baseline quality.

As for the photos hidden on the LMs, I assume these are simple paper prints.

 

[Notebook]

We did have our site fireman around when nitrate stock was being handled. Only one can was opened at a time, and if it wasn't on the machine, it was back in the can.
Tom the fireman set light to some to see how it burned, quite nicely I remember!

Don't think we would do that these days, probably wouldn't be allowed on site.

N.

 

[Ghostrider]

Don't think we would do that these days, probably wouldn't be allowed on site.

I'm amazed we're still allowed to breathe. You know, taking in dangerous, flammable O2 and then expelling CO2 that could asphyxiate someone. Sooner or later someone will come up with the idea that living is a life danger.

 

[Notebook]

You can take health and safety regs too far, no chocs in the workshop! We used to have a coffee machine, that went, no water allowed next to benches. I can see the logic, but it has to be tempered with common sense.
Mind you some of the 'pranks' we got up to were a bit silly. I remember someone... pulling a party-popper behind a bay, just as a colleague was inserting a very expensive circuit-board into a piece of equipment. Good job I could run faster than him.
N.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

collectSPACE: "Interplanetary art smuggler sought by PBS detectives for moon mystery questioning".

 

[Notebook]

I would say that John F., if this is a truthful thing, would be risking his whole career, what he's worked for all his life," remarks Bean.

Would some one do this, perhaps he would...

N.

 

[Ghostrider]

collectSPACE: "Interplanetary art smuggler sought by PBS detectives for moon mystery questioning".

Sounds like a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys title: Mystery of the Moon Men.