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Post by Wes on Apr 14, 2010 22:47:30 GMT 10
Canberra's 'crucial' role in Apollo 13 rescue.The role Australian space communication centres played in the Apollo 13 rescue mission 40 years ago is being celebrated in Canberra. The lunar mission's three man crew was heading towards the moon in April 1970 when the spacecraft's oxygen tank exploded. The Honeysuckle Creek and Tidbinbilla tracking stations in the ACT played a crucial role in ensuring communication lines stayed open during the rescue operation. Don Gray was the director of the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station at the time. He says his team helped to make the dish at Parkes in New South Wales operational in just three hours, restoring communication lines to the astronauts. "[We're] immensely proud of our involvement and immensely proud of all the support team, everybody did his job," he said. "We did everything that was humanly possible to make sure that the communications line stayed open to the astronauts." Mr Gray says without that link the astronauts may not have returned to earth safely. "When you're 200,000 miles from home and no telephone line, you would feel very lonely out there and if you couldn't talk to anyone I'm not sure that you would have the right mental attitude to get that spacecraft churned up," he said. au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/technology/7060378/canberras-crucial-role-in-apollo-13-rescue/Sky Trackers Radio Telescopes of Australia
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Post by Wes Gear on Apr 14, 2010 22:57:20 GMT 10
was it the right stuff that showed how important the australian stations were to america's space program?
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Post by Wes on Apr 14, 2010 23:00:17 GMT 10
Maybe right position on Earth, down under.
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Post by brillbilly on Apr 15, 2010 0:27:49 GMT 10
thanks canberra for your help with apollo 13,we love ya for it and you saved tom hanks so thanks from me
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