The other silicon disc...
After having seen more than my share of fantasy movies and space movies and having read at least half the numbers, it is hard to believe that the only real ‘out of the world’ mission we’ve accomplished so far is going to the moon and back!
I never gave much thought to this. I had already mentally accepted the reality of space travel. Tomorrow if some scientist came up with a way to make space travel, a reality , i am sure am going to think “Well, it’s about time!” .... Just like how my daughter is totally cool about dinosaurs. If at all they start walking on earth i think children would be the only ones who’d say...
“Yeah...so what’s the big deal?”
Browsing through space.com i came across a little untold story from the past, to be exact, from the year 1969 when Apollo 11 first landed on the moon. As inconsequential as it may seem it just made me go back in time and relive their grand achievement.
We all know about Aldrin and Neil Armstrong’s visit for about 2 hrs and 30 mins on the moon. Along with planting the American flag there and collecting some 50 odd moon stones, answering a surprise call from President Nixon, they had to do something else.... Leave a small silicon disc (not a cd) a coin shaped object about the size of 50 cents with Messages of Peace from the then World leaders (from 73 countries) inscribed on them.
Houston had about a month to collect the messages in time, inscribe it, place it inside a box about the size of a woman’s compact, place that inside a cloth bag to be left beside the flag. Phew!
The message around the disc reads
‘FROM PLANET EARTH JULY 1969’
I say these words are cooler than the coolest of sci-fi stuff i’ve ever seen or read!
here, take a look, Tahir Rahman has written a book on this...
The Silicon disc.
posted by Preethi @ 9:22 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
informative post... i never heard about that silicon disc before... pretty impressive!!!
I still have doubt abt that trip to Moon... if they really achieve that in 1969, why wouldn't they go after that. I just don't understand why they'd quit after just 1 short trip..
cheers!!
thank you....for that sil-hai-kaun piece of information
Interesting...I didnt knew about the silicon disc....;)
@ Hammett: Thank u. But what doubt do you have? Whether they went to the moon at all?? I think they did... it is too big a con job to pull off! BTW they're planning the 2nd trip now. Lets see if the American flag is still there...
@ ceedy: Aaaadhaaab....
@kp: neither did i, till yesterday :)
Thanks for your interest Preeth. Nice blog! I hope that my book makes people aware that the moon landing was definitely real. Young people seem to have lost the reality check here. I have met many of the 12 moonwalkers including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They really did go to the Moon!
The silicon disc has many messages from the world. I like the fact that there are messages from India, Pakistan, Israel, many Arab nations, the Vatican, etc.
My parents immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan in the 1960's. The moon landing was mankinds greatest adventure. It is my hope that the worlds unites again for mankind's next great adventure into the heavens.
Tahir Rahman, author of We Came in Peace for all Mankind- the untold story of the Apollo 11 silicon disc
@ silicon disc: Wow! Welcome to my space sir. I'm plesently surprised. It was very nice of you to have visited my page and taken the time off to leave a nice comment too. I'm going to make your comment a post in my blog today!...
Yes 'space' is something that has fascinated me as well, from when i was a teenager. According to me, moon landing as you've put it rightly 'was mankind's greatest adventure' . To take it away just to popularise various conspiracy theories is almost cruel. I hope your book helps discredit all other theories with all the peace messages that the world is in dire need right now. God bless.
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