40th Moon anniversary: 1969-2009. Six items to remember this event
Sunday, July 19th, 2009I’ll admit it, I belong to the generation that thought year 2000 had to be the dawn of a space age.
July 20th 2009 marks the 40th anniversary for the Apollo 11 mission, the first man on the moon and so on.
Besides our dream, such an event has sparkled media almost 360 degress around.
Here are six items that (IMHO) best recall the Apollo 11 1969 mission and achievement and that you don’t want to miss:
# 1: 
Tom Hanks continues his love affair with space that began with Apollo 13 and his miniseries From Earth to the Moon with this compelling IMAX adventure
Will take audiences to the surface of the Moon to walk alongside the extraordinary Apollo astronauts who have stepped upon its surface. With never before seen photographs, CGI renditions of the lunar landscape and previously unreleased NASA footage, audiences will be immersed in the life-changing experiences of these astronauts by showcasing what they saw, heard, felt, thought and did while on the lunar surface.
# 2: 
In the Shadow of the Moon follows the manned missions to the Moon made by the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The documentary reviews both the footage and media available to the public at the time of the missions, as well as NASA films and materials which had not been opened in over 30 years. All of this has been remastered in HD. Augmenting the archival audio and video are contemporary interviews with some surviving Apollo era astronauts, including Al Bean, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Charlie Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.
# 3: 
Love this one!
Originally broadcast in April and May of 1998, the epic miniseries From the Earth to the Moon was HBO’s most expensive production to date, with a budget of $68 million. Hosted by executive producer Tom Hanks, the miniseries tackles the daunting challenge of chronicling the entire history of NASA’s Apollo space program from 1961 to 1972.
For the most part, it’s a rousing success.
Some passages are flatly chronological, awkwardly wedging an abundance of factual detail into a routine dramatic structure. But each episode is devoted to a crucial aspect of the Apollo program.
The cumulative effect is a deep and thorough appreciation of NASA’s monumental achievement.
With the help of a superlative cast, consistent writing, and a stable of talented directors, Hanks has shared his infectious enthusiasm for space exploration and the inspiring power of conquering the final frontier.
Recommended!
Good news: From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition
# 4: 
Tell me you’re too grown up and you don’t like pop-up books, do you?
his is a handsome, carefully engineered compendium. The text begins with the so-called space race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the l950s and ’60s and then offers brief descriptions of the 17 flights that made up the Apollo program. Here the emphasis is on the famous landing of the Eagle on the Moon in July 1969. The pop-ups and foldout pages on sturdy, shiny paper demonstrate the mechanical aspects of the spacecraft and offer a bold sense of both the rocketry and the trip. Small photographs and drawings surround the larger views. On a few pages a small booklet of information is tucked into a slotted page. With just one pop-up per spread accompanied by other engineered elements, the pages pack considerable information about the Moon and the human experience in traveling to it in both the visual material and the text.
# 5: 
Great book indeed.
While this book dwells more on computers than astronauts, it contains details from the actual moon landings that I’ve never seen published elsewhere.
In Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight
# 6: 
Ok, it’s got nothing to do with space but it’s soooo 70’s!
Dark Side of the Moon, originally released in 1973, is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex, often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesn’t rush anything; the songs are mainly slow to mid-tempo, with attention paid throughout to musical texture and mood.
This new remaster of Dark Side of the Moon is a wonderful sonic treat. The subtle sound effects and rich tapestry of sound is now surrounding you in DSD 5.1 glory (if you have an SACD player) and the clarity is outstanding.
from year 1978 (Earth time) or go crazy with 
