Some weeks I never have enough material to cover for a column and, other weeks, I have way too much to fit into a 1,000-word column.
Last week I wrote about the monumental achievement of the moon landing of Apollo 11.
It’s hard to believe the spacecraft’s three on-board computers combined had less ability than the cell phone you carry in your purse or pocket every day.
To think, with that type of technology, they actually got a man on the moon is staggering. Instead of computers, they relied on good old-fashioned brainpower, a simple calculator and a sharp pencil.
One fact I ran out of room to mention last week was an area machine shop’s part in NASA’s moon mission program.
The Ashley Machine & Tool Co., West Wyoming, manufactured parts for the hatch of the lunar lander.
Grumman Engineering Corp. listed Ashley as one of the top 10 subcontractors in efficiency and production.
At that time in the mid-60s, Ashley employed 85 workers, fulfilling jobs for the U.S. Navy’s F-111 plane. Since then, Ashley provides parts for Boeing, Vought Aircraft, Kaman Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, CPI Aerospace, Goodrich Aerospace and Sikorsky Aircraft, producing parts for the Black Hawk helicopter. It has also produced products for the F-18 and the B-1 Bomber.
My Uncle Tony Callaio was a part of the Ashley team for many years during the Apollo years and finished out his career with the West Wyoming Co.
It’s pretty cool knowing a local company and its workers had a hand in history. Their product will remain on the moon forever.
I also didn’t get a chance to mention my friend Bob Dellarte, a fellow photographer with a studio in West Pittston.
Bob has always been an astronomy fan and was a member of an astronomy club for many years.
While many people had amateur telescopes, Bob had one of the best you can buy for household use.
In the mid-80s, he put together an idea that involved a phone call, a poster, a pen and FedEx.
His idea was simple. He wanted the three Apollo 11 astronauts to autograph the famous photo of the Earth taken from the moon in full color.
The idea was simple, but how was he to pull it off? I’m sure all three astronauts did not live close to each other and the chances of Bob meeting all three could take years. Even if he had the chance to see any one of them in person, would he be able to get their autographs? That would mean carrying around the poster all the time.
The only way to pull off such a plan was to have the poster shipped to each astronaut. So the question was, how was he going to get addresses to reach each astronaut?
Bob thought he would call NASA and just ask for their addresses.
Wait, what? That’s just what Bob did. I don’t how he even found a phone number for NASA, because I’m sure the number isn’t listed in the phone book. But Bob found it.
According to Bob, once he asked for addresses, he was on hold for just a few minutes before getting them pretty quickly. Try pulling that off today!
The next step was to devise a strategy on how to get the poster to each astronaut.
His logic was to send the poster to Neil Armstrong last, thinking if the other two signed it, he would, too. That worked.
Bob also set up with FedEx to send the package to Mike Collins, the command modular pilot, first. Instead of Collins sending it back to Bob and then Bob sending it to Buzz Aldrin next, Bob would just pay the postage for the package to go from astronaut to astronaut and finally back to him.
To legitimize the request, Bob sent a personal letter to each astronaut with a photo of himself and his telescope, making it very personal.
As crazy as the plan was, it worked without a hitch — well, a little bit of a hitch.
Bob said Collins had the package for about two weeks before sending it onto Aldrin and finally onto Armstrong.
Bob admitted he wasn’t sure if Armstrong would even participate because, at that time, the first man on the moon had taken a giant leap away from the public. Armstrong, his wife and children, bought a farm away from everyone to attempt to lead a more private life.
Reluctant or not, Armstrong signed the poster and notified FedEx to pick up the package to return it to Bob.
I still shake my head that Bob was able to make his dream and plan come true.
I saw the poster with signatures many years ago and, as a space geek at the time, I was super impressed then and even more now.
With Armstrong’s passing and the marking of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing, that poster will always be cherished.
Quote of the week
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Bernard M. Baruch
Thought of the week
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
Bumper sticker
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
