Badge On The Moon

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by KillarneyRose


Delt Alum, I agree that that sounds highly unlikely. Since he's a Colorado grad, I would be more inclined to believe that it was a Coors.

Rose,

You have to remember that in those days you couldn't buy Coors East of the Mississippi River.

[Betarulz!]

Originally posted by DeltAlum


Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter (Beta Kappa, University of Colorado) is one of several Delts who have been in space. As I understand it, Brother Carpenter is/was kind of a "free spirit," unlike most of the original seven. And, as I recall, he took the second U.S. space flight, a sub-orbital one which lasted about fifteen minutes -- very much like Alan Shepard's. (I think I'm right about this, but am doing it most from memory, and could be mistaken) I think that he missed (don't know whether it was his fault or some primitive computer) the prescribed landing area by over a hundred miles. The were worried for quite a while that he had burned up on re-entry or something.

They found him a few hours later floating around in his capsule and having a good time.

It is absolutely untrue that, when found, he was wearing his Delt badge and drinking a bottle of Rolling Rock. I think.

Okay, I've been reading this post for a long time (since way back in June or July). And I've tried posting to it several times, but I seem cursed...something weird always prevents me from posting to this thread.

Anyways...

Having worked at the most comprehensive space museum in the world during this summer I took advantage of my resources at that time, and asked Max Ary, the CEO of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center about this. He is a noted space historian, and has served as a technical consultant on several movies (Apollo 13), Mini-series (the 1980's Space and Tom Hanks From the Earth to the Moon) and other projects. He knows more about space history at a place where lots of people know space history. He gave me the word that he had heard the Legend and throughout his research and the connections he has made he had never had it verified. That is absolutely enough proof for me.

A couple of other things that I've read that are absolutely untrue.

1). The moon has no gravity...Actually it does and it is 1/6 as strong as that on Earth. If you are 180 pounds on Earth you'll be 30 on the Moon. Further this means that even if the astronaut had thrown it off the moon, it would not be fast enough to leave the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence and would eventually fall to the lunar surface. (Lunar orbit speed is about 3000 mph.)

2). The pin could have been knocked about by later astronauts...no simply b/c all 6 lunar landing missions were to 6 different landing sites...none of which were close enough to each other to be withing walking (or later driving) distance

3). The pin could have survived a reentry trip through the atmosphere...Not a chance...there's a reason why early capsules had a heat shield and why the shuttle has it's Thermal Protection system of reinforced carbon-carbon, thermal tiles and Nomex felt blankets (yes blankets!).

4). Information on Scott Carpenter for DeltAlum Carpenter was the fifth American to go in to space and his mission was orbital. Only Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom made sub-orbital flights. Carpenter was by far the most physically fit of the Original 7, and was considered the philosophical one of the bunch. (Gordo Cooper was the not so serious one and he flew the final mission...he also was the one who overshot his landing target - his fault- and for that reason pretty much was never considered for another flight) This information was taken from the books The Last Man on the Moon by Gene Cernan a FIJI, and from The Unbroken Chain by Guenter Wendt who was the pad leader for all launches of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo with the exception of Apollo 17

5.)Finally in response to those who don't believe there are city ordinances restricting the # of people who can live together I submit two articles from last springs Daily Nebraskan that showcase the situation 5 female Nebraska students found themselves in last spring. Story #1 Story #2

Hope that this clears up a lot of things.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally posted by Betarulz!

5.)Finally in response to those who don't believe there are city ordinances restricting the # of people who can live together I submit two articles from last springs Daily Nebraskan that showcase the situation 5 female Nebraska students found themselves in last spring. Story #1 Story #2

The city ordinance restricts more than three unrelated people from living in the same house. None of those laws call women co-habitating a "brothel".

[DeltAlum]

Betarulz,

Thanks for the update. My comment about the badge surviving a reentry was in pure jest -- just as the rest of that post was. Which is probably why it ticked off some of the folks who believe the "badge on the moon" legend.

Glad to hear the Carpenter stuff. Memory fails after this long. I do personally know some of Carpenters Delt brothers from his time on the CU campus, and they say he was, well, let's leave it as a "free spirit." I had started to question my memory about which flight he was on, so thanks again for clearing that up. I still like my story, because it led up to the Rolling Rock punchline.

Now, I received an e-mailed picture from Phi526 purporting to be a badge that Neil Armstrong took to the moon. The picture is very dark, so I ran it through Microsoft PictureIt and lightened it up and increased the contrast somewhat and enlarged it, which got it to the point that I could read most of it.

If the picture is legitmate -- and I have no reason to believe it isn't -- there is a Phi Delt Badge, complete with the sword guard mounted under a letter which was supposedly signed by Neil Armstrong. It appears to me that the letter says that this badge "traveled to the lunar surface" in "The Eagle" which was the name of Armstrong's lunar module -- the part of the spacecraft that made the moon landing and then, leaving it's base behind, rejoined the command module orbiting the moon. Nowhere does it say that the badge actually left the module, was attached to a flag, or was actually taken out of the capsule.

So, again assuming the legitimacy of the photo, it appears to me that Armstrong probably took the badge on the trip to the moon and back.

I suppose it's possible that the exhibit is a sham which has been pulled on the fraternity, but I don't know why anyone would do that.

I have said before on this thread, that I have no trouble at all believing that a number of Greeks who have served as Astronauts decided to take their badges along with them. It's just this "badge attached to the flag on the moon" garbage that makes me rile a bit.

For what it's worth.

[cash78mere]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
I have said before on this thread, that I have no trouble at all believing that a number of Greeks who have served as Astronauts decided to take their badges along with them. It's just this "badge attached to the flag on the moon" garbage that makes me rile a bit.

bingo. you hit the nail on the head, deltalum.

about the picture--it was so dark i could barely read it and i'm definitely not as technologically advanced as you!

when i get an email back from phi delt nationals, hopefully it will be the end all and be all.

[cash78mere]

got the reply! here it is:

************************************************** *
The pin in our library here at Phi Delta Theta Headquarters is no urban legend. I will quote the letter that is signed by Neil Armstrong and displayed with his Phi Delta Theta badge. From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington, DC., "This badge of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity was placed aboard the Apollo 11 and carried to the surface of the moon by the lunar module "Eagle" on mankind's first lunar landing, July 20, 1960." Neil A. Armstrong, Command Pilot. The part of the story you mentioned about him pinning it onto the flag is incorrect, of course, but he did, indeed, take the badge with him on Apollo 11. As a side note, we also have a pair of tiny flags, one U.S. and one Phi Delta Theta, which Neil Armstrong took with him in March of 1966 aboard the Gemini VIII, during the first docking of two spacecraft. Let us know if we can answer any other questions for you. One of our staff members is a Chi Omega and has been advisor to the Chi Omega chapter at Miami U. She might also be able to help you with these types of questions. Good luck with your endeavors.

Laurie Rosenberger
Assistant to the Executive Vice President
***********************************************
back to me.....
people get so wrapped up in themselves and their org that they stretch the truth and make perfectly valid (and kinda cool) information and stretch it to the unbelievable. as both DeltAlum and i have said, it's not the fact that a pin was on the moon, it that people have INSISTED that it was/is PINNED up there, taken off, worn while Neil Armstrong danced the jig, etc. gosh, the next thing people are going to insist is that there was an initiation held up there during one of the missions.

let's stop the bragging and focus on spreading the TRUTH. think about things LOGICALLY.

so, congrats to you phi delt!

[DeltAlum]

That's a good story that any Greek should be proud of -- especially the Phi Delts. Thanks to Phi526 and Cash78Mere for the evidence -- and to Betarulz for the most interesting research.

Originally Posted by AXWhoah

Does it really matter?? Does anything on greekchat matter, no. It's just a place to shoot the s@*t, nothing here matters. If you think that anything here matters you're kidding yourself. And honestly what is with the old people here. I'm pretty sure that when I'm middle aged I will have a job and, um, a life! I just come on here now cause I'm stuck here in Tucson for summer school, it cuts the boredom. Seriouslly, grow up and get a life....

Yep. Definitely not mourning her in the GCers long gone away thread.

Yep.

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by OTW

Yep. Definitely not mourning her in the GCers long gone away thread.

Yep.

That thread is how I found this one. When I couldn't stop laughing it was time for a bump.

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by cash78mere
...Going on the Apollo 12 moon flight in Nov. will be Lt. Col. Richard F. Gordon Jr. whose wife is Barbara Field Gordon, Univ. of Washington. Barbara was pictured in the winter 1966-67 LYRE after Astronaut Gordon had flown on Gemini Two.

Good info, cash78mere, only one correction (unrepentant space buff that I am ) to set the record straight :

Richard Gordon actually flew on Gemini XI (Gemini flight numbers were always in Roman numerals except for the first three missions) with Charles 'Pete' Conrad, and later flew the command module Yankee Clipper while fellow crewmen Conrad and Alan Bean landed on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission aboard the lunar module Intrepid. BTW, Gordon was a Navy commander (both the Gemini XI and Apollo 12 crews were all-Navy).

Gemini 2 was an unmanned space flight test of the Gemini capsule. It later became the first space capsule to be reused (and this was long before the Space Shuttle), becoming the 'Blue Gemini' space capsule for the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory flight test.

Hope this helps.

[cash78mere]

Originally posted by AlphaSigOU


Good info, cash78mere, only one correction (unrepentant space buff that I am ) to set the record straight :

Richard Gordon actually flew on Gemini XI (Gemini flight numbers were always in Roman numerals except for the first three missions) with Charles 'Pete' Conrad, and later flew the command module Yankee Clipper while fellow crewmen Conrad and Alan Bean landed on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission aboard the lunar module Intrepid. BTW, Gordon was a Navy commander (both the Gemini XI and Apollo 12 crews were all-Navy).

Gemini 2 was an unmanned space flight test of the Gemini capsule. It later became the first space capsule to be reused (and this was long before the Space Shuttle), becoming the 'Blue Gemini' space capsule for the U.S. Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory flight test.

Hope this helps.

alphasig-

cool info
i copied that directly from the article that was sent to me that was published in the old LYRE. being as i know nothing about space, i can only assume that since the article was published before the flight, maybe things changed? i don't know!

[AlphaSigOU]

Not a problem there, cash78mere. Just clarifying a few things, is all. But it was a good article you posted, nevertheless.

On a similar but unrelated point, being also a Mason, I'm proud to be a charter member of the future Masonic lodge on the Moon (though it'll probably happen well after my lifetime). Here's the story behind it:

During the Apollo 11 flight to the Moon, astronaut Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin (he later legally changed his name to Buzz Aldrin only) carried a special deputation fron the then-Grand Master of Masons of Texas, J. Guy Smith and instructed to make 'due return of his actions'. This was basically a paper signed and sealed by the Grand Master deputizing Brother Aldrin (a member of Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417 near Houston, Texas) as a special representative of the Grand Master. Brother Aldrin took the document in his personal preference kit to the moon and returned it, certifying that the document traveled to the Moon and back. (The special deputation is now on display at the Grand Lodge of Texas Library and Museum in Waco, Texas.)

Technically, this made the Moon a Masonic jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Texas. In December 1999, at the meeting of the Grand Lodge, and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the moon landing, they created a special lodge of the Grand Lodge of Texas named Tranquility Lodge No. 2000. This lodge is open for membership to Master Masons who belong to a grand lodge in fraternal relations to the Grand Lodge of Texas.

More information on Tranquility Lodge #2000 is at http://www.tranquilitylodge2000.org .

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by Discogoddess
I stand corrected. Soror Jemison, on her web site (www.maejemison.com), only mentions that she went into space on the shuttle Endeavor. I do know, however, that wherever she went in space, she took an AKA flag with her. Not sure if this was while she was in the cabin, working outside the cabin, or whatever. Just know that she did it, and we're tickled about it.

Astronauts are permitted to carry what is known as a 'personal preference kit' (PPK) containing personal items of a sentimental nature to the astronaut. After the Apollo 15 PPK fiasco (in which a whole bunch of flown covers (stamped envelopes postmarked with launch day and landing day postmarks) appeared in a philatelic auction shortly after the mission)did NASA severely restrict the quantity and type of items an astronaut could carry into space.

Generally, PPKs are not opened during the flight, but the contents are listed in the crew's manifest.

In this case, Soror Jemison probably included an inscription or an affidavit on NASA letterhead to include with the flag stating (for example) "this flag was flown aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-XX (dates of mission)". Without the letter and/or the authentic signature of Soror Jemison, the flag would not have 'provenance' as a flown item. Some will include a picture taken during the mission of the item as further proof that it was flown.

[GeekyPenguin]

Why worry about your badge going to space when instead you can have your sisters go?

[Tom Earp]

OMG, everyone had thier Badges taken to outer space or placed on the moon!

Just seach and find out how many went! There was a LXA from the U. Mo. who was there!

So big deal!

No, there were things that were smuggled aboard the space flights in small amounts that would mean something to people of the Family in one form or another when they returned!

Had to be small and was given to them for personel things to do. Some made it into a big deal! Business!