NASA and Apollo Astronaut Camera Lawsuit is a Go

[Guest]

"Jesus... the man went to the moon, give him a break"

Yeah, and I went to a 7-11 at 3am in a VERY bad part of town once. What am I entitled for it? The fact he took a glorified aircraft ride to an exotic destination should have NO bearing on the matter at all. Neither should his rank, position, or status. Its a matter of ownership.

 

[danielravennest]

[citation][nom]Marcus52[/nom]There seems to be some idea here that NASA will never, ever go back, and never, ever want to look at the equipment left behind.[/citation]

The ascent stage that the camera was attached to crashed into the Moon after they left, so all that is left now is a new crater, and maybe some metal debris.

The thing to remember is that he didn't stash the camera under his shirt. Everything that came back from the Moon went into quarantine, and was certainly inventoried. So NASA knew he had the camera. If they didn't raise the issue then, or in the 40 years since, it has been tacitly abandoned by them, as they evidently didn't care enough to raise a fuss all those years.

 

[pirtnac]

On mass: If this thing was a quarter ton you'd have a point. If it's a Polaroid with an altered frame and grease that won't freeze and lock up in low temperatures, then it's probably well within the margins for a person's weight fluctuations, let alone calculations for the entire capsule. Or he left a can of Tang on the moon to balance weight.

On legality: The re-entry vehicle didn't ferry the crew directly to their homes with a note saying "Good run guys, check in with the office some time this month. Please respect the courtesy fridge." It splashed down in the middle of the ocean, was fished out by a warship, and the crew were "debriefed" afterwards. Something going on at the time called the Cold War meant that security around the most advanced aerospace program in the free world was rather tight, he'd have needed approval to keep a toothbrush, let alone camera equipment. He'd not have been able to haul that thing from the moon to back home in secret.

This isn't a case of theft, this is a case of paperwork. Someone in 2011 decided they didn't like the way things worked in 1964, so they're dragging a national hero through court because he didn't have paperwork that was probably invented some time in the 80's for all we know.

 

[Kami3k]

[citation][nom]bv90andy[/nom]This is really stupid on NASA's part... I know Obama left them with no cash... but come on.[/citation]

Wrong.

Also isn't NASA more private now? Hmmm would explain this lawsuit with how happen the corporate world is with them.

 

[Ciuy]

Let him have the damn thing. He deserves it.

Stupid NASA

 

[livebriand]

Great... now they're trying to act like the RIAA, patent trolls, etc...

 

[Guest]

The weight of one camera would make no difference at all in the flight plan. Sheesh, they wouldn't be able to dump the urine into space if the weight limits were that tight. No President since Nixon has been even remotely kind to NASA's budget, but this is someone being petty beyond belief. One would think that some sort of staute of limitations would be in effect if he stole it, which is what NASA is essentially saying (not that I believe that is true). What are they claiming? He checked it out of the library for 40 years?

 

[Guest]

.webbwbb

You need ot take a close look at the backgrounds of the Apollo astronauts. They were much better educated than the chimps and dogs. What, did you think they were grabbing used car salesmen and shooting them into space? Heck, jump on a scale every day and see how your weight varies (human wastes did not stay aboard the craft). Now repeat the process next time you have the flu (to simulate the queasy stomach that people who actually go into space report having). While your at it, try living off of thermo-stabilized hot dogs with cheese spread (and no, I didn't make that up). He probably made the calculations MORE accurate by keeping the weight closer to what was expected. The average weight loss by the men was 15 pounds each (google it), and you thing a 1 pound camera would wreck the whole flight?

 

[garyshome]

Hey NASA needs the money. They will auction it off and give the money to Obama's Re-election Campaign.

 

[Guest]

That camera probably took pictures it wasn't supposed to have taken. That camera and film probably have a unique one of kind optics and film signature. Thus, that camera could be used to corroborate NASA's after the fact cover up. Somebody, not thinking long term, probably leaked out some photos from that camera and put it on YouTube.

 

[garage1217]

Damn bureaucrats have zero sense of what is right. Give him the darn camera. Most of these buttholes that are wanting it back were probably not even born when this guy risked his life. Such stupidity on their part. Makes them look really, really bad.

 

[jsc]

How can you steal abandoned property?

 

[mariusmotea]

It's that camera who photographed the flag waving? I am sure that he was taken on moon where there is no air. Maybe NASA is disturbed because that camera can get certain things to light.

 

[mortsmi7]

I'd be an ass and destroy the camera if NASA won. What could they say?

 

[nikorr]

Is this really needed???

 

[nikorr]

[citation][nom]jsc[/nom]How can you steal abandoned property?[/citation]
I was just thinking the same thing!

 

[Riona]

I totally agree that this is a waste of time and money but I think NASA was trying to stop a precedent that astronauts can just take whatever they want back with them...

What if the item were instead some moon rocks? Rocks are free but the trip to bring it back is not! What if all the crews decided to bring back souvenirs and the total combined weigh jeopardize the mission? As far as i know astronauts are supposed to be the "best of the best" and they are held to higher standards and accountability. I'm sure NASA has strict rules & regulations regarding property and most likely they didn't know about the camera and that's why they are suing to get it back now.

 

[back_by_demand]

[citation][nom]webbwbb[/nom]The biggest problem I see with this is that taking along more equipment (and mass) than the mission planned for could have endangered the mission. They had to have the mass of all astronauts and any thing that they brought with them in order to calculate trajectories and fuel usage. If you suddenly add more mass to the return trip than they had planned for then you suddenly are using more fuel, not reaching the same velocities, and have a stronger wieght force on you. I don't know what he was thinking or why other astronauts went along with his potentially life-threatening souvenir.[/citation]
So therefore he should have been charged with a breech of health & safety, not theft, jury will throw this one out, not a single red blooded American will convict a moon landing astronaut

 

[daglesj]

You know how this has come about?

Well it's probably the fact that the folks at NASA that picked up on this are from the PR/Accounts areas that were not even born when this guy risked his neck for the world and therefore, probably really don't give a damn or understand the significance.

It's just a case of some old dude has a camera he shouldn't have!

I am surprised that someone senior higher up hasn't said "drop it!" But then how many of the 'old guard' are left? Not many probably. Powerpoint Jockeys the lot of them.

 

[reggieray]

Watch our stupid government bureaucracy at work. Let him have the camera government hacks.