NASA Releases Restored Apollo 11 Video, But Originals Lost 173
leetrout writes "I attended a media briefing held by NASA at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. this morning where they released restored video of the Apollo 11 mission. The clips released are about 40% of the total footage to be restored by September by Lowry Digital in Burbank, CA. Wired has all the clips. A couple remarkable comments made during the briefing included the opinion from the original footage search committee that the original slow scan footage (stored as a single track on telemetry tapes) has been lost forever as the tapes were likely recycled by the mid '80s (apparently common NASA practice). Also, that someone from the applied physics laboratory was in Australia converting the slow scan directly to video. This differs from NASA's goal of merely broadcasting the event, at which it was successful. Unfortunately, no one knows where those tapes of approximately two hours of footage are located."
Computing power (Score:5, Funny)
The render times are probably really impressive too.
It's on a shelf (Score:5, Funny)
Lost? Sure... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Incredible (Score:5, Funny)
I love the remaster! (Score:2, Funny)
the Neil Armstrong ADR is especially good, given the problems with the first version.
"Hey folks, Neal 'Moonman' Armstrong here -- I can say Moonman now, can't I! -- reporting live, that's LIVE LIVE LIVE from the surface of the mooooooooon, that's right, the one, the only, the biggest satellite in orbit around the Earth you all know and love, and lemme tell ya, folks, the Earth is looking pretty damn good from here, it's a real crackerjack experience, even in this helluva suit, to be up here, and waving down there at all you fine listeners. Station break and ID comin' up, but I'll be right back atcha with more moon-media-madness, so stay tuned!"
I'm pretty sure that's William H. Macy, though the alternative sound tracks and director's cut are good, too. Gary Sinese doing his "perpetual typecast criminal conspirator on the moon" is pretty good, too, and I will admit the Reese Witherspoon version makes those space suits suddenly look pretty sexy. The Nick Cage one is cool, too, sort of a National Treasure reprise.
timothy
Re:Incredible (Score:3, Funny)
Re:An interesting PR problem (Score:2, Funny)
Want to see a techie get his panties in a bunch? Tell him the moon landing was a hoax.
Re:Incredible (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah! And Neil shot first!
Re:It's on a shelf (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Incredible (Score:4, Funny)
Basestar.
I am so ashamed of you.
Re:Tape shortage (Score:5, Funny)
"Dude, it's not like we can't just go to the moon again!"
I assumed they dismantled the film studio after the first one ...
Re:An interesting PR problem (Score:3, Funny)
Having a Hollywood studio "restore" the footage is going to provide wonderful ammunition for the conspiracy nuts, as they now get to claim that even if the tapes were real, you have no way of knowing if the restored information is genuine or inserted.
The iPhone Armstrong uses to communicate with Collins (pictured drinking new Pepsi, wearing a Snorg-tee whilst playing on his DS), that's inserted ...
Armstrong Shot First (Score:4, Funny)
Darn directors cuts! I *liked* the old version where you could see the Vaseline blur under the LM, and Armstrong shot first.
Re:Pink Floyd (Score:3, Funny)
ah, times when i wish /. had an Edit Comment option. or something like google's goggles.
The goggles... they do NOTHING!
Re:Missing Two Hours of Footage (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, I'll never get those two hours back.
Re:NASA or the BBC? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Tape shortage (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, but Michael Jackson loaned them a replica sound stage.
Re:Tape shortage (Score:3, Funny)
It looks like these idiots tried to do that with the restored footage by displaying it in the wrong aspect ratio. I really hope it is what I think it is, Wired screwing up, and not NASA.
People(my parents), displaying 4:3 content stretched to fit a 16:9 screen because they want to use the whole screen, drive me batshit!