The True Story of The Dish and Apollo 11

[@dougmorris2134]

I remember watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing on TV here in UK, a great historical event. Many years later I found the DVD of The Dish, this is still one of my favourite films. Although the film being a comedy-drama, it raised my awareness of the Parkes Observatory in reality, and my furthered my interest in it. Losing Apollo? Just point the Dish at the Moon, and BSing NASA very funny. Great work the real Parkes 🇦🇺 📡 Best wishes from Oxfordshire 🇬🇧

[@bendafyddgillard]

It's good to know more of the real story, thank you. Had no idea about Parkes' role in Apollo 13.

[@jayncoclassic]

Yep I watched the dish and now I'm here

[@RGUS100]

Been there at Parkes to see it... it's really, really impressive. Thanks for the memory.

[@thomthumbe]

You missed one huge point that the guys in Australia heroically solved. In fact, I don’t know if signal strength was much of a factor, but maybe it was. The massive initial problem at first was that the spent S4B and the lander were using the same frequency channel. This was not expected to be a problem because by the time the lander was powered on in preparation for landing on the moon, the S4B third stage had already by then crashed into the moons surface to create a mini moonquake for the seismometer left behind on Apollo 12. The command vehicle and lander was now in lunar orbit, and the lander power up could begin. Alas, the Service Module blew up on the way and the Lander was needed much quicker than ever anticipated. However, since both spacecraft were using the same radio frequency, this became a big mutual interference debacle. It is quite a neat story how the guys at Parkes solved the problem by using some incredible engineering effort.

[@drgozzard]

Wow. Had not heard about that.

[@mikedinn2838]

No. Solved at Hkneysuckle Creek

[@CuzznRickH14]

I had watched the movie and loved it. I knew that there had to be some added drama and that everything in the movie wouldn't be true. But it was still a very good movie. But watching this and learning the full truth of the event was just as entertaining to me. As I remember living in that time, age 12, and watching in awe with my family of the history being made, helped me remember the stone cold silence of a usual vibrantly loud family. Thanks for filling me in on the real history of that moment of time.

[@CuzznRickH14]

Oh, and congrats to all those men and women at that dish and the others that brought us that living history.

[@JamesJohnson-ok1hn]

i met my first Australians in the early 70s those folks are great down to earth people. i hope that without a doubt aussies wil be vital in our future space efforts.

[@garrylarry890]

I am aussie

[@624radicalham]

Or maybe you'll be in theirs. Your comment, although well intentioned, had an air of superiority throughout it as if America was "more" of a country than Australia. And this coming from an American

[@skipper4126]

"You just bullshitted NASA!" So australian XD

[@davidrumpler5528]

A great complement/ supplement to the film “ The Dish”. Thank you!

[@jaynetanner3757]

it's a brilliant feel good film even if its a bit embellished, thanks for the history lesson

[@randyshoquist7726]

I saw the Apollo 11 moonwalk, and I remember the picture suddenly improving a few minutes in. At long last, I now know why.

[@timludlow1]

One of my Top 5 movies of all time. On my way from Arizona to Parkes NSW in March on a pilgrimage for a hayride......and a pie-warmer.

[@michaelbujaki2462]

Did you get the hayride, or did they deny it ever happened?

[@MegaBoilermaker]

Well done Oz !!

[@bernadettelanders7306]

You are the first person, after all these years to say that - Thank You. Most people have no idea Australia had any input at all. I remember watching it on tv at High School in the school hall - yes I’m old lol.

[@MegaBoilermaker]

@@bernadettelanders7306 I lived in Newcastle and Cabramurra in the early 50's.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

@@MegaBoilermaker oh lol. I thought someone from another country was acknowledging Australia’s involvement finally lol. No one would have seen a thing on telly had it not been for our astronomers, scientists and a few big dishes lol

[@MegaBoilermaker]

@@bernadettelanders7306 I am from another countryBernadette. I was a child of an immigrant family in the late 40's but have been here in the UK for most of the last 50 years.

[@rovercoupe7104]

Reliable people the Australians. M

[@davidwarland2680]

Amazing how we were taught nothing of this, I learnt about Australia and Apollo 11 from the movie, and now Apollo 13, not a thing taught in school, how sad.

[@mesonparticle]

Wonderful video David, thank you! Subbed ☺️

[@AJM01]

I liked that film!

[@michaelbujaki2462]

I'd love to see a movie about Parkes during Apollo 13.

[@kcsnow9447]

@4:20:-4:26: Was this the "off axis" signal, as Sam Neill described when he command Glen to: "[go] off Axis...". Was the fact that the real dish could only drop sixty degrees off horizontal the reason the dish couldn't pick up signals from a few degrees more out from center? Say...sixty one, sixty two, sixty three, etc. And so was that the reason Sam Neill's, character tried to reach out and grasp a signal from a few degrees more? "The Dish" is a fine film, and well worth anyone's time who doesn't otherwise have his or her head up their collective a**es. It's a very "human" film too. Don't miss it.

[@a_person1226]

5:20 I completed my work experience at Parkes and I'm pretty sure the maximum winds the dish can withstand are 200km/h, not 100km/h (maybe it's gotten stronger but they haven't changed the externals too much since then)

[@mikestanmore2614]

On the CSIRO site, they list the maximum operating wind speed as 35kph, after which the dish has to be stowed horizontally.

[@a_person1226]

@@mikestanmore2614 yeah I realised I got my facts mixed up I think the 200km/h is for when it's stowed

[@mikestanmore2614]

@@a_person1226 Yes, no worries, I thought that might have been what you meant.

[@robertmyers6865]

Very Good.

[@diabolicaloctopus262]

i watch the movie year ago it is great

[@Jabberwockybird]

Got a basketball?

[@mattlegge8538]

Yeah but it's only got one valve

[@Jabberwockybird]

@@mattlegge8538 what's something that's got two valves?

[@davidrumpler5528]

Cliff: Glenn, why don’t you explain it Ross: This should be good _____________ Ross: I can’t believe I’m a part of this….I definitely can’t believe that Rudy is part of this

[@weestevie04]

@@Jabberwockybird tuba!

[@clairewright8153]

We all know and expect that not all that we see at the movies is going to be factual. Thanks for separating the truth from the drama. Seems John Bolton was quiet the man

[@mikedinn2838]

“The Dish”. At best, highly misleading, but nevertheless, entertaining

[@deanhepple3292]

Kubricks film was better