Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space Quotes

“Years later, after the Playboy incident had faded to memory, Al Bean looked at a photo he had hanging on a wall. It was a photo of himself that had been taken by Pete Conrad on the moon. Looking closer, he noticed that his cuff checklist was open. “Holy Christmas!” he said. “That’s the Playmate of the Month sitting on my arm!”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“Another prank really took the crew by surprise. It was about two and a half hours into the second extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon’s surface when Bean turned the page of the checklist and was greeted by the smiling face of a topless Cynthia Myers, Playboy magazine’s Miss December 1969. The caption scribbled in a speech bubble emanating from the model’s mouth read, “Don’t forget—Describe the protuberances.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“I remember during one of my launch counts, the ladies were taking our prelaunch breakfast orders, going around the table. I was hearing things like dry toast. A little yogurt. Cereal. You gotta be kidding me, what kind of pantywaists am I flying with? They got to me and I replied firmly and evenly, “Steak and eggs, medium rare and over easy.” Everyone looked at me funny. I stated the obvious. “Hey, we might go out tomorrow and get blown up. I’m going to have steak and eggs!” Immediately, three guys changed their orders to steak and eggs. I was doing all of us a favor, really. You need a hearty breakfast before launch. You’re going to be really busy. Yogurt? Come on.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“As he passed his fellow engineers, they turned away and refused to look at him. “Nobody would shake my hand,” he recalls. “I got to the last fellow, and I said, ‘Hello, I’m Julius Montgomery.’ He said, ‘Look boy, that’s no way to talk to a white man.’ I said, ‘Ah, forgive me, oh great white bastard. What should I call you?’ I laughed, he laughed, and he shook my hand.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“So, if the Russians could land a person on the moon, how could they prove it to the world? Their answer? Nuke it.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“Following World War II, our once fragile alliance with the Soviet Union was put to the test. With the Soviets developing nuclear bombs and missiles that could carry them halfway around the world (Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev proudly boasted that his country was “making missiles like sausages”), the United States needed a means of keeping an eye on what the Soviets were up to. Their answer was the U-2 spy plane.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“The plan was for the rhesus monkey to tap on a telegraph key during the flight. As it turned out, the monkey originally selected was born in India, where monkeys are considered sacred and prohibited from experimentation. To avoid an international incident, NASA switched the monkey for another rhesus by the name of Able.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“Prior to entering the war, the United States produced only 921 planes annually. With the help of the Rosies, that number swelled to more than 92,000 units annually by 1944, with a total of more than 300,000 planes being built by war’s end.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space

“The first documented rocket is believed to have been the Chinese fire arrow, which was basically a bamboo tube loaded with a mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur that was then attached to an arrow. The archer placed the arrow on his bow, lit the mixture, and let it fly in the hopes of vanquishing his rivals during battle.”
― Joe Cuhaj, Space Oddities - Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space