Today is the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon. It happened in 1969 when the Lunar module from Apollo 11 touched down in the Sea of Tranquility. Not an actual sea, of course, but a darker area on the moon’s dry surface that was thought to be a sea by early observers.
Not long ago, NASA’s Lunar Range Observer took a photo of the area from 30 miles up. The bright spot to the left is the Apollo 11 site. For the people who already believe humans actually travelled to the moon, this is proof positive that a landing occurred. For all the moon hoax conspiracy theorists, flat-earthers and space travel deniers, it is just another bad Photoshop job.
But take a good look at the site. NASA says the area in the photo is about four tenths of a mile across from side to side and from top to bottom.
It just so happens Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California is about four tenths of a mile across from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh on the west to the outer edge of Autopia on the East,
and also from Mickey’s House on the North to the main gate on the South.
Coincidence? I think not. If the current push towards the private exploration of space continues and ultimately includes space tourism as a main revenue source, the Apollo 11 landing site at the Sea of Tranquility (World) will become a significant historic and recreational destination.
People will flock there with their families, though they’re bound to complain about that insipid music that accompanies the ride on It’s A Small Step After All.
Invent an attraction to go in (or near) Sea of Tranquility (World).
The sorcerers apprintice is the first one to pop into mind. Splashed by an oak bucket with while being chased through a course of challenges that the pointy hat with moons and stars begets. Then the fireworks and the seas rushing in and the sorcerer finally appears to save the day a nd make Mickey feel small. I wonder if it will be under a bubble or participants will wear space suits? Both ok but very different in gravity deprived territory, think of the chase scenes when each footstep springs you into the upper reaches of the park. Huey Dewey and louie will be fun to watch in syncopated slow motion.
I always think of Cindy sucky when I remember the moon landing. Two buddies and I were out wandering around and someone said that’s where Cindy lives so we knocked on the door and she opened it and said comin they are about to walk on the moon. We were there an hour and saw it from beginning to end. Never there before never again but her house is where I wil always remember the moon walk from.
Odd computer this morning. What are those off size letters?
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Cindy’s last name was Sucky? That would make for an unimaginably difficult childhood and adolescence.
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It was suchy(spell checker interceded unnoticed until after the send button was hit) pronounced sue- key
She did fine and happy to marry bob Stevens and be done with guessed pronunciations
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It was my sophomore year in college, and I watched the moon landing at my friend Tom Wilczynski’s farm. He had invited a bunch of hippies to a party and I recall wasband and I were pretty much the only two present who weren’t hight on some drug or another.
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Think of the folksinger, Chuck Suchy.
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Back to being a doily, huh Steve.
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It seems to me we watched it at a friend of my sisters. I just barely remember it.
You’re forgiving for the odd typing today. 🙂
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Those are called capital letters, tim.
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Green cheese curds-locally sourced , of course
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Of course!
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So, does this mean it is too late for me to start the campaign to have this be designated the first off-planet World Heritage Site? I suppose so. Everything is for sale.
In that case, I’m hoping for the Lunar Rover driving course, but to make it more “guest friendly” (and up the concession sales), I’m thinking they need to figure out a way to have cup holders for the gravitationally adjusted glasses of Tang we will all want to be consuming. And maybe a velcro dashboard we can stick on the packages of Astronaut Ice Cream and Space Food Sticks.
It really was an extraordinary time to be a very little kid-great and crazy adventures in space-advances in women’s rights I will never fully appreciate because I take them for granted, side-by-side with great political upheaval. Uff da.
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The bungee chair jump thing a the MN State Fair, what’s it’s name? How high in the air would that think fly on the moon?
How thick would the Belgian Waffles rise?
Has to be a Lutheran dining hall, three at least, the saur kraut one, the lute fisk one, and the just plain ornerily superior one.
Space junk machinery Crater.
BTW, where’s Eric?
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Like, like, like, like, like.
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Now you have me wondering if food on a stick would conveniently stay there, or just float away.
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“Food on a Stick” -Now with a tether!
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Little squeeze aluminum toothpaste tubes of beef paste and goulash on a stick
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I love that! (“Now with a tether!”)
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They call that ride the SlingShot, I think. Gravity on the moon is 17% of what it is on earth. How about the SlingShot ride, only you wouldn’t be buckled in? Just sail at the end of the ride until you landed in the lunar dust. It shouldn’t hurt to land at 17%.
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Good morning. How about setting up a series of small space station that could be visited instead of a single big theme park. It would sort of like taking a trip to a vacation cabin. The small station might be supplied with a vehicle that could be used to go sight seeing. It would be a place to go to really get away from everything.
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The merchandising has already begun
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It could be sent home by us mail so you don’t have to tie it down during your visit
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I’d like to see a petting zoo populated with small friendly alien creatures. Of course, it’s easy to imagine things going horribly, tragically wrong if the zookeepers aren’t vigilant enough.
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How about a Guess Your Weight booth?
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Snort.
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I would definitely prefer going to that booth on the moon rather than here on earth.
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I saw a variation on that in an old New Yorker cartoon. Guess you health related issues based on your weight.
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Is the Moon Bounce too obvious an addition?
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How about a Mars Bounce?
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Since several baboons have already mentioned food and drink, I’m naturally wondering about the toilet facilities. The Stadium Pal addresses only part of the problem. Would each visitor be outfitted with a portable chemical disposal system? Sorry, but somebody has to think of these things.
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Chip and dales gopher holes seem like the logical depositary
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What a beautiful morning! I’m sitting on the deck listening to the birds scold me because the feeders are empty.
I love the ‘Ultimate Bungee’ idea. Is there a way to capitalize on watching the ‘Earth Rise’? Some sort of ride? How about a spoof on the movie ‘2001’ and showing MB raising the monolith? Too abstract?
I think we have to show iMax movies…
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What about the dark side of the moon? That could be a place where night clubs would operate continuously. Nothing but night life. A party that never stops.
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Definitely.
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I am all ready to start performing in one of those clubs. My brand new Shure 58 mic (the workhorse fo the performing industry) arrived yesterday, along with a mic stand and cable. I am ready to rock.
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🙂
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Without an atmosphere, I wonder how sound carries. You might have to have connections to ear buds for each person in the audience. That would make for spaghetti on the dance floor complicated by dancers springing many feet into the air as they are bopping.
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They gotcha singing instead of just plucking away at them bass strings there mama?
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I think the bungee should be a slingshot that would send you sailing off into the no atmosphere hundreds, thousands of feet in the air before marsh mellowing back into the moonscape.
I see mb beating others ( wearing rainbow hats and tee shirts, Islamic headgear and sombreros ) with big bones util the blood from the heads fills the sombrero brims and spills over into tea cups( maybe your right it’s a little too out there)
Could we call it the mad politicians tea party?
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Love “marsh mellowing.”
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It was a perfect day to ride, Ben. I rode over and looked at them setting him the Mankato annual amusement park, the one where they reenact the ancient gladiator schools.
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Don’t think that would work on the moon
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I’m thinking roller coaster design might be challenging……
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OT, looking into GPS units for the car. Any advice?
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Garmin was recommended when I bought. There is a big price break on units that “just” know roads and stuff and units that are tied to current updates on detours and construction delays, etc.
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Be sure to get one with free updates. I have an older one and have to pay $50 for it. But now most do it free.
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Or buy a new car with everything built in.
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The ones on the phone apps are free and easy if that works of not by the cheapest reconditioned thing you can find . It is smalltime technology.
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My son, who always has the latest iphone, what with us wife an Apple Genius, was perfectly happy using the phone to navigate. Then he bought his new car with it built in. He says he wonders how he liked using the phone. But he is techno-spoiled.
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I use the one on my phone often. But we’re planning a long road trip and thinking car mounted might be easier / Better. (?)
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We need to organize character breakfasts. Apparently Mickey already has a spacesuit http://sts-114.jaxa.jp/en/noguchi/report/07.html as photogragherd in this blog. I can’t find Minnie in one. There is lots of web-based documentation of astronauts visiting Disney land so the links with NASA already seem to be in place. Now we need Space Princesses!
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Pink metallic suit concessions will soar
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My amusement park ride is to go to the Cities today. Visiting my wife’s sister (in a nursing home) and her misband. Now there’s a trip for you.
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Now as I think about it, maybe a place called The Sea of Tranquility would be enough for us.
Good day all. Stay safe.
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Peace and quiet (sounds can’t travel in a vacuum), and the Earth and lots of stars to look at! I wish the sea had water, too, then it would be almost perfect.
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I could use some time in a sea of tranquility. Maybe in one of those zero-gravity chairs with a clear view of earthrise and earthset. And unobtrusive little robots to deliver some of the fair food on tethers.
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Well, what about a Moon Mud spa and resort right there on the beautiful shores of the Sea of Tranquility.
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The Sea of Tranquility Theme PArk needs a theme song
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Love it!
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For the long elevator ride up to the amusement park, we could get Kenny G to play, for some nice relaxing music 🙂
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Would we all stare at the numbers?
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For the pre-teen boys, there could be a Moon Station where they get to moon the other visitors, while laughing hysterically.
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Moon pies at the concession booth
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An interplanetary version of Epcot Center where everything is lame and clichéd and commercial and made out of cement.
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You cynic, you.
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I think the moon needs bumper cars. Maybe something shaped more like Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder to make it more futuristic and sci-fi. Have to be a sizable driving area though since I’m guessing the cars caroming off each other might go farther than they do at full gravity.
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like
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And of course,
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The Moon River Flume Ride
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Back a million years ago when iPod was the new thing I bought my son the singer an iPod for his birthday and filled it with every possible version of moon river ever made. Spent a week on the internet downloading all the variations. He was really happy with the gift and the puzzled look I got with why all these moon rivers are on here is exactly what was required. We still laugh every time moon river comes into our lives
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I remember seeing him in target with his buddies around Christmas one year and they were walking by and end cap featuring the drank Sinatra bing Cosby mat king cole Christmas tunes and one of his buddies asked who are those guys? My son teed off on his friends ignorance and wondered how you could get to be 12 and not know who frank Sinatra, bing Cosby and nat king cole were. Made me proud of the morning show upbringing he had gotten
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This is so beautiful, can’t not include it:
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Gorgeous, gorgeous!! Thanks for that, PJ.
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A swinging-on-a-star, moonbeam-gathering ride with dire consequences if you haven’t kept up with your schoolwork.
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