Apollo 15: Complete Downlink Edition

Rating:
Summary: Exploration At Its Greatest!!
Review: Definitely, this set of 6 DVDs is for true Apollo hardcore fans. Almost every TV transmission is included, as well as all the photographic magazines used by the astronauts on the surface of the moon. Apollo 15 was the only lunar mission on which a site observation was made (by CDR Scott) on the surface of the moon by opening the docking hatch and standing on the ascent engine cover, so the pictures and audio are included too. The pre-flight videos are quite interesting, since they show some of the procedures performed to fine-tune the LM before the flight. One of them shows the reception of the LMÂ's descent stage at the Cape, with technicians unboxing and unzipping the module. The LRV (Rover) attaching procedure to the LM is also fully covered.
One of the things that amazed me is that on EVA2, on the "Back to LM" portion, both astronauts deploy the US flag while the Rover camera is watching at them. I have had for
years two pictures of LMP Jim Irwin standing at one side of the Rover while saluting to both Scott and the flag. In this pictures is obvious that the Rover remote-controlled camera from Houston is watching at the photographer, not at the subject as it happens on EVA2. After reviewing once and again the video and pictures AS15-92-12444 to AS15-92-12447 on magazine OO/92, I said to myself that, finally, I had found an obvious error and that every single Apollo flight was a hoax. But then, reviewing EVA3 and magazine TT/88 on chapter "Farewell to Hadley" I discovered that, indeed, CDR Scott takes the picture of LMP Irwin while the Rover camera is pointing at him. Picture is AS15-88-11865.
A weird thing I discovered and that should be explained is that on "Farewell to Hadley" the video shows both Scott and Irwin working on the Rover at one side of the LM; at 40:25 mins the Rover camera fails, and without audio interruption it works again some 200 m away from the LM at 41:20 mins on its final spot. So that means Scott drove the Rover off some 200 m, parked it and re-arranged the camera in just 55 seconds!!!
Another strange thing is that the sixth DVD shows the last transmission from the Rover, on 4th August 1971, more than 24 hours after they took off from the surface, but nothing is shown between the LM take off and this last show. Perhaps a little green man with horn-shaped nose and gloves started to dismantle the LM...
Anyway, this set of videos is worth every dollar I paid for and truly an outstanding document of one of the mankind's greatest adventures.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! Give us MORE!!!!
Review: Truly fabulous. This is history at it's best and it's all here for the veiwing. Nothing like these sets (however they ARE for the "hardcore" fans). Along with these downlink DVDs the book "Exploring the Moon" by David Harland is as detailed (and more so because not everything was filmed)and is a great companion to these DVDs

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! Give us MORE!!!!
Review: Truly fabulous. This is history at it's best and it's all here for the veiwing. Nothing like these sets (however they ARE for the "hardcore" fans). Along with these downlink DVDs the book "Exploring the Moon" by David Harland is as detailed (and more so because not everything was filmed)and is a great companion to these DVDs

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! Give us MORE!!!!
Review: Truly fabulous. This is history at it's best and it's all here for the veiwing. Nothing like these sets (however they ARE for the "hardcore" fans). Along with these downlink DVDs the book "Exploring the Moon" by David Harland is as detailed (and more so because not everything was filmed)and is a great companion to these DVDs

Rating:
Summary: What we knew but never really saw
Review: Wow! The landing at Hadley was really the most spectacularly beautiful site in all the Apollo missions. This set shows all available footage (both video and 16mm) of the Apollo 15 landing and in full colour as well!

OK people who are interested enough in Apollo to sit through the complete downlink series may be few and far between, however, in all cases I have found myself compelled to watch. These missions really were the greatest moment in human history.

Spacecraftfilms have made these sets with so much passionate love about what's in them, that you'll be hard pressed to fault them. EVERYTHING is there. No curtailed mix of several Apollo mission footage generally trying to represent one landing, no cheesy music, no voice overs telling us what we can plainly see on the screen.

The chapter sections are chronoligically arranged, and subchapters allow you to review film magazine pictures, assembled moon landscape panoramas, and the seperate 16mm films. Not only the moon EVAs are there. You get the pre-flight tests, suit-ups, multi angle launch views of the Saturn V rocket, mid flight downlinks, news conferences, splashdown recovery and even CM lunar survey film footage.

Prepare a weekend of couch potatoe asorbtion with this (and the other Apollo Downlink sets). You will not be disspointed. Furthermore, the educational value of these sets cannot be overstated. WELL worth the moeny hands down.