I look for the "spot" every time I'm at GCT! I love being able to find it and knowing why it's there in the first place. I live in CT so I go to NYC several times a year.
Here's a little tidbit for you: In one of those shots, in the background you can see the Kodak Colorama, which was the huge picture that hung in front of the East window of the Main concourse. It was taken down in the mid to late 90's, during the restoration of the Terminal. While living in Rochester, NY a bout 5-6 years ago, I wrote an article about the Colorama for the blog at the George Eastman House. There was a display going up there at the time that showed many of the original Colorama prints, that were used in the final display at the Terminal. (For those who don't know, George Eastman founded Eastman Kodak in Rochester) Having grown up in the Bronx, Passing through GCT was a regular thing for me. The restoration of the terminal has been magnificent, however i do have a soft spot for that Colorama.
I looked at it almost every time I went through GCT. Amy note there are several other rockets in NYC in the rocket park. From the world's fair - there are some amazing Mercury Capsules, an Atlas, a Titan II, and Apollo F-1 at the New York Hall of Science.
something like this? ...from the internet 1929 Herman Potocnik Noordung The first significant design of merit was by a Slovene rocket engineer named Herman Potocnik. Potocnik’s book The Problem of Space Travel - The Rocket Motor was printed in 1929 and was filled with over 100 illustrations. This publication had detailed drawings depicting a circular space station for permanent human habitation in earth orbit. These 1928 drawings depict both an artificial gravity space station and a cis-lunar craft. The Herman Potocnik Noordung Memorial Centre in Vitanje, Slovenia. “A visionary with an extraordinary technological imagination and an astounding philosophy of existence, Herman Potočnik Noordung was the author of the first strategic plan for the human exploration of space, whose predictions enjoy growing confirmation with each new extra-terrestrial accomplishment in the modern era.” “The concluding thought of the fourth and last segment of Potočnik’s book is about the drive for nuclear and photonic technology which would make it possible to travel to nearby planets in our universe. The book considers space travel not as mere day-dreaming but as a very real technological possibility.”
Salyut1, DOS2, Salyut2, Kosmos... Oh, sorry... U guys don't really care about soviet space stations, right? but then again, these four came before skylab.
I'd like to see (if you haven't already) a show about astronaut freefall (zero g... mumble) training. You and Pete could take a ride on the Vomit Comet. It'd be a hoot.
BTW. Imagine the day when a Space Station is as busy as GCT is today. !!! Our ISS is not even as busy as a pony express was in the 1860's. Let's hope for ever onward and upwards.
I would love an episode on NOUNS & VERBS, ie the programming language of the Apollo computers. What do the nouns and verbs mean? What language did those early computers use? How many keystrokes did Ed Mitchell have to make on descent to the lunar surface to insert the program patch to avoid an abort?
You've discovered a Black Hole in the Constellation Pisces that people can see with the naked eye! Maybe we should have the Army send a rocket there to explore it. I could not resist being silly.
Very cool: I'll be sure to search for that black dot on the ceiling the next time I'm in NYC. Here's another video idea: the Moon is a little over 250,000 miles from Earth, and yet it took the Apollo crews 3 days to get there at a velocity of 24,791 mph. Perhaps you could put together a video explaining this discrepancy of time and velocity?
You are so hot, so beautiful I want to cry, it is hard to concentrate on the scientific side of things. Just kidding, I love you :) awesome job. Also regarding putting that rocket there in that station, I guess we can simply leave it at "it was the 1950s"... simply probably a classic move. Also I have always had this question about the Milky Way: how sure are we that the Milky Way is actually a spiral galaxy? Also shouldn't the lights of the stars of the milky way light up the night sky a little bit more? I mean why is it so dark that you have to go to the middle of a very isolated desert to see the Milky Way? Thank you Amy.
Isn't a guy wire connected with a base or ground to stabilize the ogject? Is it the same if it's used to lift the object from above? (Just asking, it's not my native language)
Amy, dear-- the height is 125feet-- check out your still pic showing the missile and a bit of the ceiling in the distance. If the missile is 63feet, then the ceiling should only be twice that distance! The Concourse is 275feet long. Excellent bit of Cold War fun! I missed it by *that* much.... my mother and I arrived in NYC in late 1959-- and I lived literally a block away and around the corner (at 45th St betw 3rd and Lex!). I would have gone ga-ga seeing a Redstone in GCT. Next time you're in town see if you can get a special tour of the double ceiling. There are two layers of ceiling and there are access ladders for changing the bulbs. There may be one near the "hole" in question and there may be some old clamps and such left behind! You never know!
I am only 12 years old but I would love to be an Aerospace Engineer for NASA or SpaceX. I went to space camp in 2016 and I am going back next year! I watch your videos all day everyday. I love watching you! I am going to Kennedy next week for the second time and hopefully doing the behind the scenes tour!
I have the same dream, but the UK doesn't have a space program. Go follow your dreams and remember how lucky you are to live in a country where you can. Best of luck to you.
amazing how the demeanor of the country changes from generation to generation, and how the signs of strength, compation, knowledge change along with it. you always talk about the coolest stuff. keep it up
just an idear.....can you do an article on russias rocket motors that the US brought from some store they had and how they were more efficient closed cycle engines.
I've seen that hole in the ceiling thousands of times probably. Another interesting tidbit about the mural at Grand Central: when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was restoring the interior of Grand Central in the 1990s, they left a small rectangle unrestored, black from decades of cigarette smoke, to leave a historical reference. Until 1991, trains left from Grand Central to destinations such as Montreal, Toronto and Chicago. Nowadays, the furthest you can get is Poughkeepsie and Wassaic to the north and New Haven to the east on commuter trains.
Excellent, Amy! Can't wait to look for the hole next time I'm there. Surprised you haven't so much as mentioned "Hidden Figures" ... would have guessed you'd be all over it !!!
What a sad commentary...when the public display of the product of American industry and the military...becomes an oddity, and newsworthy. Such displays should be common.
Pretty cool! I'll bet you get a pic soon! Amy, the film "Destination Moon" has a Woody Woodpecker cartoon explaining how space travel works- it's on YT. I can't seem to find the film minus the DM framing, though. I've been told NASA revised it as an educational film, too... any ideas about locating either? If only it could be shown in schools today; there would be fewer people who don't understand how rockets work!
Hi Amy Here's a little something I have been trying to research.. The Bachem Ba349 Natter which was a massive influence in the space shuttle development Could you make this an episode? Love the work Cheers from Down Under
It's fascinating how the perception of these rocket's, (and similar Nike/Ajax systems often found around cities) has drastically altered pre and post Cold War. The old silo's are fascinating, but lack any of the comfort they gave during the nuclear arms race.
Hi Amy, a question for a possible future topic (unless you have treated it already). I am reading in Collins 'Carrying the Fire' about the final pose adjustment of the Gemini on its main chute before splashdown (the one that cost Grissom his helmet). But I cannot find how this was done anywhere, not in old footage either. Did a parachute attachment slide along the capsule? Sounds like something you would know. I completely share your love for Gemini!
Thank you for, yet again, a video chocked full of interesting cold war trivia. You have an excellent presence for presentation. 1 question for you, my dear: what does the tattoo on your left wrist symbolize? Thanks again & please keep up the good work. Very inspirational for my 12 year old daughter.
Amy, near the beginning of this video, you referred to a train collision which was attributed to low visibility caused by heavy smog. FYI, in the USA, the person who runs the train is known as the Locomotive Engineer. In the steam era, the Locomotive Engineer was assisted by the Locomotive Fireman, whose main task, among other things, was to optimally maintain boiler pressure and watch the left side of the train. In other parts of the world, the term of use is "driver" however, in the USA, we use the term "Locomotive Engineer". Thank you for the videos!
Interesting video. I grew up in "The Cold War". It was a time of great paranoia. People were terrified of a Soviet first strike. I can understand the reasoning behind putting this missile on public display.
Was the Redstone missile the unmanned precursor to the Atlas rocket, similar to how the Falcon 9 is the unmanned precursor to the Falcon Heavy which will carry astronauts to space and beyond?
More passengers pass the train station than the JFK airport sees on a day. This means something since you like JFK, the president not the airport, don't you? If you remember taking a photo but you didn't actually take it, it's possible that's a reality shift aka Mandela Effect.
Could you do a piece on how when Neil Armstrong put the U.S. flag on the moon, He wasn't "claiming" the moon for the U.S. because no one nation can "own" a celestial body. Isn't there an international treaty to this effect?
Polly HConcerning the Redstone rocket in Grand Central Terminal, the ceiling is about 125 feet high at that point. It is a thick concrete with reinforcing steel mesh all throughout. Massive steel girders crisscross the area above and attach to the backside of the ceiling one sees from below. I have been above that point, walking, when I saw a wad of old newspaper stuck in a hole at my feet. I got down on my knees to peek after pulling the paper out. It was very surreal to look through a hole and see such a brightly lit open space with people crossing the floor so far below. I wadded up the newspaper and again placed in the hole. Over 30 years ago and the experience is still vivid.
I enjoy hearing from someone who comes at the history of space exploration from a historical perspective. Studying physics very few people I know focus on the smaller interesting stories that you cover. You're definitely my favourite of all the guests Tom has posted videos from!
Never saw the hole, but there is a brick they didn't clean when they renovated the building back in the 90s(?). Story for that is it's supposed to be a guide to show how much the station needs cleaning
Fun episode, thanks Amy. Maybe you've already done some episodes about this and I've missed it, but one that came to mind that could be fun is what science fiction stories if any have inspired real space inventions or developments.
That spot in the roof looks just like a little dirt spot. In fact, I thought it was intentionally left to show how dirty the ceiling was before renovation a few years back. Thanks for posting and keep up the great work!
I guess it was just comforting in the same sense that having a gun in your bedroom could be comforting if you lived in a bad neighborhood and genuinely feared a home invasion.
I knew about that hole. Saw a big tv show on the station. Was very cool. Have never saw the pics of the rocket there though so thank you. Thats very cool.
The image of that missile in Grand Central reminded me of the scene in Beneath the Planet of the Apes wherein we saw a congregation of mutated humans worshiping a giant nuclear tipped missile. I wonder if the spectacle of the Redstone missile standing erect in the voluminous train station was an inspiration for the filmmakers a mere decade later.
The constellations on the ceiling mural are indeed drawn as mirror images of how we see them in the sky, as if seen from the other side of the celestial sphere, except, curiously, for Orion which is drawn in its correct orientation. Nobody really knows why the artist did this, if it was a mistake or a deliberate choice on his part.
Cosimo casotto Many injector plates were considered top secret. Why give away your best propulsion engineering to an adversary watching a documentary? The F1 engine had quite an elaborate security closeout plate. Maybe Amy will share the story sometime?
