For those who missed the holiday party last night, I read a posting from the TELECOM Digest entitled "Camelot on the Moon" by Don Kimberlin, who was a telecommunications engineer working for IT&T when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of the Apollo XI mission landed on the moon. Don's article talked about the difficulties encountered making sure that the data, voice, and video feeds from the moon could be received and processed back here on earth.
For those interested, I went looking today for the original posting to the TELECOM Digest and found it in the archives, which you can read here: https://telecomdigest.net/archives/history/camelot.on.moon-july.69
There were also several replies to this posting that are included in several succeeding digest issues... they can be found here: https://telecomdigest.net/archives/back.issues/1994.volume.14/vol14.iss301-350 (NOTE, there are fifty issues of the digest on this page, encompassing several hundred posts... you'll have to search for "Camelot" to find the specific replies).
Sometimes, we take for granted the amazing resources we have available through the Internet today. We have essentially unlimited access to historical documents, recorded voice and video, photographs, and an abundance of information. Most of us have a small device that we can carry in a pocket or purse, that can be held in the palm of your hand, and that can provide access to all of this information. Not only can it give you access to this data, it can be used to instantly communicate in voice, video, or text with people all over the world. Think back to 1969 and realize that it was only 53 years ago.
As amateur radio operators, we enjoy using our equipment and capabilities to communicate with others. Perhaps we take it less for granted as we have had to study and understand some of the technologies and physical principals that make it possible to do so, but when you sit and think about it, it really is miraculous what we can do.
As we continue our journey into the future, I hope we all remember how we got here and the challenges faced by those who came before us. The future is bright, my friends... as bright as we make it. Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!