Podcast appearances and mentions of Richard F Gordon

Diane Gordon Briggs is the youngest child of Barbara Gordon and astronaut Richard F. Gordon of Gemini XI and Apollo 12.  She is a wife, mother of six (like her mom), and a Christian Counselor. Join in with Diane and her closest childhood friend, Tracy L. Scott, as they reminisce over their childhood and their dads' space adventures during the early days of NASA.Tracy L. Scott is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Emory University. She grew up in Nassau Bay, Texas, as part of the early NASA community (her father, David R. Scott, flew on the Apollo 15 lunar mission). She recently donated her parents' papers from the early NASA era to the Stuart A. Rose Library (see the Finding Aid for those papers here). Dr. Scott will be teaching a course in Spring 2022: “Moon Bound: A Sociology of the Apollo Era.”

Scientist astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, a geologist, persuades his mentor, professor Lee Silver, to train the Apollo astronauts in selecting appropriate rock samples to collect through field experience, rather than the boring classroom lectures NASA has been using. Silver takes the four Apollo 15 prime and backup landing crew members (David Scott, James Irwin, Richard F. Gordon, Jr., and Schmitt) to the southwestern desert, while lunar geologist Farouk El-Baz trains the Command Module pilots (Alfred Worden and Vance D. Brand) in high-altitude recognition of geological features using airplane flights over Hawaii. Schmitt is disappointed to learn his own Apollo 18 flight will be cancelled, but he still believes the training of the other astronauts is vital. It pays off when Scott and Irwin find the "Genesis Rock", originally believed to come from the Moon's primordial crust. The title refers to Scott's reproduction of an experiment proving Galileo's hypothesis that gravity will cause bodies of differing masses to fall at the same rate in a vacuum, by dropping a hammer and a feather. Episode 10 links: Jim Irwin Saluting the Flag British animated short about Apollo 15 FTETTM Hammer and Feather scene Real Hammer and Feather on Moon Apollo 15 EVA 1 complete TV transmission Al Worden talking about 15, good and bad, including stamp incident Apollo 15 In the Mountains of the Moon (saw this in elementary school-still well done!)

  In Episode 24, Wendy Sheridan talks about a renewed sense of vulnerability and feeling that as a Jewish person her "provisional white card has been revoked" after the recent massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. It is a newly deepening awareness of a very old danger at work in the world. Wendy along with Robin Renée and Mary McGinley think out loud about the ingrained white supremacy and patriarchy in American society and how we might work to create change. They challenge themselves and others to find ways to erode anti-Semitism, racism, patriarchy and homophobia in everyday life in whatever ways possible.   Later, the conversation shifts to a feminist discussion of the 1966 Neil Simon musical and 1969 film Sweet Charity starring Shirley MacLaine with choreography by Bob Fosse. They take a look at its subject and subtext, style, shortcomings, and powerful depiction of female rage. At the top of the show, designated days, weeks, and months include COPD and PPSI (Pharmacists Planning Services Inc.) and AIDS Awareness Months, Fraud Awareness Week, Nurse Practitioner Week, Kindness Week, Dear Santa Letter Week, Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, and Spicy Guacamole Day. Thursday is National Clean out Your Refrigerator Day. On this day in history, Moby Dick was published in 1851, in 1968 Yale University went co-ed, and in 1969 Apollo 12 launched en route to the moon with crew Commander Charles Conrad Jr, Richard F. Gordon Jr, and Alan L. Bean (Wendy met Alan Bean at space camp and Robin named a dog after Charles "Pete" Conrad.). It is the birthday of Edward White, Claude Monet, Aaron Copeland, McLean Stevenson, Patrick Warburton, Yanni, Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt, and Rev. Run of Run DMC.   Things to do: Listen to the podcast Robin mentioned on the decreased commitment to democracy among young people and possible ways to re-energize interest in civic participation: Radiolab: "Tweak the Vote" Watch "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE2TsAJKBwc            

On September 20th 1965, NASA named the crew for Gemini VIII. The command pilot selected was Neil Armstrong, a civilian test pilot with much experience in the X-15 rocket research aircraft program. David Scott was selected as pilot.  Scott was the first of the Group 3 astronauts selected for a mission. The backup crew for Gemini VIII, was  Navy Lieutenant Commanders Pete Conrad and Richard F. Gordon, Jr.