Apollo 14 Road Trip (Poster abstract)

Volume 40 number 1 (2012)

Paul Valleli

14 Marrett Road, Burlington, MA 01803; valleli@rcn.com

Abstract

(Abstract only) In January-February 1971, five astronomy enthusiasts, Dennis Milon, Alan Rowher, Sal LaRiccia, Mike Mattei, and Paul Valleli, drove from New Haven, Connecticut, to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. They joined with ALPO Jupiter Recorder Julius Benton in Atlanta. After several stops along the way, the six arrived at the Apollo 14 launch site to observe pre-launch activity, met NASA personnel, and toured various facilities. On launch day, thanks to press passes provided by Dennis Milon who was there as the official photojournalist for Sky & Telescope, they met the Apollo crew and witnessed the launch. On the return trip, they made time to meet Mike Mattei’s new girlfriend, Janet Akyüz, who was working on her Master’s at Leander-McCormick Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia. Janet gave the six men a tour of the observatory, including the the 26-inch Clark Telescope.