A rescue that succeeded

Just being pedantic, were they rescued?

Cool.

The original NASA documentary on Apollo 11 is worth a watch (skip the first five minutes of hippy nonsense).

Filmed "live" it sat forgotten about for many years as the public lost interest.

  Just being pedantic, were they rescued?

Well yes. They were giving instructions on how to get a ‘working ship to get home.

Just being pedantic, were they rescued?
Well yes. They were giving instructions on how to get a ‘working ship to get home.

Yeah, I know that. But if you rang the RAC to ask for help and they said, over the phone, 'Press the clutch twice, and turn the key', would you describe it as the RAC rescuing you? Ring the RNLI when your ship is sinking and they tell you to look for a cork to plug the hole? Rescued by the RNLI?

I know I'm being pointlessly argumentative. (And that's your default position, Drac, so I'll step away now.)

😀

Just listened to it all. Their coolness and professionalism is incredible.

I think Gene Kranz (played by Ed Harris in Apollo 13 movie) was one of the oldest members of mission control at...wait for it...

36 years old

If the submarine in the current case had reached the surface with the people alive after being instructed on how to free itself from the mud, if that had been the problem, would it count as a rescue?

Yes - the huige rescue operation safely recovered the sub and crew
No - the sub freed itself from the mud and returned to the surface

You can report it either way

Am I the only one who finds the timing of this thread horrifically crass, after the terrible news about the loss of the people on that sub?

Wasn't meant to be crass. Was more about how not all seemingly impossible situations have a bad ending.

Their coolness and professionalism is incredible.

The movie Gravity was a work of fiction, but I think the George Clooney character was an excellent portrayal of the idealized professional trained to perform even under impossible pressure.

But if you rang the RAC to ask for help and they said, over the phone, ‘Press the clutch twice, and turn the key’, would you describe it as the RAC rescuing you? Ring the RNLI when your ship is sinking and they tell you to look for a cork to plug the hole? Rescued by the RNLI?

I think within the dictionary definition of rescue - yes.    I also think you are diminishing the skills and efforts of those on the ground by suggesting it was just like finding a cork to plug the hole (something every professional sailor knows to do) or some sort of restart sequence.

Am I the only one who finds the timing of this thread horrifically crass, after the terrible news about the loss of the people on that sub?

More people will die of smoking related diseases, car crashes, knife crime, drowning, heart attacks today than will ever die in submersible accidents. Are you planning to whinge at every poster who makes comments on those topics, or only when they hit the news headlines.

I also think you are diminishing the skills and efforts of those on the ground by suggesting it was just like finding a cork to plug the hole (something every professional sailor knows to do) or some sort of restart sequence.

Yeah, I know. My thinking is probably somewhere along the lines that calling it a rescue suggests that the crew sat passively, and diminishes their bravery.

The movie Gravity was a work of fiction, but I think the George Clooney character was an excellent portrayal of the idealized professional trained to perform even under impossible pressure.

Not seen Gravity but saw Chris Hadfield do a show on Wednesday night and he came across as an incredibly disciplined and well trained guy.

Thanks for that 👍 I've just finished listening to series two of the 'thirteen minutes to the moon' podcast.  Highly recommended if you haven't listened to it. Series one was Apollo 11, series 2 was Apollo 13.  Loads of interviews with the key participants and recordings of exchanges between mission control and the crew.  Best podcast I've ever listened to by some margin.