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THE ANTARES SECRET – CHAPTER 21: Fifth Inning – Heads and Tales

NASA Administrator Thomas Paine in 1969

While on the playing field Reds pitcher Edison Volquez manhandled the Indians lineup on the top half of the fifth inning, Armstrong continued his tale.

“In October 1968, NASA Administrator James Webb who had been informed about the secondary protocol plan by the big four, Gilruth, Low, Kraft and Slayton, stepped down from his post,” said the old astronaut. “Although the official version for his resignation was that he wanted to give the next President space to name his own director, some say the decision was prompted by his strong opposition to the deception.

“He was succeeded by Dr. Thomas Paine who oversaw the Apollo 8 to 13 missions. It was rumored among the astronauts in the secondary protocol loop that Dr. Paine was not made aware of the plan when he took over. It became obvious later that, being an engineer, he had figured out the deception somewhere along the line and that was why he quit after the Apollo 13’s opera of a mission. I think something else was at play too.

“Dr. Paine had been in charge of acquiring the sentiments of world leaders for the Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages which were meant to rest on the lunar surface. He personally corresponded with the heads of what became seventy-three participating nations, and coordinated the efforts to enshrine their messages on a tiny silicon disc. By the way, it’s interesting to note that Lyndon B. Johnson’s message was written as if the Moon landing was a future event and not an accomplished feat. Something along the lines of: ‘We expect to explore the Moon… The purpose of the American people remains unchanged… and so on.’

“To this day I can’t figure out why he did that. It was too risky, but time proved him right I guess; nobody noticed anything fishy about that. Anyway, I digress. Going back to Paine, I think that, once he figured out the deception, he got really upset with NASA. It must have been frustrating to spend so much time in a purely cosmetic endeavor. One that amounted to nothing in the end. I’m sure he felt used. He resigned and left NASA a couple of months after the conclusion of the congressional review on the Apollo 13 mission.

“Then came Dr. George Low,” said Armstrong.

“The man historians deem responsible for saving the space program. Instrumental in the development of a safe Apollo spaceship after the Apollo 1 fire. And originator of the idea to turn Apollo 8’s mission into a circumlunar one,” said Lucas.

“Again, right on the money with your NASA history. The timing of his appointment and tenure are very revealing because he only oversaw the Apollo 14 mission. The chief savior of Kennedy’s dream was in fact the one in charge during the mission that accomplished the feat, albeit not within JFK’s timeframe. I don’t think that was a coincidence. Remember he had been one of the architects of the secondary protocol, a shady but program-saving initiative as well. So, his appointment at the time seemed like NASA’s way of showing him the appreciation he deserved. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. There were seven other missions before Apollo 14.

“As I mentioned earlier, Apollo 7 had no secondary protocol. Their mission was to test the command module on Earth orbit. Apollo 8’s mission, on the other hand, was critical. Besides the political statement regarding the U.S. leadership position in the Space Race, it was meant to test whether communications from Moon orbit could be distinguished from the ones coming from its surface. Something that the Soviet Lund-5 prank had already proved  impossible. Regardless, NASA believed they had a game-changer for that approach.

“They tested the ability to use the Surveyors’ communication equipment as relay stations between the Apollo command module and mission control on Earth. They also tested the already obsolete “Moon bounce” technique which was developed in the late 40’s and which entailed reflecting a radio signal from the surface of the Moon. It turned out these were not their only options.

“The game-changer was the unified S-band transponder General Dynamics had been developing for the Apollo spacecraft. One of its functions was to provide the link for the surface of the Moon broadcast. But the most interesting aspect of this was that this piece of equipment served as a communication relay station between the astronauts and mission control. After all the tests performed by Apollo 8, the unified S-band transponder approach became plan A for the secondary protocol deceptive communication with Earth. They kept using the Surveyors’ communication systems as back-up plan which is why the Apollo landing sites matched the Surveyors’ locations.

But before that, Apollo 9 had to render a verdict.

On the field…

Things got worse for the Indians on the bottom half of the fifth inning. The Reds increased their lead to 4-1 thanks to RBi singles by Ken Griffey Jr. and Brandon Phillips.        

 

 

 

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THE ANTARES SECRET – CHAPTER 22: Sixth Inning – To Land or Not to Land

Apollo 10 command module as seen from the lunar module in Moon orbit

The Indians’ rookie first baseman Michael Aubrey homered with one out in the top of the sixth to close the gap to two runs.  

“Nice one”, said Armstrong before resuming his amazing tale. “Chief among the problems with the LM was the landing radar. A system that, for obvious reasons, Apollo 9 couldn’t test on Earth orbit.”  

“What kind of problems are we talking about?”  

“Locking on false targets due to the LM’s vibration. Electrical problems that caused arcing. Persistent cracking on solder joints, just to name a few. As a matter of fact, NASA developed a new maneuver in order to be prepared for landing radar related problems. This service module’s  Moon orbit maneuver was developed to save descent stage propellant thus increasing hover times during powered descent.

“Apollo 9 had no secondary protocol mission, but Apollo 10 did. It was up to them to test the radar on a powered descent trial run on Moon orbit.  But they had a secret agenda as well. Their secondary protocol mission was to deploy an S-band transponder to the surface of the Sea of Tranquility.”

“Wait, before you go on… how did you guys hide the secondary protocol during the mission? Logic tells me that the ship’s systems would’ve transmitted to mission control some sort of data regarding the actions taken”, said Lucas.

“Before activating any secondary protocol task, we would switch our transmission to a previously recorded telemetry data that would match the primary mission. But funny you mention that, because on Apollo 10 they disguised their launching of the transponder by doing it while separating from the descent stage. Not a great idea in hindsight because this caused the LM to start gyrating wildly in all three axes. It took Tom and Gene almost four minutes to regain control of the spacecraft.

“Apollo 10 had very interesting moments. I’m sure you’ve read about the strange music the crew heard while on the dark side of the Moon. Of course there are people who believe those were signs of another intelligent presence on the Moon, but I think that the most reasonable explanation for the weird sounds is that they were being originated by the transponder.

“By the way the transponder lander also included a laser ranging retroreflector that Earth scientists could use to verify the landing. The Eagle’s official landing site was adjusted to correspond with the transponder whereabouts.”

Something in his mind made the old astronaut smile.

“What?” asked Lucas.

“The crew of Apollo 10 was a very special group. Lunar module pilot Gene Cernan described themselves as the kind of people who given an opportunity to land, they just might take it; NASA was not going to risk having a couple of cowboys attempt a Moon landing if the landing radar worked. That’s why the ascent stage of their lunar module was loaded with the amount of fuel and oxidizer it would have had remaining if it had lifted off from the surface and reached the altitude at which the Apollo 10 ascent stage fired; this was only about half the total amount required for lift off and rendezvous with the command module from the surface of the Moon”, said Armstrong.

“If I recall correctly, they got as close as nine miles to the surface of the Moon”, said Lucas. “Just looking at it at such close range must have produced a very hard-to-resist temptation to land. Do you really think they would have attempted it?”

“Even with a full amount of fuel? I doubt it. Tom was a very disciplined astronaut, and as  commander he would’ve never strayed from the mission. Anyway, it ended up being a moot issue.  The landing radar didn’t function properly, so they were forced to activate their secondary protocol.

“In the end, Apollo 10 successfully accomplished its mission objectives and the stage was finally set for the most important secondary protocol mission of all.”

Indians’ ace Cliff Lee chased off the field  

After seeing their advantage trimmed in the top half of the inning the Reds answered with two runs in their half of the inning sending the stellar Cliff Lee to the showers early. 6-2 Reds after six.

 

 

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THE ANTARES SECRET – CHAPTER 23: Seventh Inning – Two Strikes

Official NASA picture of Armstrong and Aldrin training session

“After Apollo 10’s successful mission, the stage was set for us in Apollo 11 to take… a giant leap for mankind”, said Armstrong with sarcastic pomposity. “Something that had to happen regardless of anything. So, we trained for two scenarios. In the first one, everything works fine, the landing radar functions properly, and we get to walk on the Moon. On the second scenario, some sort of malfunction forces us to abort the primary mission and we activate the secondary protocol.”  

“You asked me earlier about the video from the surface of the Moon and I told you it was a piece created on Earth as part of the deception. But that was not the only piece created for this. We also recorded a simulated communication with Mission Control to take over the actual communication once we switched to the secondary protocol.”  

“Like the trick the cosmonauts pulled with Zond 5?” asked Lucas.  

“Similar in content, but in their case they were transmitting live from Earth through the spacecraft’s communication system, while our stuff was prerecorded”, said Armstrong. “The landing audio was a three-minute segment in which Buzz was reciting altitude and speed information with very few interventions from me. It ended with me saying ‘Tranquility base here, the Eagle has landed.’ You can look up this segment in the mission transcript of the 4th day starting at the 6 hour, 43 minute mark.”  

“For a long time I suspected that the whole Apollo 11 Moon landing had been part of a ruse”, said Lucas. “But for some reason, my mind, very probably steered by emotions, never made the connection that ‘The Eagle has landed’ phrase was a recording.”  

“I know what you mean. If it’s any consolation, that was exactly what I was going to say if we had actually landed.”  

“I’m sure. But I’d bet it must’ve been a lot harder living with such a historic quote attributed to you knowing what you knew. Quotes. Plural. Gotta add the ‘one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’ one. Anyway, what prompted your activation of the secondary protocol?” 

“As it turned out we had problems with the landing computer overloading during descent. Mission rules called for an immediate abort in such an event. So after the second 1202, 1201 alarm went off regarding the overload, we switched to the secondary protocol and started transmitting the recording which had been mixed with the corresponding telemetry data needed to satisfy mission control.  

“Once the three-minute recording was over and we were on our way back to dock with the command module we reestablished real voice communication with Houston. Our telemetry data feed remained within the secondary protocol to make them think we were on the surface of the Moon.  

“The rest of our supposed stay on the Moon followed the same pattern. While I was ‘walking’ on the Moon, I was really in the command module. But, for all practical purposes on Earth, the historic event had taken place. Kennedy’s dream had been fulfilled. America had beaten the Soviets to the Moon. Mankind had taken its giant leap. The public pressure was off, but the feat wasn’t accomplished.  

“Unbeknownst to everybody but a few people at NASA, the challenge of landing a man on the Moon continued secretly. And Mike, Buzz and me had the cruelest part of that mission. From the moment we switched to the secondary protocol while flying the Eagle we knew what laid ahead for us. A life of telling people that we had actually accomplished what we did not.

“As soon as I could I took a giant leap of my own and walked away from the limelight . A scenario I never enjoyed to begin with, and one of the main reasons they chose me for that  role. It was tougher for Buzz. His bout with alcoholism through the years has been secretly associated with his orders to remain silent about the truth.”  

 Seventh inning stretch…  

Fortunately for the Tribe, Pitcher Edinson Volquez, who had already thrown over a hundred pitches, was out of the game for the Reds. The Indians seized the opportunity to rack-up a couple of runs in their half of the seventh inning.  

“When we left Earth,” said Armstrong, “we were ready to land on the Moon. We were all looking forward to a smooth mission in order to avoid the deception. Unfortunately, such a scenario was not on the cards for us.  

“It was then Apollo 12’s turn at bat. Their official mission objective was to achieve a precise landing. Not surprisingly, a spot near the Surveyor 3 landing site was selected for it. Remember that Apollo 8 had proven the Surveyor probe could relay all the communication and telemetry data to carry on the secondary protocol if needed.  

“They too were ready to truly land on the Moon, but as destiny would have it, as soon as they had cleared the tower during takeoff their Saturn 5 rocket was struck by lightning twice creating havoc in their electrical systems. Five days later when Pete Conrad and Al Bean attempted their Moon landing the LM started experiencing electrical failures. They had no choice but to activate the secondary protocol. Immediately after that, the Apollo 12’s ‘Moon surface data’ was transmitted through Surveyor 3’s communication system. That’s why their video camera supposedly got damaged and there’s no video from the surface of the Moon. That’s also why there’s no retroreflector on their official landing site.  

After seven…

The Reds opened the bottom half of the seventh inning with a single, but new Indians pitcher Jensen Lewis took care of the next three batters in easy fashion. After seven, the reds lead the Indians by a score of 6 to 4.          

 

 

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THE ANTARES SECRET – CHAPTER 24: Eighth Inning – Perfect Setup

Headlines of the Apollo 13 situation over a picture of mission control

“After Apollo 12’s mission in November 1969, with the decade coming to an end and Kennedy’s dream believed to be fulfilled, Americans were fast losing interest in the space program. Amazingly, they would rather watch the TV show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In than a live broadcast from outer space,” said Armstrong.  

“I never understood how that level of disinterest could be possible with such an amazing human endeavor,” commented Lucas.  

“Well, today it’s even worse. What do you think people would rather watch tonight, a live broadcast from the surface of Mars by one of the rovers there right now, or Desperate Housewives?”  

“Touché. It’s embarrassing… it’s gotten worse.”  

“Anyway, that apathy from the American public was what motivated the Apollo 13 successful-failure type mission,” said Armstrong. “The heads behind the secondary protocol were 99.9% certain that the next mission would be able to finally land on the Moon.  And they believed such an accomplishment deserved a big audience. So, to rekindle public interest in the Moon missions, they came up with a plan for a dramatic preamble. A story that would set up the truly historic event.  

“Enter Apollo 13’s Odyssey. Just like the setup man in baseball who comes to pitch in the eighth inning with the mission to keep the opposition in check and set the stage for the closer in the ninth.  It was pretty clever really. After all, why not take advantage of the number 13. Use its bad luck reputation to put some excitement back in the space program. Especially when, by happenstance, the lunar module assigned to that mission was number 7; lucky number 7 for unlucky number 13!  A fortuitous circumstance that, in their view, was not to be wasted.  

“It was the simulation of all simulations. The astronauts’ secondary protocol mission called for them to activate an alternate telemetry feed to mission control which would show the catastrophic events that are now in the history books. Everybody at mission control thought they were dealing with a real situation, and the astronauts played their parts brilliantly.  

“The plan banked on the media to mount a huge show around the potential catastrophe, and they didn’t disappoint. They hyped it all the way up in their endless pursuit of higher ratings. The whole world got wrapped up in the event.”  

The Reds setup man gets the job done

The Indians started the eighth inning with a hard hit to deep left field by pinch hitter Ryan Garko who tried unsuccessfully to stretch it into a double for the first out. This was followed by a fly out to right and a ground out to third and the Reds’ setup man Jared Burton got out of the inning with his mission accomplished.

“What about the names of the command and lunar modules? I have a theory about them,” said Lucas.  

“Oh yes, those. Jim Lovell chose the name Odyssey because he liked the word and its definition: a long voyage with many changes of fortune. Coincidence? Of course not. That was Jim’s way of telling the world as much of the truth as he could get away with. And the name Aquarius for the LEM… Well, that came about because of a generalized peeve within the astronaut core. The lyrics of the song Aquarius tell us that ‘The Moon is in the seventh house’. Alan Shepard was one of the original seven astronauts. Deke Slayton wanted a Mercury 7 astronaut to make the first Moon landing.

“Landing on the Moon had always been in the house of the Seven. Does this conform with your theory?”  

“It’s compatible,” said Lucas, “I missed the house of seven reference though.”  

“The Apollo 13 mission was intentionally structured to be the official media preamble for the real first landing of man on the Moon,” said Armstrong. “And it was so obvious that to this day I can’t believe people didn’t see right through the deception. I mean, they named the command module Odyssey and kept the number 13 instead of just skipping it like they do in buildings.  

“The media craved stories that boosted their ratings and NASA gave them a hell of a good one. Whereas unbeknownst to them, the mission was a huge success!  Apollo 13 recaptured the imagination of the American people and brought their attention back to the space program. So, after such an emotional roller coaster, everyone was once again glued to their TV sets when the time came for the Apollo 14 historic voyage.  

“In the meantime, there was some house cleaning to take care of.  What happened had to be investigated and I was assigned to serve on the investigation panel. As part of it, and being aware of the secondary protocol, I opposed the investigation report’s recommendation to re-design the service module’s oxygen tanks, which were the source of the explosion. I knew it had all been a simulation and couldn’t just sit there and watch them spend unnecessary tax dollars on such a pointless endeavor.  

The bottom of the eighth

The Reds made the Indians pitchers work in their half of the inning with a couple of walks, but they also came out empty. After 8 innings the Reds still lead 6-4.      

 

 

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