Movie "The Dish"

[Rocket Science]

I don't know how or why I missed this movie when it came out. It is really a gem that our friends from Oz would especially love. Fitting I found it just after the 45th anniversary of Apollo 11. Watch it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873/

[Dalhousie]

I don't know how or why I missed this movie when it came out. It is really a gem that our friends from Oz would especially love. Fitting I found it just after the 45th anniversary of Apollo 11. Watch it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205873/

It's a classic, and a personal favourite. Lots of great quotes.

"McIntyre, we have a rule in the Party....."

"I can't believe Rudi is part of it"

"It's a kind of parrot"

[AJA]

If you aren't enticed enough to watch this already - here's a bit of comedy to egg you on further:

[Dalhousie]

The sound track is great too, especially the period songs used for the open and closing credits.  "Come and see the real thing" and "On the wings of an Eagle"

[Antares]

 I made reference to a pack of galahs some months ago, but I think it's in L2 

[Crispy]

The sound track is great too, especially the period songs used for the open and closing credits.  "Come and see the real thing" and "On the wings of an Eagle"

I love this sequence, set to Classical Gas (only on youtube in Hungarian! )

[Proponent]

It's certainly a very entertaining movie, but it's very hard to give much credence to the based-on-a-true-story claim.  I suspect the only true-story element is the minor event occurring in the closing minutes.

[Dalhousie]

It's certainly a very entertaining movie, but it's very hard to give much credence to the based-on-a-true-story claim.  I suspect the only true-story element is the minor event occurring in the closing minutes.

Like all films it is a mixture.

See http://www.atnf.csiro.au/outreach/visiting/parkes/looselybased.html

[Rocket Science]

Some more interesting links:

http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/apollo11/

The important facts around the last bit in the movie actual facts...

http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/apollo11/tv_broadcasts.html

[CameronD]

It's certainly a very entertaining movie, but it's very hard to give much credence to the based-on-a-true-story claim.  I suspect the only true-story element is the minor event occurring in the closing minutes.

As have others here I suspect, I've seen the movie several times: when it came out and again more recently.

Yes, it's a very real radio telescope located not far from a major interstate highway in outback NSW. Yes, it was a major part of the relay for the Apollo 11 landing and yes, it is still in use today as part of the only major radio astronomy facility in the southern hemisphere and is open to the public when not in use.  I would think that was a true enough story to base a movie on..

[MP99]

It's certainly a very entertaining movie, but it's very hard to give much credence to the based-on-a-true-story claim.  I suspect the only true-story element is the minor event occurring in the closing minutes.

As have others here I suspect, I've seen the movie several times: when it came out and again more recently.

Yes, it's a very real radio telescope located not far from a major interstate highway in outback NSW. Yes, it was a major part of the relay for the Apollo 11 landing and yes, it is still in use today as part of the only major radio astronomy facility in the southern hemisphere and is open to the public when not in use.  I would think that was a true enough story to base a movie on..

Is ALMA not considered radio astronomy?

Cheers, Martin

[CameronD]

Is ALMA not considered radio astronomy?

Cheers, Martin

I would think so.. but I must admit radio astronomy is not my field. Perhaps ALMA is designed for something else entirely?? 

My reference was this quote "It is the only major radio astronomy facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere, offering a unique view of the sky across a broad radio spectrum"
http://www.atnf.csiro.au/the_atnf/index.html

I do know that Parkes hosts researchers from all over the world (and particularly the Americas) so if there was research that could be done somewhere closer to home (like ALMA) I don't see why they would choose instead to travel half-way around the world to do it.

[Proponent]

CSIRO's qualifier "of its kind" is significant.  ALMA  is an array of relatively small dishes capable of operating at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths.  Parkes, on the other hand, is a single large dish operating at longer wavelengths.

ALMA is quite new and did not exist at the time of Apollo.  More to the point, though, the reason for placing one of the three 64-m antennas of the Deep Space Network at Parkes was to provide continuous coverage for lunar missions throughout the day.  The others were and are in California and Spain.