We have cause to celebrate! The 40th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing will be observed on July 20, 2009. The prime contractor for the Apollo program was North American Aviation and their Space and Information Systems Division in Downey. This website was created to be a gathering place for all of the talented engineers and their support staff who devoted so many long hours and endured the relentless pressure of the crash program to put a man on the moon.
Flashbacks. If you were one of the team who had the good fortune of working on the Apollo program in Downey, you probably thought that you would never be capable of storing all of those experiences in your memory. I can almost guarantee you that if you spend some time perusing this website, you will be astonished at the details that are still circulating in your brain after more than 40 years. Try taking a mental tour of Building 1, starting outside at the annex end where the Aerophysics Lab used to be and walking the length of the main corridor of the building past the mail room and out the large double doors where vehicles dangerously zipped in and out. Go past the cafeteria and stop at Building 6. Make your way west to 290 and look through the glass windows at the spacecraft being assembled in the clean room. Maybe cross Imperial to Building 2 and 5 or the computer center in Building 4. Building 305 or 318? They are still in your head. We couldn’t or shouldn’t want to relive those days, but many of the people who populated that world still exist, and they are the proper focus of this gathering.
As the Apollo program wound down, even the most essential and capable team members drifted off to seek other challenges. The same pattern repeated itself. Have a nice going away luncheon, make promises to keep in touch, and then fade away. After 10, 20, or 30 years the connection would seem to be lost forever. Well, here is a chance to reconnect and make your presence known. You will be most welcome and we hope to have you join our network.
