Before The Moon Movie Screened At Historic Centrifuge In Warminster
by Alex Lloyd Gross
It’s been almost 50 years since the Apollo 11 Astronauts landed on the moon. Many fils and documentaries were made about it and it lives forever on Youtube. But how did we get there? People would be surprised at the contributions that Bucks County had in getting that done.
A movie, called Before The Moon had a screening at the Johnsville Centrifuge, in Warmintser Pennsylvania. this building houses a critical piece of equipment that tested a human’s endurance and ability to endure G Forces that an astronaut might experience in space. A small capsule that spun in circles pushed centrifugal force to new limits. It was at the Naval Air Development Center, back then, it was closed to the public. Today, events are able to be booked there.
Every prospective astronaut had to get a ride in it. That building played host to the movie screening. It showed aviation history. From the Pitcairn evolution of flight to the disaster on Apollo 13, this region had a hand in moving us right along, to the moon. When an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft, engineers in Houston worked with astronauts to jury-rig a life-saving air filter from parts aboard the ship. At the heart of that solution was a canister frame manufactured in Newtown by Lavelle Aircraft Corporation. Originally built to scrub carbon dioxide in the lunar module, Lavelle’s component became a critical part of the emergency workaround — allowing the crew to breathe safely until splashdown. That a local shop floor contributed to one of spaceflight’s most heroic rescues reminds us: sometimes, the smallest parts make the biggest difference.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com A look at the centrifuge.
The screening started at 2:00 PM and ran almost two hours. It was shown on multiple screens in the building, now called The Fuge. The biggest attraction was the Centrifuge itself. Long since disconnected, the line to sit inside for a brief photo was about 30 minutes. Some people jumped in quickly, while seniors that were not as nimble, were content to stand outside of it for their photo.
Plexiglass was made by Rohm and Haas. This was used by the military in the cold war. Just another bit of history revealed in the film. This movie was made by Jason Sherman, a Warminster native, who is excited about space and aviation history. He was selling books, t shirts and other souvenirs, to help fund the project..
To find out when this movie is being shown or maybe even to book a screening, you can go here.