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London man who helped Nasa land Apollo 11 on moon
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Editor17 Jul 2009
He is an unassuming, softly spoken man who seems almost embarrassed by his achievements.
Yet Pat Norris, 56, who works at IT firm Logica's London office, played a key part in putting a man on the moon.
As the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing approaches on Monday, he has spoken for the first time about his memories of the project.
“It was very surreal to think about what we were actually doing,” said Mr Norris, who lives in Surrey. “I was effectively locked in a small room working on this project with my team, and I only really talked to the mission controllers — I actually never met an astronaut.
“Altogether there were about 400,000 people working on the project but we forgot the scale as we were focused on our small part.”
The team wrote the computer software to predict the gravitational pull on the spaceship and track its 356,000-kilometre journey from earth to the moon and back again.
Mr Norris, who has two children in their thirties, said: “We were all absolute workaholics — in the year leading up to the landing I had two days off. But by the time the launch happened our work was done. In fact, I was at home watching it on TV along with the rest of the world.”
The engineer finally met his first astronaut in 1969 when he received Nasa's Apollo Achievement Award from Neil Armstrong.
Mr Norris, who studied mathematics in Dublin, also worked on the main camera of the Hubble telescope, which has given man its best glimpse of the universe.
As Chairman of the Royal Aeronautical Society Space Group, he is keeping an eye on Richard Branson's plan to send tourists into space.
“I'd love to go into space,” he said, “but I think it is a little late for me. It's a fascinating project though. I hope we see a UK
astronaut again soon. The UK misses out on going into space, even though we create a lot of the technology.”
City space events
SCIENCE MUSEUM Brian Eno will introduce a performance of his Apollo album on Monday evening.
BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE The premiere of Moonwalk One about the reaction to the landing will be shown on Sunday night.
ROYAL OBSERVATORY Dawn of the Space Age opens tomorrow, a show which chronicles the Apollo mission.
Reader views (11)
Tony
Do you not think the Russian's during the height of the Cold War, would have exposed the myth at the time had it been a hoax. They certainly had the technology to do this having put a man in earth's orbit.
Also a mirror was placed on the moon's surface from which we still to this day fire a lazer beam at to measure the Moon's distnace from Earth.
I suggest you seek out a local astronomer's club and get involved rather than belittle another man's achievements
- Mez, England, 28/07/2009 16:34
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Hi Ciarán,
Thanks for the clarification about your father's age.
As for not enjoying man's greatest achievement, just remember these words: That's one small step for (a) man, one giant hoax for mankind. I get a wry sense of amusement (enjoyment maybe) that man's greatest achievement has created so much controversy and yet the only organisation (NASA) that can prove the landings happened choose not to do so. Let's see some pictures of the lunar lander bases on the moon's surface. If they went they will still be there! Meanwhile, I remain unconvinced, a situation that has not changed for over 30 years.
Cheers,
Tony
- Tony, Criccieth, Wales, 20/07/2009 13:12
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Well said Mr Pastry
It is a disgrace that we have been so poorly led by short termist politicians. If we are not to explore the universe there is absolutely no point our existence.
- Bob H, Streatham, 20/07/2009 09:13
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Ciarán,
Congratulations on your dad having made a contribution to what is still humankind's greatest achievement. 400,000 working together and overcoming the greatest of hurdles and office politics. It is sad that after 40 years humankind has become so sidetracked in selfish greed and vacuous celebrity. The cost of the credit crunch would have had Mars colonised, instead we have dismay and floundering. Space is our destiny, our sun will not last forever and the earth may not be as hospitable in future but unfortunately this has no impact on the next reporting period. Lets take the world back from the accountants and give it to the dreamers I am sure it would be a better world.
- Mr Pastry, Brisbane, 19/07/2009 22:47
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As Pat's son I can confirm that he is actually in his 60s, and not his 50s - he was a child prodigy, but not to that extent! My sister would also like it pointed out that I am the only child in their 30s - she's still well shy of the big 30.
As for those who doubt the landings, I can only pity the fact that they can't enjoy mankind's greatest ever achievement: at least Tony from Wales can go and enjoy the new Harry Potter movie.
- Ciarán, Esher, England, 19/07/2009 10:48
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He might be a bit embarrassed about the attention because he's an honorable man who, as he says, was only one of 400,000 people involved. But its ok UK, you had to find a local hero somewhere among those 400k..
Why do you let these "moon landing was a hoax" people have access to the internet from their padded cells???
- Trunk, US, 19/07/2009 00:51
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I don't know how I would react to my NASA team leader wearing shorts and playing conkers
- Bob H, Streatham, 18/07/2009 07:41
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Moon landings? There is more truth in a Harry Potter novel than NASA's stories of the moon landings.
- Tony, Criccieth, Wales, 17/07/2009 17:24
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So even if Pat Norris was a boy genuis do you really expect the world at large to beleive that NASA put a 14 year old boy in charge of the team working on building the radar system used to track the Apollo 11 capsule?
- Tw, Crieff, Scotland, 17/07/2009 15:38
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Mr Norris,age 56 now, was a child prodigy.He was heading a team at 16!Well done.
- John, London, 17/07/2009 14:16
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I just hope people like Patrick Moore do not live to see the day when it is finally confirmed that the 'moon landings' were nothing more than a cold war political stunt played out in front of cameras on this planet. The Americans did not get to the moon first they just got their film out first. Just join up the dots the evidence is everywhere!
- Mark, Bournemouth England, 17/07/2009 12:18
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