Moon Talk

Moon Talk

On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 became the first manned space flight to leave Earth’s orbit and fly to the moon. For the next six days, the only link astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders would have to Earth was through equipment and a pioneering communication system developed by Collins Radio – based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa – and its subcontractors.

On the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association presents the documentary, “Moon Talk.” The film celebrates the men and women of the Collins Radio Company who had the vision, beyond the technology available in the 1960s, to create and manufacture a communication system to reach the moon.

The documentary features rare 16-millimeter film footage and photos, and interviews with employees who recall working on the Apollo program.

“The idea was to get the job done correctly. And I remember times we slept under tables at night because we had meetings in the morning…We knew if the communication failed, it was a good chance that some of them wouldn’t get back – if not all of them. And that was on our mind almost all the time.”

Jim Westcot, Collins Radio Apollo Program Administrator

Michael M. Collins, the eldest son of Collins Radio founder, Arthur Collins, remembers the Apollo 8 astronauts’ Christmas Eve broadcast. The moon explorers ended it with a reverent reading from the first book of the Bible. Millions of citizens of Earth watched the live broadcast on television as it was transmitted a quarter million miles through harsh space via Collins Radio equipment and systems.

Saturday, September 12
11 AM  |  Putnam GIANT Screen Theater

$10 Adults  |  $9 Youth/Seniors/Military
$1 from every movie ticket sold will be donated to the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association to support STEM education activities.

Get Your Tickets Now!