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Old February 3rd 17, 02:01 PM posted to sci.space.history
Dean Markley
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Posts: 515
Default Debbie Reynolds and Space History

On Friday, February 3, 2017 at 6:56:43 AM UTC-5, Stuf4 wrote:
From Fred McCall:
Stuf4 wrote:

From David Spain:
On 1/13/2017 5:06 PM, Jeff Findley wrote:
Since Debbie Reynolds died a couple of weeks ago, I have not seen
anyone talking about her connection with space history.

I personally have no idea what you're talking about. Please enlighten
us.

She starred in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" on Broadway. The play was
the inspiration for Gus Grissom calling Gemini 3 Molly Brown.

I forgot about that. Pretty thin connection though. Because of what
happened to his Mercury capsule, the name "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
didn't go over very well with the people in charge of publicity within
NASA. It just served to remind the public that his Mercury capsule was
still at the bottom of the ocean.

The thesis that Debbie Reynolds played a significant role in space
history outside of her performing in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" just
does not hold water.

FWIW the popular 60's musical is about the irascible survivor of the
Titanic's maiden voyage, the nouveau riche Ms. Molly Brown.

This forum has been amazingly consistent in a lack of open-minded thinking. Without even hearing the thesis, it is rejected outright.


This isn't a 'forum' and it doesn't take much detail to be able to
identify silly ideas.


Plate tectonics was laughed at as a silly idea. Long before that, the notion of the Earth being round was likewise scoffed at as ridiculous. No one felt much need to look beyond the horizon to see with absolute certainty that the Earth was flat.


Sticking just to space history, there are fundamental things I have shared here on this forum long ago that were ridiculed by even the most well-respected authors in this field, yet today are presented within the mainstream as obvious.

I don't expect any of these facts to change anyone's behavior. It is fully characteristic of the human psyche to get into "mind ruts" where artificial limitations on understanding and action become self-imposed.


...and this is the *very thing* that killed Gus Grissom and his crew 50 years ago last week. He and his fellow astronauts got habituated to not taking action when there were clear signs that action was needed to be taken.

Debbie was a critical step in that process that led to their death.


In the past, an approach I have taken on this forum when it has been clear that the vocal majority has no interest, even to the point of a steeply negative appreciation for things I share, I will post anyway for the potential benefit of an unmeasurable number of people who may visit here who might have a much more open-minded approach to information that doesn't conform to their current set of beliefs. And this approach has clearly paid major dividends in past efforts. Today when I hear people like Neil deGrasse Tyson share his view of what drove the space race as though it was an understanding he had his entire life, I know that such persistent efforts are worthwhile.

It is not hard for me to imagine future generations who will have a clear understanding of how Debbie Reynolds is connected with the demise of the Apollo 1 crew ...no matter how much this notion may be scoffed at today.

~ CT


You are free to believe anything you wish. But that doesn't mean its true nor do the rest of us have to agree. What you are suggesting is similar to chaos theory: A butterfly flapping it's wings in Florida will trigger a tropical storm off the coast of Africa.