One Giant Blunder For Mankind

(From Sydney Morning Herald)

The heart-stopping moments when NEIL ARMSTRONG took his first tentative steps onto another world are defining images of the 20th century -- grainy, fuzzy, unforgettable.

But just 37 years after APOLLO 11, it is feared the magnetic tapes that recorded the first moon walk -- beamed to the world via three tracking stations, including PARKES's famous DISH -- have gone missing at NASA's GODDARD SPACE CENTER in Maryland.

A desperate search has begun amid concerns the tapes will disintegrate to dust before they can be found.

It is not widely known that the Apollo 11 television broadcast from the moon was a high-quality transmission, far sharper than the blurry version relayed instantly to the world on that July day in 1969.
[Uhm, that's July 20th, 1969. They had HD back then?]

Among those battling to unscramble the mystery is
JOHN SARKISSIAN, a CSIRO scientist stationed at PARKES for a decade.

"We are working on the assumption they still exist,"
Mr. Sarkissian told THE HERALD.

"Your guess is a good as mine as to where they are."

One Giant Blunder For Mankind

Scott O'Leary, thanks for the post.

[I guess someone threw them out because they were anamorphic.
Damn tape sweeps.]