Talk:Apollo Moon landings tapes reported missing

I don't think reporting on a news articles is a good idea
The event (loss of the NASA tapes) is definately newsworthy but writing a report about a report on that isn't all that good I reckon. I believe that we should report on the event not an article about the event.--Apartmento2 12:05, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
 * not very important, nothing to argue, just a question of style, if you don't agree the form, feel free to rewrite it according to your taste and wikinews ways Jacques Divol 12:39, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
 * To write a report about a report as you describe is more honest than pretending to write a report based on the information contained in the report in question and pretend that it is original.--Tequendamia 14:07, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
 * I never said it was original.--Apartmento2 06:37, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Article contains many false statements
First of all, we are not looking for missing Apollo videotapes. We are looking for special raw data recordings that contain unconverted slow-scan television, recorded as a backup in case of an equipment failure or a video circuit outage during the Apollo 11 EVA. Since there were no problems converting the slow-scan signals to NTSC video, there was no need to use the backup telemetry recordings. These were shipped to GSFC were they were placed into storage for several years. There are NO missing Apollo videotapes. All of the mission television broadcasts are available in many different formats including DVD's that contain every second of every Apollo television broadcast. You need to post a correction with the story and directing web visitors to the web page that tells the true story about the search for better Apollo 11 television pictures: www dot honeysucklecreek dotnet/Apollo_11/tapes/index dot html Regards Bill Wood Retired Apollo tracking station engineer Barstow, CA USA
 * Sir, our article mentions that the Apollo landings footage is available in its entirety in the converted format. The only incosistency between your comment and our article that I'm able to see is that you're only talking about the Apollo 11 mission and not the other ones. Is this correct? Are the raw recordings for the other Apollo missions accounted for? --+Deprifry+ 16:42, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Among other things the current version of the article says:

1. That Goddard Space Flight Center will be closed in October of this year. FALSE It is a facility on GSFC that has the antique equipment needed to play back the tapes that will be closed in October in a budget cutting move. We would like to keep it open.

2. That the "missing" tapes contain the "original" recordings of five Apollo Moon Landings. FALSE The "missing" Apollo 11 tapes were recorded to back-up the scan-converter or the video circuits to the Houston MCC. These were to be played back through the scan-converter after the EVA if needed. Since the primary goal was to send scan converted video to Houston, where it was recorded for posterity, there was NO need to use the backup tapes. These were sent to GSFC for retention in case anyone else requested them. No one did because the scan converted tapes were available. It was only in the last two or three years, that we found that the slow-scan tapes could provide better images, then the search started.

3. The slow-scan television signal was "projected on a screen from which they were filmed.." FALSE The Apollo 11 lunar module slow-scan images were converted using a specially designed RCA scan-converter. The process used a special slow-scan television monitor and an RCA TK-22 vidicon television camera. Sarkissian's source article covers the process in great and accurate detail. The current article leaves the impression that NASA copied the telecast like a person who uses a camcorder to shoot a movie in a theatre so he can get a bootleg copy.

4. The current article keeps referring to "Moon Landing" tapes. There was NO television broadcast of the Apollo 11 landing. The back-up slow-scan telemetry tapes we are looking for were taken during the Apollo 11 stay on the Moon.

5. The tapes we are seeking have not "gone missing." The tapes were stored at GSFC and the US National Records Center in Suitland, MD. Later, these were recalled by GSFC. What happened to the back-up tapes after the recall is not known to us. We hope to get NASA support to dig in to old records and to talk to people who worked with tape storage back 30 years ago.

Bill Wood, Member of the Apollo 11 slow-scan tape search team

reverting post publish changes
wikinews articles are not substantially altered after publication - they are retained as historical documents. i understand that u have pointed out errors in the article, for which a correction will be issued, on the article page. in the meantime, raise whatever issues you have with the article here, on the talk page. Doldrums 15:59, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Per conventions, I have reverted this to the version that was originally published. A correction may be added once it has been worked out here on the talk page. --Brian McNeil / talk 16:32, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

errors listed
User:Bill Wood has listed errors he has identified on his talk page. Doldrums 17:48, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

proposed correction.
text of proposed correction. please comment on any changes required. Doldrums 18:11, 13 August 2006 (UTC)


 * I've edited this to use the correct template that should eventually be put on the page. --Brian McNeil / talk 19:38, 13 August 2006 (UTC)


 * If the second "missing" in the first paragraph were changed to "being sought." It would be more accurate. We have no knowledge that the tapes are "missing." Only NASA could make that statement, and they have not done so.  We need access to storage records at GSFC to see where the tapes ended up. -- --Bill Wood 22:33, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Correction has been published for some time now. —     09:55, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

The correction is wrong

 * I haven't found any link to any letter by any Bill Wood! That information is unsourced.There is nothing to correct, the information provided by the Australian Newspapers is correct.--Tequendamia 13:16, 14 August 2006 (UTC)


 * OH, I understand now. They can't find them, the search is on, but they are not missing. That's what they say: Sleuths search for Apollo 11’s mystery tapes; August 14, 2006. In other words, they don't know if they will ever find the tapes, but the tapes are not missing. Could the article reflect this semantic confusion?--Tequendamia 13:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
 * The letter can be found in the edit history, here. And the article you link to is the follow-on from Mr Wood getting someone to tell the story correctly.  --Brian McNeil / talk 15:31, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
 * ":tell the story correctly" means to say that the "tapes are missing", but "are not missing".--Tequendamia 15:46, 14 August 2006 (UTC)


 * WTF. Are you guys out of your minds ? The correction is misleading - it makes it sound like nothing is missing. In fact the original higher-quality recordings are indeed missing. This is terrible reporting.

New Technology Available
The tapes are missing because newer technology can review these tapes and prove the moon landing was faked. How would America feel once they have proof that their government has lied to them about some of the greatest events of all time?