While the guys who actually set foot on the Moon get all the plaudits, in truth the Apollo programme was a series of very important missions which acted as steps towards that great achievement. One of these missions, Apollo 9 was commanded by James McDivitt who has died in October at the age of 93.
A Korean War US Air Force fighter pilot who later gained a degree in aeronautical engineering, McDivitt became a test pilot before he joined NASA in 1962. McDivitt acted as commander on Gemini IV with fellow astronaut Ed White making the very first US spacewalk on that mission.
McDivitt’s next flight was the Apollo 9 mission. It may have only gone into orbit around Earth, but it was significant in that it tested out the lunar module. McDivitt remained closely involved with planning the lunar landing operations, staying with the Apollo programme until he left NASA in 1972. He left to become an executive in Pullman International Railcar operation, and then later at Rockwell International which built the Space Shuttle. We give our salute to James McDivitt and our condolences to his family and friends.
James McDivitt with Ed White behind inside the Gemini IV capsule. Courtesy: NASA
We belatedly note that Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov died during September at the age of 80. Polyakov set the longest space stay on record – a record that still stands – via his 437 day residency on the Mir space station. We salute Cosmonaut Polyakov for his achievement and give our condolences to his family and friends.
Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov looks out of the porthole of Mir. Courtesy: NASA
Angela Lansbury on the front cover of the DVD edition of A Lady Vanishes (1979) Courtesy: Rank
Finally, we are sad to note that veteran actress Angela Lansbury has died at the age of 96. Angela Lansbury was not classically beautiful, but she kept her distinctive looks throughout her life and was instantly recognisable by those, and because of her “ginny” voice.
Her movie career started with the Victorian mental abuse story Gaslight (1944)…hence “gaslighting” term. She was in National Velvet (1944) with Liz Taylor, and, with Danny Kaye, in The Court Jester (1955).
Disney made good use of her in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and in the Beauty and the Beast (1991) animation. Lansbury could play villainesses such as in The Manchurian Candidate (1962) but also sweet detectives in the Agatha Christie inspired long-running TV series Murder She Wrote. She was also very good in the title role of the remake of A Lady Vanishes (1979).
Her later film appearances were in Mary Poppins Returns (2018), and finally in, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Late in life, she was somewhat unfairly lambasted for making the perfectly valid point in a Radio Times interview that while sexual harassment was always wrong, women were likely to receive more of this by making themselves more attractive. Nevertheless, she felt that she had to apologise for her suggestion that women “must sometimes take blame”.
Dame Angela Lansbury received her well deserved Damehood in 2014. We give our salute to her and our condolences to her family and friends
