Final Jeopardy

[Superluminal]

Did anyone catch Jeopardy today? The final category was: They were honored in a NYC ticker tape parade.

The final answer was:

Of the 3 men honored on Aug. 23, 1969, he was miles away from the other two on July 20th, 1969.

Two of the contestants answered: Who is Aldrin, the third said, Alan Bean.

Kinda sad that no one on Jeopardy knew the right answer.

[antoniseb]

Not too surprising. I asked my wife, and she didn't know. She got the other two guys at least.

When I thought about it I couldn't remember some of the names of the Apollo astronauts:
I didn't remember Donn Eisele, Stuart Roosa, Al Worden, Jim Irwin, Charlie Duke, or Ron Evans.
Irwin I should have remembered, but I just couldn't come up with the name.

[GDwarf]

I've got to confess that I certainly don't know the answer.

[ToSeek]

I can't name all of the Apollo astronauts - I get a little lost toward the end - but I can name most of them.

[Ronald Brak]

Well I know the answer, but if I was on a game show I wouldn't be surprised if I blurted out something wrong in my rush to answer the question.

[antoniseb]

This was final jeopardy, so you would have had half a minute to think about it.

[Chuck]

This reminds me of another Final Jeopardy in which the clue asked for the state that joined the union in 1876. One lady responded with a question mark because she didn't know. Why would anyone refuse to guess? Nearly every U.S. citizen could eliminate the original 13 colonies, Alaska, and Hawaii. Why not pick one of the others and hope you're lucky? A wrong guess is no worse the no answer at all and might be correct.

[GDwarf]

This reminds me of another Final Jeopardy in which the clue asked for the state that joined the union in 1876. One lady responded with a question mark because she didn't know. Why would anyone refuse to guess? Nearly every U.S. citizen could eliminate the original 13 colonies, Alaska, and Hawaii. Why not pick one of the others and hope you're lucky? A wrong guess is no worse the no answer at all and might be correct.
Oh, I've been in a similar situation. It sounds easy to just throw out a guess, but you second-guess yourself to no end. Essentially you can't even sort through the confusion enough to write down even one answer. That's one of the reasons why teachers always tell you to check off an answer in a multiple choice test (unless you get penalized for getting it wrong as opposed to no answer), because most students, myself among them, probably wouldn't even think of just guessing, you just can't seem to make up your mind enough to do so.

[HenrikOlsen]

I passed a multiple choice exam once when I ran out of time, could see that even if I'd answered every question I'd had time for correct it wouldn't be enough, so I filled in the last couple of questions totally randomly (random number generator in the calculator).

That exam was nasty, one of the question was set up so you could either solve it symbolically, then put in the numbers to get the correct choice or do it numerically which, depending on which calculator you used, would give one of the alternative (incorrect) choices.

[mugaliens]

I once took a multiple-guess test in college that was extremely difficult, graded on the curve, etc. Four answers each. I answered the ones that I knew (about half), eliminated stupid answers from the rest (about 1 per question), and guessed at the rest.

Wound up in the 88% percentile.

Guessing among three possible answers doesn't require you to figure out which one's the best. It does require you to have three answers you think might be possible and to choose any one of the three, whether by flipping a coin, looking at the second hand on the clock (odd - first one, even - second one), whatever.

[Tog_]

Supposedly there was a guy on Who Wants to be a Millionare? that was suing becasue he felt he got the right answer. The question was "what is the first sign in the Zodiac?" I don't recall what he answered or what they said was the right answer, but I did notice that Capricorn, Aquarius, and Ares were not on the list of correct answers, so I didn't see a correct answer as being possible in any case.

I'm not really surprised that no one got the Jeopardy answer...question...whatever. That's one of those things that has ended up being a footnote. "In 1969 Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. He was accompanied by another astronaut in the lander and one more in orbit. Over the next few years, more people did it too." Is STILL more info than I think the averge person, including active sudents, would be able to come up with.

In high school (class of '88), I dont' recall ever covering the names of anyone in the program at all. I don't even really recall going over anything from the 60s/70s other than Vietnam and the energy crisis.

For taking tests, I had a system that worked very well for me. The sych teacher knew I did it and thought it was interstign to see the results. I would read the captions under the pictures in the chapter on the day of the test. The test was 30 questions. 10 true/false, 10 multiple choice (4 choices) and 10 matching (idea A was put forth by person 6).

I would answer what I knew, then look at the choices. The correct answer was usually the longest one (multiple choice). If I was sure that wasn't it, and had nothing esle to go by, I'd look to ee where the second hand was on the clock. between 12 and 3 was A, 3 and 6 was B and so on. When in doubt, pick C. I was consistently the second highest on the tests usually with a 26 or 27/30. Oddly, I did the best on the matching and the worst on the T/F. I did the same thing on a 300 qustion sociology test (all multiple choice) and got the 2nd or third highest with a 252. Of course, I don't really have any of that knowledge now.

When I look back on the tests I've taken, and some of the things that happened in the real world, I'd have to say that I'm very much opposed to guessing on tests. I'd have a right answer be worth 1 point, a wrong answer be worth -1, and no answer be 0. Guessing on a test may end up teaching people to guess on important things later as well.

One day at the grocery store, I was going through that damaged stuff and I found someone's heart medicine. It had been left in the cart and the bagger guessed on what should be done with it. Back to the pharmacy? nope. Customer service booth? Nope. Call the name and phone number on the bottle? Nope. Toss it in the box in the back with the broken mayonaise? Yes. If you don't know, don't guess. If you do guess, make it clear that it's a guess.

[hhEb09'1]

I'm not really surprised that no one got the Jeopardy answer...question...whatever. That's one of those things that has ended up being a footnote. "In 1969 Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. He was accompanied by another astronaut in the lander and one more in orbit. Over the next few years, more people did it too." Is STILL more info than I think the averge person, including active sudents, would be able to come up with.I got the Byrds in my head, singing "Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins"

[Donnie B.]

I got the Byrds in my head, singing "Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins"Great song. And to my knowledge, the only one from the rock era to celebrate the accomplishments of Apollo.

PM me if you'd like an mp3 of it... :shhh:

[Tog_]

Great song. And to my knowledge, the only one from the rock era to celebrate the accomplishments of Apollo.

PM me if you'd like an mp3 of it... :shhh:

I've never even heard of it.:think:

[BigDon]

So is somebody going to write out a list of Apollo astronauts by mission number or what? I come here for the education you know.

[ToSeek]

Apollo 7 Schirra, Eisele, Cunningham
Apollo 8 Borman, Lovell, Anders
Apollo 9 McDivitt, Scott, Schweickart
Apollo 10 Stafford, Young, Cernan
Apollo 11 Armstrong, Collins, Aldrin
Apollo 12 Conrad, Gordon, Bean
Apollo 13 Lovell, Swigert, Haise
Apollo 14 Shepard, Roosa, Mitchell
Apollo 15 Scott, Worden, Irwin
Apollo 16 Young, Mattingly, Duke
Apollo 17 Cernan, Evans, Schmitt

Courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum (http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/apollolaunches.htm)

[Donnie B.]

To my everlasting shame, there are only three missions for which I can consistently remember the crew names: 8, 11, and 13.

:cry:

[Donnie B.]

I've never even heard of it.:think:It never got airplay. It's a quirky song from one of their less well known albums, Ballad of Easy Rider.

Only about a minute long, and half of that isn't really song at all.

[BigDon]

Thank you Toseek,

I actually expected someone to say "get off your #$@% and look". Thank you again.

[BigDon]

Oh and thanks for the link.

[Murff]

I'll take "An Album Cover" for $400 Alex.


hahaha, those Sean Connery ones were hilarious

[Tobin Dax]

I don't recall what he answered or what they said was the right answer, but I did notice that Capricorn, Aquarius, and Ares were not on the list of correct answers, so I didn't see a correct answer as being possible in any case.

Good thing for that last one, because Mars isn't part of the zodiac as far as I'm aware. ;)

[Gillianren]

To my everlasting shame, there are only three missions for which I can consistently remember the crew names: 8, 11, and 13.

:cry:

You guys don't want to know how few astronauts' names I can reliably remember. Heck, it's only been since I joined the board that Lovell and Collins made my "astronauts whose names I remember" list.

[ToSeek]

Thank you Toseek,

I actually expected someone to say "get off your #$@% and look". Thank you again.

I was tempted to just post a link, but it wasn't a big deal to cut-and-paste the text down to just the mission and astronauts.

[AGN Fuel]

Oh and thanks for the link.

This (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/frame.html), this (http://www.apolloarchive.com/) and this (http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/contents.htm) are my Sacred Trilogy of Apollo references.

[BigDon]

Mr. Fuel,

I now have them bookmarked for study when its not so late. (Quarter after one, local)

BD

Toseek, I would have been pleased with just the link.

[ToSeek]

Mr. Fuel,

I now have them bookmarked for study when its not so late. (Quarter after one, local)

BD

Toseek, I would have been pleased with just the link.

Slow day at the office.... ;)

[Jim]

Apollo 7 Schirra, Eisele, Cunningham
Apollo 8 Borman, Lovell, Anders
Apollo 9 McDivitt, Scott, Schweickart
Apollo 10 Stafford, Young, Cernan
Apollo 11 Armstrong, Collins, Aldrin
Apollo 12 Conrad, Gordon, Bean
Apollo 13 Lovell, Swigert, Haise
Apollo 14 Shepard, Roosa, Mitchell
Apollo 15 Scott, Worden, Irwin
Apollo 16 Young, Mattingly, Duke
Apollo 17 Cernan, Evans, Schmitt

Courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum (http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/apollolaunches.htm)

Apollo 1 Grissom, White and Chaffee

[Donnie B.]

Apollo 1 Grissom, White and ChaffeeOkay, four. The four missions whose crews I know are 1, 8, 11, and 13.

Wait, I'll come in again.

[BigDon]

Even as a child I always felt sorry for the guy who didn't get to land. My Dad felt the same way and said they should have let the guy in the orbiter be in the lander on the next trip.

[ToSeek]

Even as a child I always felt sorry for the guy who didn't get to land. My Dad felt the same way and said they should have let the guy in the orbiter be in the lander on the next trip.

Well, the command module pilots were put in line for commanding a later mission, but it usually took six missions for the rotation to come around to them due to all the training involved, e.g.:

Lovell: CMP Apollo 8, backup CDR Apollo 11, CDR Apollo 13
Scott: CMP Apollo 9, backup CDR Apollo 12, CDR Apollo 15
Young: CMP Apollo 10, backup CDR Apollo 13, CDR Apollo 16
Gordon: CMP Apollo 12, backup CDR Apollo 15, CDR Apollo 18 (cancelled)

This rotation was only really upset by Mercury astronaut Al Shepard "jumping the queue" for Apollo 14 and Michael Collins retiring - word is that Slayton was very keen on giving the command of Apollo 17 to Collins, but he wanted to move on rather than go through another couple of years of astronaut training.

[Matherly]

Good thing for that last one, because Mars isn't part of the zodiac as far as I'm aware. ;)

Ares (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aries), latin for 'Ram', is the constillation between Pisces and Taurus.

[farmerjumperdon]

This rotation was only really upset by Mercury astronaut Al Shepard "jumping the queue" for Apollo 14 and Michael Collins retiring - word is that Slayton was very keen on giving the command of Apollo 17 to Collins, but he wanted to move on rather than go through another couple of years of astronaut training.

I always wondered why there were not more repeats, for the sake of utilizing & taking advantage of previous experience. I understand you would always want to have a pool big enough for lack of trained people to not be a problem, but it seemed they trained far more people than necessary and got too little mileage from the average trained astronaut simply because there were so many astronauts relative to available seats.

It just seems absurd to put someone thru all that training for one flight.

[Tobin Dax]

Ares (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aries), latin for 'Ram', is the constillation between Pisces and Taurus.
Compare your spelling of the word with the spelling in your link. ;)

[Matherly]

Spelling facist

(;))

[Gillianren]

It is, though, a worthwhile distinction, one I would've pointed out had someone not beaten me to it. After all, the Greeks called the planet "Ares" that we call "Mars," you know.

[Tobin Dax]

It is, though, a worthwhile distinction, one I would've pointed out had someone not beaten me to it. After all, the Greeks called the planet "Ares" that we call "Mars," you know.

I actually saw the mistake a couple days ago on another board where the dicussion was about naming our spacecraft that will take us back to the moon and to Mars. Calling a spacecraft that's involved in the Mars mission "Aries" vs. "Ares" makes a world of difference. :)

[Jim]

Calling a spacecraft that's involved in the Mars mission "Aries" vs. "Ares" makes a world of difference. :)

Considering the problems NASA had with unmanned probes impacting Mars, I wouldn't want to be part of a manned mission in a craft named "Ram."

[Tobin Dax]

Considering the problems NASA had with unmanned probes impacting Mars, I wouldn't want to be part of a manned mission in a craft named "Ram."

:lol: True enough.

[hhEb09'1]

PM me if you'd like an mp3 of it...Thanks Don B., I may take you up on that. I have the original on vinyl still :)