Astronaut Jon McBride passed away today at age 80.
Jon was the one who hired me in 2011 to do education lectures and tours at #KSCVC. He retired from the park a few years ago.
If you've seen the IMAX movie, "The Dream is Alive," you've seen Jon's work. He filmed much of it while on orbit.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-080724a-nasa-astronaut-jon-mcbride-obituary.html
If you've never seen "The Dream is Alive," the 1985 IMAX space movie, it's on YouTube. Jon McBride was one of the astronauts who filmed the on-orbit scenes.
Narrated by Walter Cronkite!
@WordsmithFL thanks. I will put this on my rewatch list. I did see this in IMAX years ago. Sorry for your loss.
Love Cronkite!
@WordsmithFL
I remember watching that on the giant IMAX screen. Glad to hear I can watch it again.
Even expected, losses are hard. Take good care.
@CinnamonGirlE It was the first IMAX space film I saw, probably at KSCVC in 1988. KSCVC has a cameo in the film, the rocket garden where the returned astronaut crew is cheered.
(I don't think we ever really did that, it was probably staged ...)
@WordsmithFL
I think it may have been the only one I ever saw?
@CinnamonGirlE "Hail, Columbia!" was the first. Many more since then. The early ones were the best, in my opinion.
@CinnamonGirlE Thank you. It was not unexpected.
The early IMAX space films are like home movies to me, because many of them have astros I worked with. I think Jon filmed the scene where the two spacewalkers rise up and peer through the flight deck rear windows.