Apollo 10

Soon the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 will be in the news. Apollo 11 would not have been possible without all the previous Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. Today is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 10. Walter Cronkite said the following about Apollo 10: "Every time there is another Apollo mission, we say it is the most demanding yet. Because every time there is another Apollo mission, that happens to be true. Each mission is planned as another step in the ultimate goal of landing a man on the moon. Apollo 10 … marks the first time the complete Apollo spacecraft will operate around the moon.”

Apollo 8

Fifty years ago today, December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 left Earth to orbit the Moon. It was the first crewed launch of a Saturn V rocket with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders aboard. Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit two celestial bodies as it went around both the Earth and the Moon. Although the mission was to attain lunar orbit Apollo 8 is best remembered for William Anders’ “Earthrise” photo as well as the television broadcast of the crew, which was estimated to have been watched by one billion people. The crew ended the broadcast with the following words that still resonate today - “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth."

InSight Has Landed!

Today NASA landed a craft named InSight on Mars. The robotic lander was launched May 5th of this year and traveled over 140 million miles to get to Mars. InSight’s mission will be a comprehensive look beneath Mar’s surface that will include collecting data about the planet’s crust, mantle and core. This data would be important for a future manned mission. Click here to see footage from Mission Control as InSight landed.

Vintage Moon Glass Collection

One of the hidden gems of the Tranquility Base Arcade is a not a rare arcade game or even a scarce piece of 1980’s memorabilia but items from an earlier time – my collection of vintage moon glasses. Apollo mission glasses or moon glasses, as they are more commonly known were originally a premium offered by Marathon gas stations in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The glasses feature Apollo missions 11 through 14. A pitcher was also available. My parents originally obtained some of the glasses when filling up the family station wagon over 40 years ago! As a kid during the 1970's I was able to complete the set and add to the collection. Since the 50th anniversary of the moon landing is rapidly approaching I have decided to highlight this seldom seen collection that is proudly part of the Tranquility Base Arcade.

1991 Rowe LaserStar Gold CD-100A Jukebox

I recently acquired a 1991 Rowe LaserStar Gold CD-100A Jukebox.
I have wanted this type of jukebox for quite some time and was thrilled to finally find one. After the usual cleaning and a repair to the bill acceptor it now plays great! Now I just have to decide whether I want to listen to Pac-Man Fever or Goin' Berzerk!

SpaceX Launch

SpaceX launched their Falcon Heavy rocket today. It was the maiden voyage for a Falcon Heavy rocket, which features 27 Merlin 1D engines producing five million pounds of thrust. The rocket's payload included a Tesla Roadster with a "Starman" astronaut sitting in the driver's seat. The pictures showing the Tesla ‘flying around the Earth’ and the simultaneous landings of the boosters captured the world's attention!

Space Shuttle Commander

One of the astronauts outside of the Apollo program I have always admired was Robert Crippen. Crippen was the pilot for the first mission of Space Shuttle Columbia, which was launched on April 12, 1981. Crippen later served as Commander for three additional Space Shuttle missions. Earlier in his career as an astronaut Crippen served as support crew for several Skylab missions as well as Apollo-Soyuz. He epitomizes having ‘The Right Stuff’. Astronauts, as a general rule, infrequently interact with the public, sign autographs, etc. Many of the early astronauts have passed away. With that said can you believe the picture below?!?! Of course this will be hung on the wall at Tranquility Base Arcade.

Hornet + 3

It is not every day that you get to walk in your hero's footsteps! I recently toured the USS Hornet aircraft carrier where on July 24, 1969 President Richard Nixon welcomed home Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins from their Apollo 11 flight. What a thrill!

Stop Thief!

After an extensive repair job, I have completed the restoration of a 1981 Pacific Novelty Thief. The game is in original condition and plays great! The game is thought to be the only Thief made with a red cabinet. The game required quite a number of repairs including a complete rebuild of the game boards, installing an MP3 player to replace the missing cassette deck, replacing the control panel overlay and putting in new locks. The monitor was also rebuilt.

Settle It On The Screen

Thanks to Nick Houslander and the gang at Settle It On The Screen for mentioning my recent Sprint 2 World Record. It is always an honor to be recognized by Twin Galaxies/Guinness.

New Sprint 2 World Record!!!

Once again I set the World Record for Sprint 2 on Tranquility Base Arcade's very own Sprint 2 machine. Twin Galaxies International confirmed the record on July 31, 2017. I scored 550 points, which is 20 points higher than the old record of 530 points set by legendary video game player John McAllister on July 8, 2017. Sprint 2, which was initially released by Atari in 1976, has been a long time favorite of mine and it is a thrill to be recognized as the current World Record holder for this game.

That's One Small Step.........

Apollo 1

Edward H. White II - Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom - Roger B. Chaffee

We Remember

50th Anniversary Of Apollo 1 Accident

Last Man On The Moon

Gene Cernan died today. Almost everyone knows that Neil Armstrong was the first man on the Moon but virtually no one knows that Cernan as Commander of Apollo 17 was the last man on the Moon. Shortly before leaving the Moon for the final time Cernan wrote his daughter's initials on the lunar surface and uttered these words: ".....As I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I'd like to just say what I believe history will record: that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus–Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17." Godspeed Gene Cernan. I hope in my lifetime we get to see your daughters initials again.

Asteroids Field

Houston....we are in a field of Asteroids! I brought all my Asteroids machines out of storage and started to restore them. At this point I have rebuilt all the vector monitors and now have four working Asteroids machines! Once the games are restored one of them will be put back into service in Tranquility Base Arcade.

Godspeed, John Glenn

John Glenn passed away today. He was the last of the celebrated Mercury 7 – America’s original astronauts. In 1962 Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Will there ever be another group like this in our lifetime? Heroes all. Godspeed, John Glenn.

Gemini 12

In 1966 two brave astronauts aboard Gemini 12 paved the way for the epic Apollo 11 moon landing. Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin represented the courage and determination of a nation ‘On The Move.’ This was the last Gemini mission as NASA began the Apollo missions the following year. Gemini 12 was also Aldrin's first space flight. I hope one day soon we can once again resume the ‘world’s greatest adventure.’

Prepare To Qualify!

After an extensive repair job, I have completed the restoration of a Pole Position cockpit. The game is in original condition and plays great! The game required quite a number of repairs including a complete rebuild of all game boards, the power brick, the steering assembly and the pedals. A total restoration of the monitor chassis was also necessary and included a tube swap from a television! New rear plexiglass and an original topper completed the project.

Space Shuttle Challenger

Enemy In Range!

After a lengthy repair job, I have fixed Battlezone and put it in the arcade. The game is in excellent original condition and plays great! The game had sat unused in a warehouse for many years and required quite a number of repairs including a complete rebuild of the power brick as well as a total restoration of the vector monitor chassis. Battlezone is the first game to be put in Tranquility Base Arcade in almost fivers years! Fortunately, due to the game being the cabaret version, room was not a problem.