STS-3
Launch: 22 Mar 1982, 11:00:00 am
STS-3 was the third test flght of the Space Shuttle Obiter Columbia. Astronauts were Jack R. Lousma, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot.
STS-2
Launch: 12 Nov 1981, 10:09:59 am
STS-2 was the United States’ second Space Shuttle orbital flight test mission. Crewmen were Astronauts Joe H. Engle, commander, and Richard H. Truly, pilot. Their spacecraft, Orbiter 102 Columbia, is depicted in the insignia along with the crew members’ surname, and the merged eagle and American flag.… Read the rest “STS-2”
STS-1
STS-1 was the first of four orbital flight tests to verify the design and performance capability of the Space Transportation System.
Veteran Astronaut John Young was the commander of the mission. Rookie Astronaut Robert Crippen was the pilot.
The mission was approximately fifty-four hours.… Read the rest “STS-1”
Space Shuttle Project
In 1981 I lived in Florida and the Space Shuttle Program was about to launch the first test of their new system. My father subscribed to the local newspaper, The St. Petersburg Times. He started pulling out newspaper clippings. At first I collected them in a box but then had the idea to put them in a scrapbook.… Read the rest “Space Shuttle Project”
Apollo 11 Documentary
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, CNN Films put together a 92 minute documentary from video shot on those days in July 1969. Some of the footage has of course been seen before but here was an opportunity to see a full clip in context.… Read the rest “Apollo 11 Documentary”
ULA Atlas V AEHF-4 Launch
Cape Canaveral
While in Florida for a conference, I noticed that there was going to be a launch that week. The launch was scheduled for 12:15 on Launch Complex LC-41 which is located on the far east side of the Cape.… Read the rest “ULA Atlas V AEHF-4 Launch”
Millennium Phenom
At Dallas Executive Airport there is an Embraer jet, tail number N100FZ, painted up with images from Star Wars that made me laugh. On one side of the tail is the Millennium Falcon. On the other is a painting of what looks like an X-Wing with the fuselage of a jet.… Read the rest “Millennium Phenom”
VLA: Very Large Array
One of my favorite photo-walks was in May, 2011 to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array near Socorro, New Mexico. I was working in Albuquerque and decided to head out there before the visitor center closed so I could get pictures at sunset.… Read the rest “VLA: Very Large Array”
Interstellar
The new movie Interstellar starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Christopher Nolan is destined to become a science fiction classic like 2001 but I don’t think it will be appreciated in our time. At three hours long I think some audiences will have a hard time staying engaged.… Read the rest “Interstellar”
Gravity
When I first heard about the Alfonso Cuarón movie Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and the voice of Ed Harris, it sounded like a space version of Open Water and I wasn’t interested. I heard that it was stunning to see on the big screen or in iMax format but I managed to resist.… Read the rest “Gravity”
The Martian
You may not have heard of Andy Weir. He has no Wikipedia page and he only has the one book listed on Amazon. His web site galactanet.com looks like a 1996 MySpace page. What he does have is the best hard science book about Mars I have ever read.… Read the rest “The Martian”
L-90 Days until STS-133
The countdown clock for STS-133 is down tom just 90 days until launch.
One of the best parts of WWDC are the lunchtime speakers like @DrWave, @CNN, and @NASA
Dr. Michael Johnson is a great presenter. I love his style and anecdotes. I’ve seen him present at 4 or 5 WWDCs over the years. Unfortunately these sessions are protected under NDA and are not available for re-broadcast anywhere. Dr. Johnson is particularly good because he primarily talks about creating technology solutions to real world business workflows.… Read the rest “One of the best parts of WWDC are the lunchtime speakers like @DrWave, @CNN, and @NASA”