On October 29th, 1998 the Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center for a relatively typical 10-day mission in Earth orbit, save for one key element – onboard the vehicle was John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. To say this mission was a big deal at the time …
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Tag:LC-39A
45 Years Ago: The Launch of SkyLab
45 years ago today, the final Saturn V to fly launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, carrying on it the first (and only) space station for the United States: Skylab (often stylized as “SkyLab”) I absolutely love Skylab. The station itself, how it came to be, and the dramatic story of its …
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50 Years Ago: The Launch Of Apollo 6
Early in the morning of April 4th, 1968, on launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center, the second Saturn V rocket to fly was launched. This mission was Apollo 6 – another unmanned test of the Saturn V and the Apollo Command-Service module, much the same as the Apollo 4 mission in November of …
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15 Years Ago: The Launch Of Columbia On STS-107
15 years ago today the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off on what was to become its last mission, STS-107. This flight carried a crew of 7 not to the International Space Station – Columbia was far too heavy for the orbital inclination the Space Station orbits at – but a simple Earth Orbit mission for …
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SpaceX Shows The First Photos Of The Falcon Heavy
Today SpaceX showed off the assembled Falcon Heavy in a set of 3 photos, showing it from above (on it’s side, really) on down to the engines themselves – our first look at the actual rocket, rather than a mockup. Of course, all it is is 3 Falcon 9 1st stages strapped together, but it’s …
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SpaceX Scheduling Madness
This is going to be interesting – a two-fold article. On one half, I have a bit more to say about what upcoming SpaceX content I have coming, and on the other half, I feel it worth discussing the actual current scheduling that SpaceX is launching on in the upcoming months. On my end, as …
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The Flight Of Apollo 4 – 1967 NASA Film
I wrote earlier that today marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 4 – the first flight of the Saturn V rocket. This mission was designed to both test the entire Saturn V, but also the Apollo Command Module. Previous Article – 50 Years Ago, The Launch Of Apollo 4 – The First …
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50 Years Ago, The Launch Of Apollo 4 – The First Flight Of The Saturn V Rocket
At 7:00 AM Eastern Time on November 9th, 1967, 5 F-1 rocket engines, each one alone producing 1 and a half million lbs of thrust, roared to life, beginning the first flight of the most powerful machine ever built by humanity – the Saturn V rocket. The Saturn V was the machine that, if everything …
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Koreasat-5A Is Successfully Launched On A SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
It’s been a little while since any major space related news, but then again it’s been a rather quiet front on the side of launches of note – or at least, ones I feel it good to write about. In this case, we have another SpaceX Falcon 9 launch, this one of a communications satellite …
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SpaceX Successfully Launches The X-37B For Its OTV-5 Mission
Yesterday SpaceX successfully launched the military’s X-37B space-plane into orbit for another mission to do… well, we really don’t know. It’s somewhat a mystery what it does – we know it “hosts experiments” and is built for long duration flight (literally over a year in orbit on its last mission) as well as high maneuverability, …
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SpaceX Isn’t Perfect
A key theme that seems to exist in the mind of every member of the “Cult of SpaceX” is this presumption that SpaceX is somehow perfect – that nothing ever goes wrong when SpaceX is involved! Even if this isn’t literally what is thought, the attitude presented exudes such an idea. SpaceX isn’t perfect. No …
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SpaceX CRS-12 Successfully Launches To The International Space Station
Today marked another Falcon 9 launch, carrying a Dragon cargo spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International, Space Station. As usual, it was a nominal launch with a successful first stage landing, and successful insertion into orbit of the Dragon spacecraft which should be getting to the Space Station about the time I publish …
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SpaceX? Where Do We Begin…
If you read my articles related to SpaceX at all, you will notice a common theme with them – excitement for launches, a feeling of happiness with success, but all the while, at least since September of 2016, a level of snark, of subtle disdain can be read in the posts. To be fair some …
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The Launch Of STS-135
6 Years ago today, the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle program. I wrote an entry last year, but incidentally, for whatever reason, didn’t include launch video. No idea why, but I’m rectifying that now. The Final Liftoff of Atlantis The Space Shuttle is the most-flown American manned …
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SpaceX’s 3rd Launch In 12 Days, And The Heaviest Payload Yet: Intelsat 35e
I’m covering this one quickly, since I missed the launch live, but on Wednesday the 6th of July, SpaceX, after 2 previous failed attempts to launch, finally got Intelsat 35e off the ground and into one of the highest orbits possible for the booster with such a payload. This high initial orbit was to preserve …
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