If there’s one thing anyone could gather from the bulk of my space related posts (both the positive ones and the not so positive ones) it’s this: I freaking love NASA. It’s funny then that it would come as a surprise to me today to see that today, July 29th, marks NASA’s 60th birthday. While …
Continue reading 60 Years Ago: The Birth Of NASA
Tag:NASA
45 Years Ago: The Launch Of Skylab 3
On July 28th, 1973, a Saturn 1B rocket launched from Launch Complex 39-B at Kennedy Space Center carrying astronauts Alan Bean, Owen Garriott, and Jack Lousma into orbit for the Skylab 3 mission. This mission was, as you would expect, a direct follow up to the 28 day Skylab 2 mission. Skylab 3 would remain …
Continue reading 45 Years Ago: The Launch Of Skylab 3
New Shepard Test Flight 9
On July 18th 2018 aerospace company Blue Origin conducted the 9th test flight of their New Shepard launch vehicle. New Shepard is a booster intended for commercial suborbital missions for both scientific research and space tourism, and holds the much-ignored distinction of being the first booster to reach space and safely land vertically, predating a …
Continue reading New Shepard Test Flight 9
49 Years Ago: The Apollo 11 Lunar Landing
Today marks 49 years since the first crewed landing on the Moon – the mission of Apollo 11. For fans of space stuff, today is kind of the top day in the history of things, much like October 4th and April 12th. These are days we celebrate for their importance to humanity – the days …
Continue reading 49 Years Ago: The Apollo 11 Lunar Landing
Soyuz MS-09 Launch And Docking With The International Space Station
I’m only a month behind on covering this one, but I thought it might be nice with the recent sharing of the rollout of Progress MS-09 to share the launch and docking of Soyuz MS-09, since I missed covering it on time last month. Soyuz MS-09 launched on June 6th, 2018, carrying Sergey Prokopyev, Alexander …
Continue reading Soyuz MS-09 Launch And Docking With The International Space Station
Happy 4th Of July – 2018 Rocket Launch Edition
Yeah, I know it’s late when I’m writing this (9 P.M. my time) but I figured, hey, why not wish my readers a happy 4th. Right now I’m sure you’re partying in one way or another right now, that is, if you’re in the United States. Hope you’re all being safe! If you’re reading this …
Continue reading Happy 4th Of July – 2018 Rocket Launch Edition
Skylab: The First 40 Days – 1973 NASA Film
Yesterday, June 22nd, marked the 45th anniversary of the end of the Skylab 2 mission, a 28 day stay on America’s first (and so far, only) space station. As I covered extensively in May, Skylab was heavily damaged during its launch, and the Skylab 2 mission had to be delayed for 10 days while a …
Continue reading Skylab: The First 40 Days – 1973 NASA Film
Gemini 10 Atlas-Agena D Docking Target Launch – 1966 NASA Film
Here’s another classic bit of rocket launch footage that I thought would be cool to share; the launch of the Gemini 10 Agena Target Vehicle on an Atlas-D booster. One of the goals of project Gemini was docking with, and working in relation to, a target vehicle in Earth orbit. The Agena Target Vehicle served, …
Continue reading Gemini 10 Atlas-Agena D Docking Target Launch – 1966 NASA Film
Saving Skylab – The Skylab 2 Repairs
The first manned mission to Skylab launched on May 25th 1973, carrying astronauts Pete Conrad, Joe Kerwin, and Paul Weitz on a planned 28 day stay on the United States first space station. The first thing the crew would need to do, however, was make Skylab livable. Skylab was heavily damaged during its launch on …
Continue reading Saving Skylab – The Skylab 2 Repairs
45 Years Ago: The Launch Of Skylab 2
On May 25th, 1973, the first manned mission to the United States first space station, Skylab, launched from Launch Complex 39-B at Kennedy Space Center. Originally scheduled to launch 10 days earlier, on May 15th, the launch was delayed when it was discovered that Skylab had suffered major damage on its way to orbit; the …
Continue reading 45 Years Ago: The Launch Of Skylab 2
Saving Skylab – How To Save A Space Station
For 10 days in May of 1973, the world waited as NASA worked hard to prepare a fix to the damaged Skylab space station. Based on the information available, they knew what kind of damage had happened to the station during launch, but without being up there to see it, no one knew quite for …
Continue reading Saving Skylab – How To Save A Space Station
Saving Skylab – Keeping The Station Alive
When the United States first space station, Skylab, was launched on May 14th, 1973, it suffered major damage – the micro meteoroid shield intended to protect the station from space debris and the heat of the Sun was torn off, causing temperatures in the station to rise far beyond what the vehicle was designed for. …
Continue reading Saving Skylab – Keeping The Station Alive
How The Skylab 63 Second Anomaly Crippled A Space Station
When Skylab launched on May 14th, 1973 things looked good from the ground. The Saturn V 1st stage ignited, and like the Apollo launches before it, the vehicle began its flight – Americas first space station was off to what looked like a perfect beginning to its mission. After about 50 seconds or so the …
Continue reading How The Skylab 63 Second Anomaly Crippled A Space Station
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 …
Continue reading 45 Years Ago: The Launch of SkyLab
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Launch Highlights – NASA InSight
You didn’t think we would have a high profile Atlas V launch without me sharing the launch highlights video, did you? Of course not. While there wasn’t too much to see with this mornings launch, it still put on quite a show for what we could see, especially some footage taken above the clouds from …
Continue reading United Launch Alliance Atlas V Launch Highlights – NASA InSight