Has America lost its “exploratory compass”?
Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to think so… the video below is NdGT giving the commencement address at Rice University in Houston on May 11, 2013. It’s really an excellent example of a *clear* look back on...
View ArticleAtlantis debuts in her “forever home”…
Here’s a great CNN preview of the new Space Shuttle Atlantis display at KSC, with commentary from former astronaut (and friend) Tom Jones:
View ArticleThe End
2 years ago, today, STS-135 touched down at the Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up not only that mission, but the 30 years of the Space Shuttle Program. We are still waiting for the follow-on program....
View ArticleMeanwhile… on the surface of Mars…
On June 27, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in orbit around Mars (duh) took a photo of the Mars Curiosity Rover *on the surface of Mars*! Here’s the link to the NASA photo page where you can...
View ArticleOne-Way Astronaut
A friend of mine recently posted this YouTube video on my Facebook page: Their site (One Way Astronaut) promotes “an independent documentary surrounding people who have signed up to leave Earth to be...
View ArticleThe Free Frontier
Conservative commentator Bill Whittle has always been a favorite of mine, but he put out a great commentary video a couple of years ago on the state of the US Space Program. Unlike some of his other...
View ArticleOrbital Velocity… and great analogies
One of my favorite web-comics, xkcd, did an excellent piece titled “Orbital Speed“, in which they answered a few readers’ questions: What if a spacecraft slowed down on re-entry to just a few miles per...
View ArticleNoctilucent Clouds and you
A good friend recently posted this YouTube video on my FB page showing a rare video with *both* Noctilucent Clouds and the Aurora Borealis. Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs, also called Polar Mesospheric...
View ArticleChris Kraft pulls no punches
The Houston Chronicle has a great interview with NASA’s “Original Flight Director”, Chris Kraft: NASA says it’s going places, that its plan to develop a new space capsule and rocket will take human...
View ArticleProgress marches on… but it still can be sad sometimes
FCR-1 during a Space Shuttle landingI spent 12 years of my professional career at NASA in the Space Shuttle Mission Control Center (MCC) as a Flight Dynamics Officer, split between the Apollo-era...
View ArticleExperience a little bit of space history for yourself…
As a movie, “Apollo 13″ captured this event really well… but nothing can truly replace hearing/re-living exactly what happened. This video does a really decent job of syncing up the MCC (Mission...
View ArticleRemember.
28 years ago today – I was at the Johnson Space Center, sitting in my Division Chief’s office with other members of the Space Shuttle Flight Dynamics team, listening to the preparations and countdown...
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