Archives for the 'history' Category
Venera 4
Published on 12 Jun 2008 at 4:46 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
41 years ago, on June 12, 1967, a modified R-7 rocket lifted off from deep within the Soviet Union carrying a spacecraft to another world. The spacecraft was Venera 4, and it was on its way to Venus. Venera 4 was not the first spacecraft to arrive at Venus. That honor […]
Apollo 6
Published on 4 Apr 2008 at 12:00 pm.
5 Comments.
Filed under NASA, history.
Forty years ago today, Apollo 6 was launched. Apollo 6 was the last of the unmanned Apollo missions and only the second time that a massive Saturn V rocket was launched. This was to be the final test launch of the Saturn V before qualifying it for manned missions. Ironically, it was […]
Space Pens
Published on 27 Mar 2008 at 1:11 pm.
9 Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
When I was in high school, someone gave me an “astronaut pen.” I was awfully proud of that pen. After all, how many people got a chance to use a pen that had been used in space, I thought? Eventually, though, I lost my prized astronaut pen. Later, I found that […]
Selling Space
Published on 25 Mar 2008 at 8:35 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
Yesterday, I saw a news item about space memorabilia being auctioned nearby in Dallas. The auction is being held by Heritage Auction Galleries. What caught my attention was the news headline declaring that patches from Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit were to be auctioned off. Actually, it isn’t just Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit patches being […]
David Fabricius
Published on 9 Mar 2008 at 2:07 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under astronomers, history.
There is a crater on the Moon named Fabricius. It is about 2.5 kilometers deep and 78 kilometers in diameter. According to a NASA list of crater names, it is named for the astronomer David Goldschmidt. Who is the Goldschmidt, and why is the crater named for him? I chose to […]
Jules Verne
Published on 9 Feb 2008 at 2:31 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under books, history, science fiction.
One of the first introductions that most people have to science fiction, including myself, is the work of Jules Verne. He was born 180 years ago, yesterday, on February 8, 1828. Though he was originally writing for adults, his work is often seen as children’s fiction. That is a shame, because he really […]
Explorer 1
Published on 30 Jan 2008 at 5:15 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
Tomorrow, January 31, marks 50 years in space for the United States.
50 years ago, on the evening of January 31, 1958, a Juno rocket (also known as a Jupiter-C rocket), which was basically a modified Redstone ballistic missile, roared to life on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, in Florida. Seconds later, at […]
