Lunar News Network

Saving Lunar Images

What an extraordinary story this is, a tale of long forgotten photos of the moon, as well as obsolete media, and the dedicated fans who worked to bring off an amazing restoration project years in the making.

Looking Back

The Voice of America is offering a series of reports looking at the history and future of NASA (NASA Remembers First 50 Years of Manned Space Flight):

On October 1, 1958, the U.S. space agency NASA first opened its doors. Fifty years later it still has its sights on space exploration, new worlds and distant frontiers. In part one of a series, VOA's Paul Sisco takes a look back at NASA's manned space flight program.

I'm really enjoying all of these anniversary retrospectives.

NASA At 50

Come on people, let's keep focused on the future (AP - Is the Right Stuff Now List in Space?):

In some ways, the future is reminiscent of the moonshot days of the 1960s. The new rocket would have an Apollo-like capsule on top. Astronauts would first fly in that ship in 2015 but stay in Earth's orbit, with a moon landing by 2020. Once there, astronauts would build a base camp and eventually journey to Mars.

But, sadly, most of this AP report is rather disparaging, it's not a hatchet job, but it does paint NASA as old, tired, a bit lacking in focus. Let's hope they're wrong. The only thing in this report that has me really worried is this part about the current and soon-to-be budget environment:

The two presidential nominees and many in Congress say they want to keep the shuttle flying past the 2010 retirement date mandated by the Bush administration. But doing so would be costly, and given the current financial meltdown, big spending on NASA in the future doesn't seem likely.

I'm worried about that as well as funding for the rest of the Moon, Mars and Beyond program. In last week's presidential debate there was a telling moment when the moderator challenged both candidates to explain how the credit crisis would change their priorities, and neither of them had an answer. I'm worried that whoever wins in November, NASA may be part of that answer.

NASA Group Photo

Take a look at this photo of past and present astronauts who recently gathered to celebrate NASA (NASA - Astronauts: Past and Present):

An all-star gathering of legendary American astronauts appeared in Cleveland Aug. 29, 2008 to celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary. John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, Jim Lovell, veteran of two Apollo missions, and Kathryn Sullivan, the first woman to walk in space joined 15 other astronauts from Ohio.

That's quite an impressive gathering, I think they still have the right stuff.

Ranger 7

The New York Times ON THIS DAY section reminds us that it was on this day in 1964 that the American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the moon's surface.

B-Day Wishes from BBC News

The BBC is wishing NASA a happy birthday with an audio slideshow (To the Moon and Beyond):

Nasa is celebrating 50 years of space exploration - which has taken the American space agency up into the Earth's orbit, on to the Moon, and deep into our Solar System. That journey has produced many iconic images - from the Apollo moon landings, to the space shuttle missions, and the colourful pictures beamed back from the Hubble Space Telescope. Here, space writer and historian Piers Bizony recalls some of Nasa's defining moments.

B-Day Wishes from Google

In one of its trademark logo makeovers Google is wishing NASA a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, NASA

Wired News wishes NASA a happy birthday:

This week, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration observes the 50th anniversary of its creation. And make no mistake: There's a lot to celebrate. NASA's achievements write a glorious chapter in human history, one that's nearly impossible to overstate. Is it fair to call NASA the greatest scientific and exploratory agency ever created? It is.

Be sure to check out the impressive photo gallery.

Moon Walk Anniversary

The New York Times ON THIS DAY section reminds us that it was on this day in 1969 that astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. The full text of the original NYT report can be found here.

When We Left Earth

A quick TV reminder about the Discovery Channel's 'When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions' which premiers today. For more on this new TV series about the birth of the U.S. space program, see this Los Angeles Times article.

Gemini 4

The New York Times ON THIS DAY section reminds us that it was on this date in 1965 that astronaut Edward White became the first American to "walk" in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.

What If: Kennedy and the Space Age

The fate of Apollo had President Kennedy not been assassinated in 1963 is one of the biggest what-if questions in the history of the Space Age. Dwayne Day discusses (The Space Review: Part 1 , Part 2) such questions and the potential outcomes as suggested by the historical record.

Glenn Orbits Earth

The New York Times On This Day section reminds us that it was on this date in 1962 that astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth as he flew aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.

Apollo I

The New York Times On This Day section reminds us that it was on this date in 1967 that  Astronauts Virgil I. ''Gus'' Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft at Cape Kennedy, Fla.

Surveyor 7

The New York Times' On This Day section reminds us that it was on this day in 1968 that the Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon, marking the end of the American series of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.