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.
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.
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.
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.
Robot Guy counts down the Top Ten Space Stories of 2007. Happy New Year everyone!
The past, present and future of space exploration are considered in this look back at Sputnik (Space - 50 Years of Spaceflight: Astronauts Ponder the State of Exploration):
Sputnik's first flight and the advancements that led to Gagarin's launch and NASA's Apollo landings marked a pivotal point for human exploration, one that has led to a permanent presence for astronauts aboard the ISS.
The New York Times "On This Day" section reminds us that it was on this date in 1969 that astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon.
CNN has a report on the female pilots who were there at the dawn of the U.S. space program (CNN - Female pilots reached for the stars), or, How Russia Beat the U.S. In Sending A Women Into Space.
I've had a very busy week and I've not really had a chance to keep up on the news, which apparently never slows down. It's been an interesting week for the U.S. space program, we said no to Russia and the idea of exploring the Moon together, NASA announced it was going to develop a policy on what to do if an astronaut dies during a mission, and then sadly, one of the pioneers of the space program, Wally Schirra Jr., died. So, without any further comment, here are the links:
Sci-Tech Today - Russian Says US Refuses Moon Offer
Space.com - On Trip to Mars, NASA Must Rethink Death
Houston Chronicle - Schirra dies at 84; was part of original Mercury 7 team
NASA continues to search for the missing Apollo 11 tapes (Washington Post - The Saga Of the Lost Space Tapes), it looks like you won't be able to buy them on iTunes anytime soon.
Recent Comments