People, Businesses, Places & Events
Astronaut Sally Ride’s legacy – encouraging young women to embrace science and engineering
On June 24, 1983, Sally Ride returned to earth after becoming the first American woman to fly into space, riding Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-7 along with four other crew members. Only five years earlier, in 1978, she had been selected to the first class of 35 astronauts – including six women – who …
Pearl Young overcame barriers and ‘raised hell’ at NASA
Thirteen years before any other woman joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics – or the NACA, NASA’s predecessor – in a technical role, a young lab assistant named Pearl Young was making waves in the agency. Her legacy as an outspoken and persistent advocate for herself and her team would pave the way for …
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets to orbit − a feat 15 years in the making
Just past 2 a.m. Eastern time on Jan. 16, 2025, a new rocket blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. By reaching orbit, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launch has marked a milestone for a commercial space company that has big ambitions. As a space policy expert, I see New Glenn’s …
First launch of SpaceX’s Starship was a successful failure
On April 20, 2023, a new SpaceX rocket called Starship exploded over the Gulf of Mexico three minutes into its first flight ever. SpaceX is calling the test launch a success, despite the fiery end result. As a space policy expert, I agree that the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” – the term SpaceX uses when its …
Nichelle Nichols’ legacy defined by more than a kiss
On a 1968 episode of “Star Trek,” Nichelle Nichols, playing Lt. Uhura, locked lips with William Shatner’s Capt. Kirk in what’s widely thought to be first kiss between a Black woman and white man on American television. The episode’s plot is bizarre: Aliens who worship the Greek philosopher Plato use telekinetic powers to force the …
Inspiration4 mission represents a new type of space tourism
On Sept. 15, 2021, the next batch of space tourists are set to lift off aboard a SpaceX rocket. Organized and funded by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, the Inspiration4 mission touts itself as “the first all-civilian mission to orbit” and represents a new type of space tourism. The four crew members will not be the first …
Soleil Moon Frye wants to take Punky Power into space
In 1984, Soleil Moon Frye wriggled her way into the hearts of millions of Americans as the precocious character Punky on the NBC series, “Punky Brewster,” and although this much beloved sitcom about a quirky orphaned 7-year-old girl and the old man who befriends her was pure fiction, the series didn’t shy away from tackling …
American scientist collaborates on UAE’s Mars mission
Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS) aboard spacecraft developed to create first holistic picture of Martian atmosphere A veteran of multiple NASA missions to Mars, Northern Arizona University planetary scientist Christopher Edwards will closely watch the launch of a space probe to Mars that carries a unique new instrument he co-designed in collaboration with engineers from the United …
Bringing Mars rocks to Earth; scientist explains the tech, goals
In one week, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission will be arriving at the red planet, and hopefully will place the Perseverance Rover on the surface. Jim Bell is the primary investigator leading a team in charge of one of the camera systems on Perseverance. Bell is a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration …
Horgan passionate about studying Mars’ geology
Briony Horgan grew up in Portland, Oregon, where, enjoying the mountains and volcanoes that surrounded the region, she developed a love of geology. A long-standing interest in space made Horgan realize she wasn’t confined to study rocks simply on Earth. Horgan, now an associate professor of planetary science at Purdue, soon will have an opportunity …