People, Businesses, Places & Events
America’s gateway to space: LC-39A
The iconic launch pads, Pads 39A and 39B at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39, have been the starting point for many space flights including the first manned lunar landing. The original design for Launch Complex 39 called for three to five launch pads, designated 39A – 39E, that would have been spaced approximately 1.6 …
Remembering Gene Cernan
Gene Cernan passed away in Houston, Texas, on January 16, 2017. He was the second American to walk in space and the last human to leave his bootprints on the surface of the Moon. Cernan flew to space three times as a member of the Gemini 9, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17 missions. According to a …
Remembering John Glenn
John Glenn passed away in Columbus, Ohio, on December 8, 2016. He was the last surviving member of the Mercury Seven – the first ever group of astronauts NASA picked in 1958. Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth. He also served as a U.S. senator for 25 years. In 1998, he flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery …
‘Hidden Figures’ no longer as film shines light on black women who sent NASA to space
Hollywood has made a lot of movies about space and NASA, but none quite like this. The new film Hidden Figures, to be released December 25, reveals the work of three African-American women who were the brains behind NASA’s most critical missions. Taraji Henson stars as Katherine Johnson, a math genius from rural West Virginia who calculated trajectories …
Once more with feeling: L.A. welcomes another Space Shuttle artifact
Hollywood…the very name creates visions of stars…okay…mostly ‘human stars.’ But every bit as popular throughout film history, ‘reaching for the stars’ has been a popular theme from comic books to radio, TV and film. Buck Rogers, Superman and Flash Gordon stirred youthful imaginations with visions of interplanetary travel and grasping for the stars ever since …
Air Force museum brings history of rocketry to life
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum and separate History Center, both located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, provide a unique look back at past space adventures, hardware, and facilities. You’ll find the entrance to the History Center just outside the main entrance of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The History Center, located just off …
Lost Shuttle crews ‘Forever Remembered’
A new memorial area dubbed “Forever Remembered” features artifacts recovered from the wreckage of the Challenger and Columbia orbiters. Columbia’s cockpit window frames along with a section of Challenger’s fuselage stand alone in individual displays against a black background. It’s an eerie sight to see these pieces displayed. They provide a stark reminder to all that …
Your ticket to space awaits at the KSC Visitor Complex
If you’ve never been to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and you are reading this article, well you owe it to yourself to make that trip at some point. If you have been there before, but not in a few years, I’d suggest that it’s time for a return trip. The complex has undergone …
‘Secrets of the Universe’ film in final hours of crowdfunding campaign
“Our goal is to educate and inspire a new generation of scientists.” Those are the words of the company behind an Indiegogo campaign to produce a documentary about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to be shown at museums and science centers across the U.S. and other countries. ‘Secrets of the Universe’ will follow the world’s most brilliant scientists to the LHC …
Al Worden on the honor of being an astronaut
“Do you know what they did down on the Moon? What those guys’ primary job was? They picked up rocks and dirt. Now, myself, in lunar orbit…” — Al Worden, Apollo 15 CMP USAF Colonel Alfred Worden served as Command Module Pilot for Apollo 15 – the fourth manned lunar landing mission. He also holds the …