February 23, 1969 – The Apollo 9 space vehicle stands 363-feet-high at the Kennedy Space Center during preparations for its upcoming mission. (NASA)
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TODAY IN HISTORY: The Apollo 9 lunar module “Spider” seen from the command module on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 orbital mission, 7 March 1969.
(NASA)
TODAY IN HISTORY — On March 7, 1969, the lunar module “Spider” in a landing configuration, photographed from the command module on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the “Spider” has been deployed. Sensitive lunar surface probes extend out from the landing gear foot pads. Long story short, the Apollo 9 mission was essentially a space scrimmage for the historic Apollo 11 moon shot that took place just a few months later.
(NASA)
Five storied female NASA pioneers will soon grace toy-store shelves, in Lego form.
The Danish company announced on Tuesday that it would produce the Women of NASA set, submitted by science writer Maia Weinstock.
“Women have played critical roles throughout the history of the U.S. space program,” Weinstock wrote in her project proposal. “Yet in many cases, their contributions are unknown or under-appreciated – especially as women have historically struggled to gain acceptance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
She said the set is meant to shed light on the rich history of women in STEM professions.
Women Of NASA To Be Immortalized — In Lego Form
Photos: Maia Weinstock
April 12, 1981 – Today in history, the Space Shuttle era goes into overdrive with mission STS-1 when the orbiter Columbia launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen into Earth orbit for a 54.5-hour mission that would circle the planet 37 times. (NASA)
“My dad goes all over the world and learns about the news. One time he met a king. I want to be a reporter too. If I was a reporter right now, I’d probably write a story about if NASA was going to launch a new rocket into space. I’d start by going to the Director of NASA. Then I’d ask him about his rockets. And if any of them were going to space.”
Pretty cool!
Month in Space Pictures: Out-of-this-world selfie and a purple sun
See astronauts jammin’ on the space station, a rocket bound for Mars and more stellar highlights from May 2018 here.
Cape Canaveral, a strip of land on Florida’s central Atlantic coast, was the launching point for all of the iconic NASA space programs, from the early Mercury flights to the Shuttle missions. NASA submitted this technical map of the land acquisition to the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences in 1961. NASA acquired the land and opened the Launch Operations Center there on July 1, 1962. Later renamed the Kennedy Space Center, it has become a symbol of American space exploration.
NASA Land Acquisition Map of Cape Canaveral, Florida, ca. 1961, Records of the U.S. Senate (7348581)
The Project Apollo Archive is NASA fan Kipp Teague’s collection of previously unavailable pictures of NASA’s space history, from pre-Apollo program to present. We’ve paired some of them with buried quotes from the mission transcripts that show the grainy, gritty, and funny side of space exploration.
Pretty neat!
50 YEARS AGO TODAY: The unmanned Apollo 4 rocket is readied for launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida, November 8, 1967. (NASA)
Investment in home and community-based care is popular and must be included in #infrastructure. Now it’s up to Congress to get it done. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/opinion/elder-care-congress.html #HCBS @nytimes