Soyuz 4 and 5 docking January 16 1969 - Soyuz 5 rough landing coming up

A bit late in posting this bit but something to think about when you
consider your desire to be an astronaut, cosmonaut, or other
space-naut.

Thanks Mark. He is referring to Soyuz 5 re-entry experience, January 17 1969.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry,

slashdot reminds that today is the anniversary of Soyuz 4 and 5, and a
rather nasty re-entry for one hardy cosmonaut.

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/17/2113235

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2009/01/dayintech_0116

http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/soyuz45/soyuz45.html

Reading this, and reflecting on US Airways new Hudson River runway,
"happy landings" has special meaning.

/m
--------------------------------------------------------------------

And this link gives more information on how it is supposed to go.
- LRK -
http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Soyuz4-5/Index.htm

If your interest has been aroused then take a look at a more sober
account from Encyclopedia Astronautica.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.astronautix.com/flights/soyuz5.htm
snip
What went wrong: Service module failed to separate resulting in
nose-first re-entry.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Want to go to the Moon?
Make sure your vehicle is road(space) tested.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jan/HQ_09-014_AresI-X_module_LAS.html
NASA a Step Closer to First Flight Test of Next Crew Launch Vehicle -
RELEASE : 09-014

HAMPTON, Va. -- NASA is a step closer to the first flight test of the
rocket that will send humans on their way to the moon as part of the
agency's Constellation Program. Rocket hardware critical for the test,
known as Ares I-X, was completed this week at NASA's Langley Research
Center in Hampton, Va. The flight of Ares I-X will be an important
step toward verifying analysis tools and techniques needed to develop
Ares I, NASA's next crew launch vehicle.
snip
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/soyuz45/soyuz45.html
The flight of Soyuz-4 and Soyuz-5

* Launch of Soyuz-4 on 14 January 1969
* Launch of Soyuz-5 on 15 January 1969
* Rendezvous and docking on 16 January 1969
* Radio tracking of the mission by the Kettering Group
o World-wide coverage
o Biomedical subcommutation
o Voice on shortwaves
o Telemetry during the final orbit of Soyuz-5
* The mission ends - dramatically for Soyuz-5
* References and notes

snip
==============================================================
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09%2F01%2F17%2F2113235&from=rss
Posted by kdawson on Saturday January 17, @05:33PM

dj writes in with a reminder that forty years ago, on January 16,
1969, the two Russian spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 carried out the
first docking between two manned spacecraft and transfer of crew
between the craft. Wired's piece gives a gripping account of "one of
the roughest re-entries in the history of space flight": "Soyuz 5's
service module failed to detach at retrofire, causing the vehicle to
assume an aerodynamic position that left the heat shield pointed the
wrong way as it re-entered the atmosphere. The only thing standing
between Volynov and a fiery death was the command module's thin hatch
cover. The interior of Volynov's capsule filled with noxious fumes as
the gaskets sealing the hatch started to burn, and it got very hot in
there (which, a short time later was something he probably missed).
... But wait. There's more."
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2009/01/dayintech_0116

snip
==============================================================
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2009/01/dayintech_0116

Science : Discoveries RSS
Jan. 16, 1969: A Rendezvous, and a Rough Ride Home
By Tony Long Email 01.16.09
A Soviet technician prepares an early Soyuz spacecraft for flight.
Photo: Today in Science History

1969: Two Soviet spacecraft rendezvous in orbit and transfer
cosmonauts, marking the first time spacefarers go up in one craft and
return to Earth in another.

Soyuz 4 lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Jan. 14 with Commander
Vladimir Shatalov flying solo. Soyuz 5 followed a day later, carrying
three cosmonauts: Boris Volynov, Aleksei Yaliseyev and Eugeni Khrunov.

The mission, with the docking and transfer as its centerpiece, was
undertaken as part of the experimental run-up to a Soviet lunar
mission, which never came off, and as a dress rehearsal for the
establishment of a permanent space station, which did. Soyuz 4 was the
active vehicle in the docking maneuver, which went off without a
hitch.

After conducting various scientific experiments, running tests of both
vehicles' on-board systems, and evaluating the docking procedure,
Yaliseyev and Khrunov donned their space suits, bid Comrade Pilot
Volynov a hearty farewell and joined Shatalov in Soyuz 4. They would
be very glad they did.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Wally Schirra, the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, has died. He was 84 years old.

==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/walter_schirra.html

Schirra's NASA career began with his selection as one of the original
seven Mercury astronauts in 1959 and spans the period from Americas
first tentative steps into space to the missions to the moon.

Schirra flew on the fifth Mercury flight in 1962, orbiting the Earth six
times. He commanded Gemini 6A in 1965, a flight with Tom Stafford that
had the historic distinction of being the first rendezvous of two
manned, maneuverable spacecraft. Gemini 6A and Gemini 7 flew in
formation for five hours, as close as one foot to one another.

Schirra also commanded Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo flight. During
that 11-day flight in Earth orbit in 1968, he and fellow crewmembers
Walt Cunningham and Donn Eisele tested the Apollo systems and proved it
was ready to take astronauts to the moon.

In what was a precursor of things to come, Apollo 7 transmitted the
first television feed live into commercial networks from space during
its 260-hour flight.

"With the passing of Wally Schirra, we at NASA note with sorrow the loss
of yet another of the pioneers of human spaceflight," NASA Administrator
Michael Griffin said. "As a Mercury astronaut, Wally was of a member of
the first group of astronauts to be selected, often referred to as the
Original Seven."
+ Administrator's Statment
<http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/griffin_schirra.html>
Snip
==============================================================

While we pay our respects to Wally, I would like to suggest that we view
some of the Apollo history.

You can do that with some of the videos archived for us by Google.
Some links I have provided here and below.
- LRK -

==============================================================
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=289444585088213883&q=%22Time+of+Apollo%22&hl=en

The Time of Apollo 1975
National Archives and Records Administration
28 min 29 sec - Jan 1, 1975
www.archives.gov

<http://video.google.com/videoredirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archives.gov%2Fgoogl
e%2F&amp;amp;chan=Uploaded&prog=The+Time+of+Apollo+1975&date=Wednesday%2C+January+1%2C+1
975+7%3A00%3A00+AM+GMT>
This film presents President John F. Kennedy stating in 1961 that "this
nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this *.*decade
is out, *of* landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to
Earth." This film presents a tribute to the accomplishment and era *of*
the task.; Project *Apollo* (U.S.); Image Associates.

The Time of Apollo 1975
<http://video.google.com/url?docid=289444585088213883&esrc=gvpl&ev=v&amp;amp;q=%22Time+of
+Apollo%22&vidurl=http://video.google.com/videoplay%3Fdocid%3D289444585088213883
%26q%3D%2522Time%2Bof%2BApollo%2522%26hl%3Den&usg=AL29H23qsabyipEVKtBkajRvVXdNXG
Y0eQ>

National Archives and Records Administration
28 min
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=289444585088213883
==============================================================

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/walter_schirra.html
May 3, 2007

David Mould
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1898

RELEASE: 07-100

VETERAN ASTRONAUT WALTER SCHIRRA DIES

LA JOLLA, Calif. - Pioneering astronaut Walter "Wally" Schirra, the
only man who flew in all three of America's first human space
projects - Mercury, Gemini and Apollo - died Wednesday night. He was
84. Schirra's family reported he died of natural causes.

Schirra was one of America's original seven astronauts, selected in
1959, and was commander of the first crew to fly into space aboard an
Apollo capsule, Apollo 7, following the tragic launchpad fire that
claimed the lives of the crew of Apollo 1.

"With the passing of Wally Schirra, we at NASA note with sorrow the
loss of yet another of the pioneers of human spaceflight," NASA
Administrator Michael Griffin said. "As a Mercury astronaut, Wally
was a member of the first group of astronauts to be selected, often
referred to as the Original Seven."

Schirra's first space flight was piloting the fifth Mercury mission on
Oct. 3, 1962, orbiting Earth six times in 9 hours and 13 minutes.
During the flight he took hundreds of photos of Earth and space
phenomena. Schirra's capsule, Sigma 7, splashed down only 5 miles
from the recovery carrier.

As commander of Gemini 6-A, which launched on Dec. 15, 1965, Schirra
flew with astronaut Tom Stafford on a mission that included the first
rendezvous of two manned, maneuverable spacecraft. Gemini 6-A and
Gemini 7 flew in formation for five hours, as close as one foot to
one another.

During his 11-day Apollo 7 flight, which began Oct. 11, 1968, he and
fellow crewmembers Walt Cunningham and Donn Eisele tested the Apollo
systems and proved Apollo was ready to take astronauts to the moon.

"We shared a common dream to test the limits of man's imagination and
daring," Schirra wrote of America's early astronauts. "Those early
pioneering flights of Mercury, the performances of Gemini and the
trips to the moon established us once and for all as what I like to
call a spacefaring nation. Like England, Spain and Portugal crossing
the seas in search of their nations' greatness, so we reached for the
skies and ennobled our nation."

Snip
==============================================================
      NEWSALERT: Thursday, May 3, 2007 @ 1728 GMT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
          The latest news from Spaceflight Now


++++ "THE TIME OF APOLLO" now playing on Spaceflight Now Plus! ++++
This stirring 1970s documentary narrated by Burgess Meredith
   pays tribute to the grand accomplishments of Apollo.
       http://www.spaceflightnowplus.com/index.php

SCHIRRA HAS DIED
----------------
Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr., one of the original Mercury Seven
astronauts and the only man to fly on all three of NASA's early space
projects -- Mercury, Gemini and Apollo -- has died at the age of 84.

http://spaceflightnow.com/

Snip
==============================================================
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4166049933953240830&q=%22Time+of+Apollo%22&hl=en
The Eagle Has Landed 1969
This film tells the story of the historic first landing of men on
the Moon in July, 1969. It depicts the principal highlight events of
the mission from launching through post-recovery activities of
Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins.
Through television, motion picture and still photography, the film
provides an "eye-witness" perspective of the Apollo 11 mission.

National Archives and Records Administration
28 min 23 sec - Feb 2, 1969
www.archives.gov

<http://video.google.com/videoredirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archives.gov%2Fgoogle
%2F&chan=Uploaded&prog=The+Eagle+Has+Landed+1969&date=Sunday%2C+February+2%2C+19
69+7%3A00%3A00+AM+GMT>

Browse: the eagle has landed
<http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=label%3A%22the%20eagle%20has%20landed%22>,
space, nasa, moon landing, moon, apollo 11.

Snip
==============================================================
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1481909519678263426&q=Apollo&hl=en
Debrief: Apollo 8 1969

National Archives and Records Administration
27 min 19 sec - Jan 1, 1969
www.archives.gov

<http://video.google.com/videoredirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archives.gov%2Fgoogl
e%2F&amp;amp;chan=Uploaded&prog=Debrief%3A+Apollo+8+1969&date=Wednesday%2C+January+1%2C+
1969+12%3A00%3A00+AM+GMT>

This film portrays the story of man's first journey in orbit around the
Moon with comments on the significance of the *Apollo* 8 flight
by several prominent Americans. The film features photography of the
lunar surface, the Earth as seen from the Moon, and the on-board
activities of Astronauts Frank Borman, James "Jim" Lovell, and William
"Bill" Anders.

ARC ID: 45016
Snip
==============================================================
http://www.archives.gov/google/
Google and The National Archives

Through our partnership with Google, a selection of historical video
clips is available for viewing and downloading on the Google web site
<http://www.archives.gov/global-pages/exit.html?link=http://video.google.com/nar
a.html>.


Learn more
<http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2006/nr06-64.html> about
how this partnership helps you access records of American history.

Want information about our videos located on Google? To learn what these
records are and why they are historically valuable, use ARC
<http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/google.html> (Archival Research
Catalog <http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/google.html>).

Are you a history buff? A student of history? Curious about historical
documents? Explore American history from our home page, Archives.gov
<http://www.archives.gov/>.

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

NASA'S CENTENNIAL CHALLENGE FOR IMPROVED ASTRONAUT GLOVES SET

==============================================================
http://www.ipp.nasa.gov/cc/cc_challenges.htm

The Astronaut Glove Challenge is designed to promote the development of
glove joint technology, resulting in a highly dexterous and flexible glove that
can be used by astronauts over long periods of time for space or planetary
surface excursions.

The Astronaut Glove Challenge will be conducted by Volanz
Aerospace/Spaceflight America in a format that brings all competitors to a
single location for a "head to head" competition. Each team will be required to
perform a variety of tasks with their gloves and will be scored on the glove
performance.

Snip
==============================================================

Back in July of 2005 a challenge was issued to design a better space glove.
When you pressurize your space suit your gloves want to become balloons.
Bending your fingers or extending them can wear on your fingernails and tire you
out.

Coming up we will see who might be a winner of this competition.

We see in Science Fiction our space troopers wearing skin like exoskeletons that
respond to your request for action.

Maybe someone will come up with a smart glove that will curl and extend the
fingers at the slightest urging.

Would be nice to be able to hold onto your geologist hammer while picking at a
nice lunar sample.

It wasn't fun for Geologist-Astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt.
==============================================================
http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a12/a12.halo.html
Snip
/[The J-mission crews (Apollos 15, 16, and 17) each did three 7-hour
EVAs and experienced not only fatigue and soreness in the hands and
forearms but also varying degrees of abrasion and damage, particularly
to the ends of the fingers and to the fingernails. Jack Schmitt and
others, for example, had their fingernails lift off the quick as a
result of repeated contact with the inside of the gloves as he pushed
his fingers forward.]
Snip
==============================================================

Now where did I put my memory metal, muscle enhanced, smart gloves?

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.ipp.nasa.gov/cc/

April 27, 2007

David E. Steitz/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600

Alan Hayes
Volanz Aerospace, Inc., Owings, Md.
202-498-6804

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-43 Corrected

NASA'S CENTENNIAL CHALLENGE FOR IMPROVED ASTRONAUT GLOVES SET

WASHINGTON - On Wednesday and Thursday, May 2-3, teams from around the
nation will compete for a total of $250,000 from NASA for an improved
astronaut glove design. The Astronaut Glove Challenge, one of NASA's
seven Centennial Challenges, will take place at the New England Air
Museum at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Conn. The
competition is free and open to media and the public. It begins May 2
from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. EDT and continues May 3 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

NASA is offering a total of $200,000 for the team that can design and
manufacture the best astronaut glove that exceeds minimum
requirements. An additional $50,000 goes to the team that best
demonstrates Mechanical Counter Pressure gloves.

An astronaut's gloves are among the most critical pieces of the
spacesuit. After an extended time of work using the current gloves,
astronauts' hands have bled and been bruised, and fingernails have
been damaged. This competition seeks new glove joint technologies
that make the astronauts' jobs easier, more comfortable and safer
with stronger gloves that increase flexibility and dexterity.

At no cost to NASA, Volanz Aerospace, Inc., Owings, Md., is
administering the challenge. Hamilton Sundstrand, Windsor Locks,
Conn., and ILC Dover, Frederica, Del., are sponsors of the contest.

Centennial Challenges, an element of NASA's Innovative Partnerships
Program, promotes technical innovation through prize competitions to
make revolutionary advances to support the Vision for Space
Exploration and NASA goals. For more information about the Innovative
Partnerships Program and Centennial Challenges, visit:

http://www.ipp.nasa.gov/cc

For more information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

 
-end-

==============================================================

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jul/HQ_E05189_Astronaut_glove_challenge.html

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1979/5241)

Alan Hayes
Volanz Aerospace Inc/Spaceflight America
(Phone: 301/812-0450)


 July 22, 2005
RELEASE: 05-189

NASA Announces New Centennial Challenge

NASA, in collaboration with the Volanz Aerospace Inc./Spaceflight
America (Volanz), today announced a new Centennial Challenges prize
competition.

The Astronaut Glove Challenge award will go to the team that can design
and manufacture the best performing glove within competition parameters.
The $250,000 purse will be awarded at a competition scheduled for
November 2006, when competing teams test their glove designs against
each other.

For the Challenge, teams must develop the bladder-restraint portion of
an astronaut glove that is strong, easy on the hands, and gives the
operator a high degree of dexterity.

"Reducing space suit glove fatigue is a critical technological goal
that, if successful, would have an important impact on astronaut
performance and mission planning," said NASA's acting Associate
Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Douglas
Cooke.

Snip

==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Solar 'superflare' shredded Earth's ozone

Larry Klaes forwarded me the e-mail I copied below.

I found the subject about a 'superflare' interesting as well as Alex Bonnici's reference to Dennis Chamberland's novel "Quantum Storms".

We have mentioned the potential for danger to astronauts from Solar Storms so I looked at the NewScientist article and another one it references.
- LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn7142-superflares-could-kill-unprotected-astronauts.html Superflares could kill unprotected astronauts
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also went and looked at the reference to Dennis Chamberland's book "Quantum Storms" at his website
http://www.quantumeditions.com/

If you choose to go there you will see that Dennis is interested in both Space Colonies and Undersea Colonies.

Go to the bottom of his book page and you can read a bit about Dennis Chamberland and get a link to his blog page.
http://chamberland.blogspot.com/

On his blog page you will see that folks are working on Undersea Habitats in the now.
You might also find yourself taking a look at Chamberland's home page.
http://dennischamberland.com/

There you could go to his link about "Legue of the New Worlds"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The League of the New Worlds is a non-profit research foundation committed to the permanent human settlement of the ocean and space frontiers. It is our express purpose to plan, design, launch and permanently occupy the unsettled regions of the world’s oceans and space. We approach our purpose with an incremental development of off-the-shelf technologies integrated with intelligence and purposeful synergy, fusing the goals of ocean and space settlement into a single enterprise called the League of the New Worlds.
Snip
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have been reading a novel that my cousin Louis Phillips Hudson wrote, "the BONES of PLENTY" that details the trials of a North Dakota community during the dust storms and depression of the 1930s.

It makes me wonder what it will be like trying to make a go of a Lunar Colony should you chose to form one.
http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Plenty-Borealis-Philip-Hudson/dp/0873511751

How to plan for all the government red tape, the profits taken by big business and the middle men, while you put your sweat equity into working with what nature hands out.

Pay your insurance premiums, your loans, and take care of normal or abnormal wear and tear on your equipment.

Will you find the challenge rewarding enough to make a go of it?

Will you see any profit at the end of the year?

Will you be able to raise a family? (there or leave them behind). If you have not read the three books in the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson you may find them enlightening in what it could be like on Mars in a terraforming environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy

It will a stimulating time working on the new problems that come along.

The Undersea Colony ideas will also get you thinking outside the box or maybe inside the habitat box. :-)
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry KelloggWeb Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
The e-mail below was sent to me and others by Larry Klaes and it looks like Alex sent it to a number of groups before, so possibly you have seen it.In case you haven't, I left the e-mail addresses for the Yahoo groups so you could check them out should they be of interest. The content may well be of interest also.
- LRK -
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: "Alex Michael Bonnici" >To: "The Carl Sagan Club Online" <thecarlsaganclubonline@yahoogroups.com>, <carlsaganscontact@yahoogroups.com>, <sagan-feynman@yahoogroups.com>, <FarFutureCalling@yahoogroups.com>, "SETI Bioastro" <bioastro@setileague.org>, "Major Matt Mason Club" <majormattmasonclubonline@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: SETI bioastro: Solar 'superflare' shredded Earth's ozone
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:01:56 +0200

Hello Gang,Here is a potential threat to our long term existence on planet Earth. This story caught my eye today because I am currently reading a fantastic science fiction novel entitled "Quantum Storms" by Dennis Chamberland that deals with a plot line similar this. Check out this link to a doorway to adventure:http://www.quantumeditions.com/

Alex

Solar 'superflare' shredded Earth's ozone
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn11456-solar-superflare-shredded-earths-ozone.html The largest solar flare in the last 500 years may have shredded Earth's ozone layer to a greater extent than human-made chemicals have in recent decades, new research suggests, but the effect was only temporary. If such a flare occurred today, it would likely be even more damaging to the ozone and could increase the rate of skin cancer around the world.

Snip
==============================================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK
==============================================================

NASA MARKS 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICANS IN ORBIT

--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/feb/HQ_M0725_Mercury_Anniversary.html

WASHINGTON - NASA commemorates the 45th anniversary of Americans in
orbit with a special multimedia salute to the original Mercury
astronauts and new interviews with Sen. John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and
Walter Schirra.
[See below]
--------------------------------------------------------------

It doesn't seem like we have been in orbit this long, but then time
marches on and we aren't back to the Moon yet.
- LRK -

There is more NASA News at the link below.
- LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/index.html
Snip
02.16.07 - NASA Commercial Space Partners Complete Milestones
NASA Commercial Space Partners Complete Milestones

HOUSTON - Two companies that are receiving NASA Commercial Orbital
Transportation Services funds achieved significant milestones this month
in their efforts to develop and demonstrate space cargo launch and
delivery systems.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) completed a preliminary design
review for its first orbital demonstration mission. Rocketplane Kistler
completed a system requirements review for its cargo services system.
The two companies want to offer commercial delivery services for cargo,
and possibly crews, to the International Space Station in the future. In
August 2006, NASA and the companies signed Space Act Agreements that
established a series of milestones and criteria for assessing progress
toward their individual goals.

"These milestones demonstrate genuine progress toward a new way of doing
business for NASA and pave the way for the commercial purchase of
transportation services needed to maintain the International Space
Station," said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the Commercial Crew and
Cargo Program Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. "If these
companies can continue this rapid pace, the first demonstration launches
are right around the corner."
Snip
+ Read More
<http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/feb/HQ_0746_COTS_milestones.html>

Snip
02.15.07 - Shuttle Atlantis Moves to Pad, Crew Ready for Countdown Test

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. � The space shuttle Atlantis arrived at its launch
pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 3:09 p.m. EST on top of the
giant vehicle known as the crawler transporter. The next milestone for
the upcoming mission, STS-117, is a full launch dress rehearsal as the
six-member crew prepares to continue building the International Space
Station.

The crawler transporter began carrying Atlantis out of Kennedy's Vehicle
Assembly Building at 8:19 a.m. It traveled just under 1 mph during the
3.4 mile journey.

While at the pad, the shuttle will undergo final testing, payload
installation and a "hot fire" test of auxiliary power units. When
testing is completed, the rotating service structure will be moved
around the vehicle for protection.
Snip
+ Read More
<http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/feb/HQ_M0724_117_tcdt.html>

Snip
--------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
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Following from NASA News - LRK -
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/feb/HQ_M0725_Mercury_Anniversary.html
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Feb. 16, 2007

Bob Jacobs
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600

RELEASE: 07-45

NASA MARKS 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICANS IN ORBIT

WASHINGTON - NASA commemorates the 45th anniversary of Americans in
orbit with a special multimedia salute to the original Mercury
astronauts and new interviews with Sen. John Glenn, Scott Carpenter
and Walter Schirra.

On Feb. 20, 1962, an Atlas rocket successfully carried Glenn and the
hopes of an entire nation into orbit aboard Friendship 7, a flight
that ushered in a new era of space travel that eventually led to
Americans walking on the moon by the end of the 1960s. "Glenn's
achievement came at a time when there were many unknowns about the
ability of humans to survive in space," said NASA Deputy
Administrator Shana Dale.

Glenn was soon followed into orbit by colleagues Carpenter, Schirra
and Gordon Cooper. Their fellow Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and
Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew earlier suborbital flights, and Donald
"Deke" Slayton was grounded by a medical condition until the
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.

NASA remembers the achievements of its first generation of explorers
through special programming and interviews on NASA Television and an
extraordinary interactive feature on the agency's Internet site,
www.nasa.gov, beginning at noon EST, Friday.

A half-hour program that highlights the achievements of Mercury and
the 45th anniversary of Americans in orbit will be broadcast on NASA
TV. Extended interviews with surviving Mercury astronauts Glenn,
Carpenter and Schirra also will be available on NASA TV's Video File
feeds for media organizations, as will a special message from the
Expedition 14 crew orbiting Earth on board the International Space
Station.

The interactive Internet feature is hosted by NASA astronaut Carl Walz
and will offer a rare virtual look inside Glenn's Mercury spacecraft,
which is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and
Space Museum in Washington.

Images from a rare photo shoot inside the tiny Friendship 7 capsule
provides a 360-degree tour of the spacecraft. Plus, users can select
the questions answered by veteran space explorers Glenn, Carpenter
and Schirra.

To experience the 45th anniversary of Americans in Orbit multimedia
feature, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mercury

For more information about NASA TV programming, Video File feed times,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv


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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

THE SKY AT NIGHT: WATCH ONLINE

Andrew Goffin, (and still looking up from the UK) sent me a link to THE SKY
AT NIGHT: WATCH ONLINE
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/proginfo.shtml

Thank you Andrew, it is a very nice interview.

--------------------------------------------------------------
British-born astronaut Piers Sellers talks to Patrick Moore about life orbiting the Earth and the future of the manned space programme. Patrick also previews NASA's forthcoming rescue mission to the Hubble space telescope.
--------------------------------------------------------------

I hope others will take a look as well.
- LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------
hi Larry,

Long time no speak, but still here looking up....

With the talk of the moon and things I thought I'd bring to your attention
the following: -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/

This has just celebrated the it's 50th anniversary a science programme on
TV that's been going for 50 years.

A bit of potted history the presenter is Sir Patrick Moore that help map the
moon that was used for the apollo mission.

Also the 50th anniversary programme which can be watched online has Dr.
Peirs Sellars , yes the one thats been on the space shuttle done 42 hours of
space walking around the ISS.

It's worth a look....

Regards
Andrew Goffin
(and still looking up from the UK)
--------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
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==============================================================
Do take a look at what the BBC has here. - LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/

Watch Online
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/proginfo.shtml

Sir Patrick Moore
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/patrickmoore.shtml

Programme History
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/patrickmoore_article2.shtml

Multimedia Tribute
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/anniversarymedia.shtml

Newsletter
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/newsletter.shtml

Snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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