Every day, astronauts aboard the International Space Station see an orbital sunrise every 90 minutes. (Image: NASA)
Real-Life Millennium Falcon
The 30,000 Foot View:
(Actually, the 250-mile view…)
The best seats in the house are inside the real-life Millennium Falcon, aka the Cupola: a 360-degree, 7-window observation module aboard the International Space Station. The Cupola (Italian for “dome”) was launched aboard Endeavor in 2010 to conduct experiments, dockings, and observations of Earth. First conceived by Gary Kitmacher as a workstation for operating the station's Canadarm2 (pictured here), the Cupola’s elements were developed in California, New York, Brazil, and finally Italy & the European Space Agency from the 1980’s to 2003. (Photo: NASA)
Liftoff of Mars 2020
From this morning’s liftoff of Mars 2020 and the Perseverance Rover aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, Cape Canaveral, Space Launch Complex 41. Earth’s most advanced rover, along with the Ingenuity helicopter, will land on the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater in Feb 2021 to begin searching for signs of ancient life. (Photo: NASA)
Where it all Began
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission and Perseverance rover are en route to Mars, and here’s where flight began: Orville and Wilbur Wright in Kitty Hawk, N.C., c. December 17, 1903. Fun fact: Orville flew first, covering 120 feet while staying aloft for 12 seconds. (Photo: National Air & Space Museum)
Countdown to Mars
If you’re a fan of the red planet, there’s a fun week of events in store: NASA is targeting a launch for the Mars 2020 mission & Perseverance rover this Thursday, July 30th. Perseverance’s mission is to search for ancient life on Mars.
Monday: Mission coverage begins at 1 EST with NASA's pre-launch news conference
at www.nasa.gov.
Tuesday: check-out a new episode of REACH: A Space Podcast for Kids, focusing entirely on the red planet! Avail wherever you get your podcasts.
Wednesday: I’ll be joining NASA Social’s “Countdown to Mars” event; follow along for virtual tours & updates throughout the day.
Thursday: at 7.30 am EST, The Cosmosphere I are hosting a virtual event featuring pre-launch insights from Michael Staab, Fault Management Systems Principal Engineer for the Lunar Lander and Lunar Gateway programs at Northrup Grumman (and former JPL mission Flight Director). Then during the launch, scheduled for 7.50 am EST, Michael will offer commentary during NASA’s live broadcast and a post-launch Q&A. Definitely worth the early coffee. (Photo: NASA)
For the Mars 1 Crew
On this day in 1969, Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins completed the first-ever landing on the Moon. While Collins circled the Moon on the Command Module (aka “Columbia”), Armstrong & Aldrin spent over 21 hours on the lunar surface’s Tranquility Base alongside the Module (aka “Eagle”). Though most Apollo mission patches featured the Astronauts’ names, the A11 crew decided not to include their names so the patch would represent “everyone who had worked toward a lunar landing.” As Neil Armstrong later said: “We had hundreds of thousands of people dedicated to doing the perfect job.” This particular Apollo 11 patch, pictured above, was flown on the mission, signed by the crew, and later given to NASA in 2014 for safekeeping until it can be presented to the first crew to land on Mars. (Photo: NASA)
Packing for the Moon
On July 16, 1969, Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins launched into space aboard Apollo 11, beginning a multi-day journey to the Moon which culminated in the historic Tranquility Base landing on July 20, 1969.
All three Astronauts were given a small bag (known as a “PPK” or “personal preference kit”) for personal items of significance weighing no more than .5 pounds in total. For his LM (Lunar Module) PPK, Armstrong chose several items including a 4” x 6” silk American Flag and original piece of wing fabric from the Wright Brothers’ historic “Wright Flyer.”
Fun fact: the legendary “Wright Flyer” was the first successful flying machine, built by Orville and Wilbur Wright. It flew four times on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville flew first: covering 120 feet while staying aloft for 12 seconds. (Photo: Cosmosphere)
The Historic Odyssey
On April 11, 1970, Astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert climbed aboard the Apollo 13 Command Module (CM) (aka “Odyssey”) and launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Two days into the flight, on April 13th, Apollo 13 was aborted after an oxygen tank ruptured on the way to the Moon.
Later deemed a “successful failure” because of experience gained in rescuing the crew, Apollo 13 became a landmark example of how teams can work together to achieve success under tremendous pressure.
Fun fact: the Cosmosphere’s SpaceWorks division worked on the restoration of the Apollo 13 Odyssey spacecraft, and also built historically-authentic spacecraft and mission control replicas for Ron Howard’s classic movie “Apollo 13” starring Tom Hanks. When asked about the film, Howard stated that it’s one of his favorites: “Every time I see it on TV, I have to watch it all the way to the end. It’s such a great story.”
The Cosmosphere is proud to display the authentic, flown Apollo 13 Odyssey spacecraft, along with the actual spacesuit worn by Commander Jim Lovell during the voyage. This suit was the A7L-version of the Apollo LEVA (lunar extravehicular activity) space suit, and was the first to incorporate red stripes to identify the mission commander...a practice still in use today. (Photo: Cosmosphere)