Forty years ago this week an event occurred that changed the history of mankind forever.
An event so monumental that the memory lingers on, even though the venue where the event took place has been, shall we say, "repurposed".
But we're not here to talk about the time that Minnesota Twins Manager Billy Martin appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Instead, let's talk space.
NASA is forever trying to interest the world in space exploration...and forever struggling to come up with the money to get things done.
Well, I'm not a scientist, nor an engineer, and I don't assemble rocket vehicles...but I am a fake consultant, and if NASA took my advice, I'd bet my fake paycheck that money would be a lot less of a problem.
Former Astronaut Charles Bolden will probably be the new head of NASA. But a committee holds much of the fate of NASA in its own expert hands. This New York Times Augustine article is very useful for painting the big picture. The Committee held a public meeting on June 17. The "Agenda Released for U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Meeting," is from NASA Breaking News (6/16/09). To quote the press release:
The first public meeting of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 17, at the Carnegie Institute, located at 1530 P Street NW in Washington. The meeting will take place in the auditorium and is open to the public. No pre-registration is required.
The next day after the STS-127shuttle mission was postponed, NASA moved its focus to a different launch pad, hardly missing a beat. In a wonderfully choreographed negotiation between the two different projects, within hours two unmanned lunar probes were launched, riding on a single rocket. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is now in orbit around the moon, mapping the way for a subsequent and long-awaited manned mission to the moon. The media coverage follows:
STS-125 -- The next NASA shuttle mission is scheduled for 11 days in space beginning October 8, 2008. This mission to service the Hubble telescope is on track to be able to meet its scheduled launch date. To quote NASA:
People have all been explorers at one time or another. We have a fascination with seeing what is new over the mountain, with climbing the peak itself. Inner and outer space comprise the newest frontiers for humankind's next risky endeavors. In so-called "developed" countries, we use technological, intellectual and physical breakthroughs to help us go beyond where we have been able to go before. And we do these things as trusting and interdependent members of groups. Today's post will lay out this particular "Space Nut's" fascination with Space.
The real event is targeted for Dec. 6 on a flight to the International Space Station, but astronauts and flight managers and contractors routinely run through a complete practice to get ready for a liftoff.
. . . The Columbus laboratory the crew will ferry to and install on the International Space Station is already bolted into the shuttle's cargo bay. Columbus is ESA's primary contribution to the space station. It will be part of a dedicated suite of science modules at the heart of the station.
Shuttle launches are always "Whiz-Bang" for us space nuts, but for me it has been more about the people than the hardware.
If the weather cooperates the STS 120 launch will happen tomorrow. NASA TV's coverage begins tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM (CST).
The crew is shown in the picture. Left to right: Commander Pamela Melroy, Pilot George Zamka, mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Douglas Wheelock, European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli of Italy and mission specialist Daniel Tani.
(Image: NASA) NASA's shuttle, "Endeavour" lands for the first time in several years in this picture. The STS-118 mission was a big success, despite intermittent problems aloft. According to NASA,
"The mission has lots of angles," Matt Abbott, lead shuttle flight director, said. "There's a little bit of assembly; there's some resupply; there's some repairs. And there are some high-visibility education and public affairs events. It's a little bit of everything."
I used to work at NASA. I really loved it. Being part of the space program felt incredibly rewarding. And I mean that because the pay and the hours weren't. I left but the place will always be special to me.
But it's not just the chance to be part of space exploration that makes NASA great. It was the small community feeling at the Johnson Space Center that really makes that place special. Of course as with any small community, everybody knows everybody's business and the astronauts were no exception. In fact, the astronauts were particularly watched.
There really was very little that they could do that escaped the obsessive attention of some the "astronaut groupies" as I (& others) called them. Besides the official facts (like when they'd fly, where they were training today), we knew alot about the unofficial stuff. The good, the bad and the ugly.
And there was definitely some ugly. Some astronauts are outright jerks. Many if not most did not have a great family life. And the competition and rivalry was pretty intense to fly not to mention just getting in. Frankly, considering the amount of butt kissing, internal politics, the years before you'd actually fly (if at all), and the big bucks waiting in the private sector, it was surprising anyone wanted to be an astronaut. And did I mention the grueling daily training program and the fact that you could die?
So, when I heard about a report that accused NASA of flying drunks, I was a bit surprised. How come I never heard of it? Considering that we knew what the astronauts liked to eat, how the heck did somebody miss what they liked to drink?
It simply can't happen without it getting around in the community. If an astronaut got drunk at a party, everyone knew about it. An astronaut flying drunk would've been in every inbox at NASA.
The drunken astronaut report got alot of press and provide alot of late night comedy. Wonder if those guys are gonna apologize for their jokes? Somehow I doubt it. It's a real shame that it takes a love triangle to get NASA some attention from the media and the public but the good work they do for American businesses and the nation won't blink an eye.
When I heard that Endeavour had suffered an accident similar to the one that caused the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia over Texas a few years ago, I was concerned not just about Endeavour but the entire space program should we have another shuttle destroyed.
Think about it. We only have two shuttles. We lose one more, and there is no way that NASA will fly the fourth one except in extreme emergency. The shuttle program would be halted. The next shuttle-type vehicles aren't ready, which would mean that we won't have space exploration by humans for a while (of any nation) except the space station - which would be impacted because it relies partly on shuttle missions for fuel and transfers. The destruction of the Endeavour would've had serious consequences!
I mean, that's some serious drama! C'mon, world! Tell me you understood what was at stake! Tell me it was worthy of a naked Britney Spears photo or at least an American Idol semi-final?? PLEASE.
Yawn. That's how the media - and much of the world - responded. Guess we need an astronaut love-triangle or a shuttle to explode to get the media to pay attention.
But any time we have a serious disaster at NASA where lives are lost and expensive equipment (like a shuttle) is destroyed, we get tons of people from around the country wondering why we even have a space program. It's a real shame that NASA does such a poor job of marketing itself or no one would ever ask these questions. People never ask why we have the military. Even the most liberal of progressives can see some need for a defense force (key word: defense) in this complex and sometimes violent world.
But sending people to the moon? Launching billion dollars probes to Uranus? What good is that doing for me down here?
I've heard this nonsense from conservatives, liberals, exasperated social workers looking to fund after school programs, and just nutcase redmeat guys who wouldn't know what a satellite was if it was launched up their Uranus!
I greatly sympathize with social workers and low-income aid workers who are trying to find funding for their programs especially in this corrupt and heartless administration. However, the space program, which gets a tiny fraction of the funding other programs (like the military), is not to blame for the neglect of our children and Americans. Blame politicians like those in the White House which talk about going to Mars (to raise his ratings) and then cuts the budgets of the space program (along with other social programs).
I know most people think NASA's only given us the Tempur-pedic bed, but in fact NASA has been responsible for some the biggest technological improvements the world has known. It has been pivotal to much of the research and innovation that allowed American companies to dominate the world and has been key to keeping America a world leader.
It is no suprise to me that America is slipping at exactly the same time that funding for scientific groups like NASA is slashed.
That computer you're using right now? Wouldn't be around without NASA's help. Fancy modern airplanes wouldn't exist if NASA didn't refine aircraft controls. Many of you ate baby food that came about because of NASA. You and your kids can swim in your pool free of algae and bacteria b/c NASA. And all you damn uppity golf players can thank NASA for giving ya clubs and balls that carry further than you had any right to expect!
In short, damn it, ALL Y'ALL OWE THE SPACE PROGRAM BIG TIME!!! Now git on yer knees and beg for forgiveness for taking them for granted!
In the end, yes, space exploration can be dangerous and difficult work. Very few people fully fathom the difficulty of sending a manned vehicle the size of a semi-truck millions of miles away and returning it safely to Earth. To do it without any accidents is unrealistic.
That's why when an accident like the one that occurred to Endeavour occurs, it's so important to understand and appreciate the great job done by those NASA engineers who support these missions.
They never get the glory they deserve or the groupies, but they deserve your praise. And more of the media's attention than does the latest Paris Hilton saga.
. . . for the longest duration spaceflight by a woman. At that time, Williams surpassed Shannon Lucid’s mark of 188 days, 4 hours set in 1996.
Commander, USN, Sunita Williams has proven to be an amazing asset to the space program. She is a very talented woman who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987. She was a naval diving officer and a helicopter test pilot, She received her Master's in Engineering Management in 1995. She is bright, flexible, a great communicator and workmate for whatever crew of which she has been a part. She has worked in Moscow with the Russian Space Agency. And Williams has lived underwater in the NASA Aquarius habitat for nine days. She just loves to fly, to fly the Robotic arms of the shuttle and the ISS, and she ran in the Boston Marathon while in space. The astronaut also likes to space "walk." Suni estalished a world record for females with four space walks totaling 29+ hours of EVA. She graduated high school in Massachusetts and is married to Michael J. Williams.
NASA security personnel as well as Houston police responded to "a report about a person with a weapon" at Building 44 on the space center's campus, agency spokeswoman Lynette Madison told MSNBC.com. Other sources with the police department told NBC News that the person was said to be carrying a gun.
She said that personnel were evacuated from the building, and that the situation was "ongoing." Police told NBC that the building was being searched, but that they had not yet found any sign of a gunman.
Building 44 is a research and engineering building on a remote part of Johnson Space Center's sprawling campus, far from the Mission Control buildings.
I hope it's just hysteria. I have friends there.
Update: Damn it. Shots have been fired. Flip over for details & live video.
Update from Anna: The gunman has barricaded himself inside building 44 of Johnson Space Center. SWAT has been unable to establish communication with him and is unsure of which room he's in. They also do not know at this time whether there are hostages involved.
Another update from Anna: The gunman is a white male, 50-60 years old. Hostage negotiators are being brought to the scene. Still no confirmation of whether this is a hostage situation, but SWAT is working on the assumption that he may be holding hostages. Multiple confirmations of two shots fired. SWAT is also bringing lights and sound systems on scene in anticipation of a long negotiation.
Update4: Confirmation of at least one wounded, who is being treated at the scene.
Update5: News conference in a few minutes. Gunman may have suicided.
update6: The second news conference has been cancelled for now. It looks like we won't get any new info for a while. When we have it, one of the FPers will update this post.
Update7: HPD held a brief news conference in front of building 44:
The situation started when the gunman entered building 44. Evacuated employees reported hearing two shots fired. The gunman took two hostages, one male and one female. While HPD was trying to establish communications with the gunman, they heard an additional gunshot. They thought the suspect shot himself, so SWAT entered the building. They discovered the gunman had suicided. The female hostage was injured and is being treated at the scene. The male hostage was found dead. Police are currently unsure of the relationships between the gunman and his hostages.
Texas is one of the most populace states among the 50 in the United States. Thus it faces a big educational challenge as a state. And it is also home to the National Aeronautics and Space Agency headquarters in Houston, with its cadre of highly educated astronauts. Today's post gathers a number of current articles on space and education making the news.
Lone-star stars win Five Grammys! - Fellow Texans, The Dixie Chicks won a total of five Grammys in a comeback that has wonderful irony for our current president Bush. ABC News carried a good Grammy overview from which I quote,
The Dixie Chicks completed a defiant comeback on Sunday night, capturing five Grammy awards after being shunned by the country music establishment over the group's anti-Bush comments leading up to the Iraq invasion.
The Texas trio won all the biggest categories, including record and song of the year for the no-regrets anthem "Not Ready to Make Nice." They also won best country album, which was especially ironic considering they don't consider themselves country artists anymore.
Beautiful singer & Texan - Carrie Underwood won a Grammy last night. Gaining fame as an American Idol, she won for Best Female Country Vocal, "Jesus Take the Wheel," according to The Age.com.
Why does it take a sex scandal for the media and the world to notice NASA? Pitiful. Both the actions of the astronaut who disgraced such a great institution as NASA and the media storm around the scandal. Where are they when NASA needs coverage of their experiments on lentils which can improve worldwide nutrition?
Why the heck does Sex get so much attention - if it's such a bad thing? A teacher sleeps with her 14 year old student and Nancy Grace plays the teacher's erotic video to the student on continuous loop on daytime television. Aren't young kids watching tv at that time? A gay Congressman has to molest young male high schoolers and a White House connected reverend has pay men for sex for conservatives to finally be disgusted with their Party. And one President almost gets impeached for having oral sex with an intern (and lying about it - because really, we expected politicians to tell the truth about something like that).
But God forbid we try our current Administration for (a) misleading us into war knowing their data was false, (b) committing treason for outing an anti-terrorism intelligence agent, (c) misleading Congress on the true cost of their Medicare package, (d) suppressing and finally threatening a government auditor ready to blow the whistle on that Medicare package, (e) breaking habeas corpus and Constitutionally guaranteed laws on our privacy and fundamental freedoms, and (f) misappropriating and possibly funneling BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to politically connected individuals in Iraq. In fact, this adminstration could go through the whole alphabet in scandals and violations.
None. They were scholars and what prompted their removal was a note passed by one anonymous passenger to the flight attendant. I expect bigotry and ignorance from some passengers. And hell, it could've been a joke. Who knows. But is that really enough for the Captain to demand the men get off his plane?
Former Astronaut Charles Bolden will probably be the new head of NASA. But a committee holds much of the fate of NASA in its own expert hands. This 
