Tag: NASA

Crew-2 Astronauts Splashdown Off Florida’s Gulf Coast

Crew-2 Astronauts Splashdown Off Florida’s Gulf Coast

After more than six months aboard the International Space Station, the Crew 2 astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 10:33 p.m. EST on Nov. 8, 2021. Shane Kimbrough and  Megan McArthur of NASA were aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft with Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency’s Thomas Pesquet of France.

The Wrong Stuff – Again!

The Wrong Stuff – Again!

A year ago on Oct. 9, 2020, Disney+ launched a TV series re-boot of the motion picture The Right Stuff. In the revised version, the historic facts were, by in large, presented accurately. However, the personal lives of the Original 7 Mercury astronauts were depicted like the fictitious characters of a soap opera. After eight episodes, the streaming network mercifully pushed the “abort button” and cancelled the series.

Visionaries Sparked Economic Resurgence on Space Coast

Visionaries Sparked Economic Resurgence on Space Coast

On Sept. 16, 2021, SpaceX launched its Inspiration4 mission with four civilian crewmembers. It was the company’s first fully private flight sending humans to orbit. It was an example of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center serving as a premier multi-user spaceport, supporting an ever-expanding commercial industry, providing transportation to space for both people and cargo.

Demanding Gemini XI Mission Flies on Top of the World

Demanding Gemini XI Mission Flies on Top of the World

“I tell ya from up here the world is round. It is spectacular. It’s fantastic,” said Gemini XI command pilot Pete Conrad as he and pilot Dick Gordon looked down from their lofty vantage point. Their record-shattering altitude of 850 miles above the Earth was only one highlight of a demanding, three-day mission in September 1966 – 55 years ago.

Grissom’s Mission Demonstrated Spaceflight is a Perilous Endeavor

Grissom’s Mission Demonstrated Spaceflight is a Perilous Endeavor

In the summer of 1961, NASA was ready to launch its second piloted spaceflight. It was the next step in Project Mercury’s program to study human capabilities during space travel. Two months earlier, Alan Shepard’s textbook sub-orbital mission made it look easy. But, the splashdown and recovery of the encore flight dramatically demonstrated it is a perilous endeavor requiring attention to detail and extensive preflight training.

Gemini X Sets Records for Rendezvous, Altitude Above Earth

Gemini X Sets Records for Rendezvous, Altitude Above Earth

In mid-1966, Gemini X continued advancing NASA’s capabilities for operating in space with a record-setting, three-day flight. Two astronauts completed rendezvous with two separate targets, retrieved an experiment package from one and set a new altitude record for human flight. All the objectives were designed as stepping stones in preparation for the Apollo Moon landings to follow.

Skylab Proved Feasibility of Long-Duration Spaceflight

Skylab Proved Feasibility of Long-Duration Spaceflight

Launched unpiloted on May 14, 1973, Skylab was a complex orbiting scientific laboratory that set the stage for the International Space Station of today and long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars in the future. Three crews of astronauts performed microgravity experiments for up to three months in a shirtsleeve environment.