October 17, 2021 Today in 1956, Dr. Mae Carol Jemison, the first African American woman to fly in space, was born. Jemison holds a degree in chemical engineering and a Doctor of Medicine. She also became the first real-life astronaut to appear in an episode of Star Trek. For more information on Dr. Jemison, visit… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 15, 2021
October 15, 2021 Today in 1997, NASA’s Cassini-Huygens mission began a seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn. For more than a decade, the Cassini spacecraft shared the wonders of Saturn and its icy moons, while the Huygens probe became the first mission to land on a moon in the outer solar system. Credit –… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 13, 2021
October 13, 2021 Today in 1959, NASA launched Explorer 7 to measure solar X-ray and Lyman-alpha flux, trapped energetic particles, and heavy primary cosmic rays. Secondary objectives included collecting data on micrometeoroid penetration and molecular sputtering and studying the Earth-atmosphere heat balance. NASA’s Explorer 7 aboard a Juno II rocket on the launch pad. Credit… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 11, 2021
October 11, 2021 Today in 1958, NASA launched their first spacecraft, Pioneer 1. Exactly one decade later on this date in 1968, NASA successfully launched the first crewed flight of the Apollo program, Apollo 7. Apollo 7 was the first time a three person American crew launched, and the first live television broadcast from space.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 9, 2021
October 9, 2021 Today in 2009, NASA’s Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was intentionally crashed into a permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the Moon’s south pole. This impact created a plume of material from the bottom of the crater containing frozen water which had not seen sunlight in billions of years.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 7, 2021
October 7, 2021 Today in 1906, James E. Webb was born. As NASA Administrator from 1961 to 1968, Webb helped NASA achieve the goal of landing humans on the Moon by 1970. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), named in his honor, is scheduled to launch in late 2021. For more information on the James… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 5, 2021
October 5, 2021 Today in 1984, Space Shuttle Challenger launched on the eight-day STS-41G mission. On this mission, Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk. The shuttle’s crew of seven was the largest ever to fly on a single spacecraft at that time. STS-41G completed 132 orbits of the Earth… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 3, 2021
October 3, 2021 Today in 1962, the Mercury spacecraft Sigma 7 was launched. Aboard the craft, Astronaut Walter M. “Wally” Schirra completed nearly six orbits of the Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean 9 hours, 13 minutes after liftoff. All Mercury capsules were built in St. Louis by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Pictured above are… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 1, 2021
October 1, 2021 Today in 1958, NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) officially became NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). On that day William H. Dana reported to work as an engineer at the High-Speed Flight Station as the first NASA employee. For a timeline of NASA’s history, visit here. The original logo of the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 29, 2021
September 29, 2021 Today in 2001, NASA launched Kodiak Star carrying four satellites into Earth orbit. This was the first launch from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island in Alaska, now named the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA). This facility is one of the best locations in the world for polar launch operations.… Continue reading